Picking up from Going From Bad to Worse…

The end of the passage we considered in Friday’s post almost sounds more like a modern episode of “Criminal Minds” than it does a Bible story.

When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold. He said to her, “Get up; let’s go.” But there was no answer. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.

When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel. Everyone who saw it said, “Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Think about it! Consider it! Tell us what to do!”

All of the tribes are outraged after receiving the “message” from the Levite. They assemble together to attack the tribe of Benjamin in vengeance for their part in the woman’s death. After several days of battle, only a few hundred men are left from Benjamin. All of the other tribes take an oath to not give their daughters in marriage to a Benjamite, but then they realize that the entire tribe will be extinguished with no women for the survivors to marry. The solution? They realize that no one from the town of Jabesh Gilead came to help them, so they decide to go up and slaughter the entire city except for the virgin women. 400 virgins are taken captive and given to the surviving Benjamites, but there aren’t enough to go around.

Then the brilliant plan develops to have the Benjamites who don’t have wives hide in the vineyards during a festival to the Lord that was to be held in Shiloh. While the young women were dancing, they each ran out and kidnapped a bride! Notice how they justify this:

When their fathers or brothers complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Do us a kindness by helping them, because we did not get wives for them during the war, and you are innocent, since you did not give your daughters to them.’ (Judges 21:22)

Oh, well in that case, I guess it’s ok. ??

This story is confusing – God apparently approves of the outrage against this unspeakable evil committed in the tribe of Benjamin and directs that Judah will lead the battle against them. This is consistent with the law – as we’ve discussed before, Leviticus states that when such evil was uncovered in Israel they were to blot it out.

It sounds cruel to us, but again, we must remember: God is a HOLY God. It was unacceptable for the people called by His name to act in such utter wickedness. If Sodom and Gommorah were destroyed for this kind of evil, how much more the people who have God living amongst them? Notice, however, that the text does NOT show God giving approval for any of the rest of the story – the mutilation of this young woman’s body, the slaughter of Jabesh Gilead, and the kidnapping of women to provide wives.

The last verse of the book of Judges is haunting and familiar: In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit. (21:25)

In the next post, I will look more at the overall message of Judges and tie some things together. Today I just want to leave you with this thought: what happens to humanity when we shrug off the authority of God and a standard for Truth outside of our own personal feelings and judgement? What does the book of Judges have to say to us today? Please share any thoughts you have!

There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.
Proverbs 6:16-19