Rock Bottom - Judges 19

Judges 19

©Copyright August 19, 2018 by Bruce Goettsche

There are some events you read about in the paper and watch on the news that are so disgusting you can barely take it in. Consider your response to bodies strewn around the outdoors at a concert in Las Vegas, massacres at schools, pedestrians being run over by deranged person in a car, and the carnage of bombs at the Boston Marathon. Add to this, reports on the sexual abuse of children and the sex trafficking trade. And that does not include atrocities like the massacre of Jews by Germany, 9/11 or reports of ethnic cleaning in foreign lands. Sadly, we have perhaps grown numb to some of these pictures we see on a much too regular basis.

The account we look at this morning is sure to turn your stomach. I think it is perhaps the most disturbing account in Scripture (apart from the betrayal and crucifixion of the Son of God). It is so disturbing we wonder why it is even in the Bible. However, it IS in the Bible and this morning we want to look at it and hopefully learn from it. The story begins almost with a "parental warning" attached,

Now in those days Israel had no king. There was a man from the tribe of Levi living in a remote area of the hill country of Ephraim. One day he brought home a woman from Bethlehem in Judah to be his concubine. 2But she became angry with him and returned to her father’s home in Bethlehem. (19:1-2)

We are about to look at another disturbing consequence of people doing "what they see fit in their own eyes." It is a story of what happens when God is cast aside. The depths of depravity are greater than we can even comprehend.

A concubine was in some respects a mistress, someone who lived with a man, was intimate with the man but was not married to him. She was generally considered "property." The man who had the concubine was from the tribe of Levi. This was the priestly tribe. These people were all set aside to serve the Lord. You might want to think of him as a church leader. Like the Levite from the last chapter, he is not living in one of the cities set aside for the Levites.

The concubine became angry with the Levite and ran home to her dad in Bethlehem (which is where the Levite from the last chapter came from). We don't know why she was angry with him but by the end of the chapter, we will have a real good sense for why she left him.

The Levite waited four months before he came after her to persuade her to come home! Perhaps he thought she would return on her own. Her dad welcomed him. He invited him to stay for a while. There is nothing that says the woman desired to return. The focus is all on the men.

The Levite stayed three days eating, drinking and sleeping there. On the fourth day, he was ready to head home, but dad persuaded him to stay another night. On the fifth day, dad tried to do the same thing. We should not read into this any sense of reluctance. Dad was simply being a gracious host. They ate and drank for a while but the Levite decided it was time to hit the road. They departed later in the day.

As they were nearing the town of Jebus (which would one day become Jerusalem), his servant suggested they spend the night. the Levite did not want to do so because since it was a Canaanite town, he thought the people would not welcome them. He said he felt it would be better to travel a little further to Gibeah, a town in the tribe of Benjamin.

The code of hospitality, since there were no hotels in those days, was to welcome strangers into your home. So, the Levite, his concubine, and the servant waited in the city square for an invitation. None came. This indicates the wickedness of the people.

A man who was not from Benjamin but living in the town urged them to come to his home saying

“You are welcome to stay with me,” the old man said. “I will give you anything you might need. But whatever you do, don’t spend the night in the square." (19:20)

We are told the man and the Levite washed their feet and ate and drank together. Then things turn ugly. A group of troublemakers, the New Living Translation calls them, come pounding on the door and wanted the stranger to come out so they could have sex with him. This act shows the Canaanite values had permeated Israel. The old man argued that the Levite was a guest in his home and this is not the way they should treat a guest. In the Middle East, there was a deep sense of responsibility for a guest. But, to protect the guest, he does the unthinkable.

Here, take my virgin daughter and this man’s concubine. I will bring them out to you, and you can abuse them and do whatever you like. But don’t do such a shameful thing to this man.”

25But they wouldn’t listen to him. So the Levite took hold of his concubine and pushed her out the door. The men of the town abused her all night, taking turns raping her until morning. Finally, at dawn they let her go. (24-25)

We don't even know what to say when we read words like this. In a sense, it was "every man for himself." To save themselves they sacrifice the women of the household! It is a despicable thought and an even more horrendous action. To offer his daughter was a violation of what it means to be a father. To offer the Levite's concubine was to violate what it means to be a man!

From the text, it appears only the concubine was thrown to the men. She is abused violently all night long. She finally crawls back to the house but has no strength to do anything but put her hands on the threshold.

Now, believe it or not, the story gets worse! It appears, the Levite and the man finished their meal and slept!!! The Levite got up in the morning and intended to leave (without her?). And then we read these unbelievable words,

When her husband opened the door to leave, there lay his concubine with her hands on the threshold. 28He said, “Get up! Let’s go!” But there was no answer. So he put her body on his donkey and took her home.

29When he got home, he took a knife and cut his concubine’s body into twelve pieces. Then he sent one piece to each tribe throughout all the territory of Israel. (27-29)

There is no compassion, no sympathy, only a heartless, "Get up, it's time to go!"

I hope you hate this man and what he did. It seems the only human response. The text is unclear whether or not the concubine was actually dead! Was she dead at the door? Did she die on the way to the Levite's house? Did she die when she was cut to pieces?

The Levite is angry that the men of Gibeah because they destroyed his "property." We understand why this woman ran away to start with. Next week we will see the response of the Israelites when each tribe gets a package from UPS with a body part in it and a note from the Levite.

We are left with some difficult questions as we read this passage. Paul tells us that all these accounts in the Old Testament were written to teach us. What in the world are we supposed to learn from such subhuman behavior?

The men of Gibeah are certainly villains but the Levite is just as terrible . . . IF NOT MORE SO! We know in the New Testament a husband is to care for his wife as Christ cared for the church. In other words, he is to be willing to lay down his life for his wife! This is a male dominating society at its worse.

As we try to apply this passage we must be careful not to trivialize what we have just read. It is important you feel the disgust. This account is written to show us what happens when everyone does what is right in their own eyes and turns away from the instruction and governance of the Lord.

LESSONS

We See just how deadened a conscience can become. In the book of 2 Timothy Paul warned Timothy of things so to come,

in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

In Romans we read these words,

21Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

The Romans passage continue with another list of the indicators of a society that is doing what is right in their own eyes. It is tempting to view this as what can happen "out there" but we must see these same things happening in our midst.

Our minds do not become calloused overnight. It happens slowly. It happens as a society. Think about this: 50-75 years ago people would have been shocked at,

Couples openly and proudly living together apart from marriage

Having several children out of wedlock

Celebrating and promoting homosexuality

The idea of "Gender confusion" or being transgender

Abortion on Demand

Physician-Assisted Suicide

Graphic sex and violence on TV and in the Movies

Video games for children that involve killing

The staggering divorce rate and the concept of "no-fault" divorce

Just 50-75 years ago people would not have imagined a society and would not even think of embracing the idea of CHRISTIANS shrugging or embracing these things!

Little steps away from God. Little compromises, justifications, re-interpreting Scripture so it appears God is for that which He condemns and before long you have

People flying airplanes into buildings

Students shooting their classmates in school

A gunman taking aim at concert goers in Las Vegas

Governments engaging in ethnic cleansing

Pastors using their position to sexually abuse women

Children being sold into the sex trade

Gang members firing into block parties randomly killing people and then walking away without feeling a thing.

Children abused sexually by adults

Government sanctioned gambling

Faith excluded from schools or anywhere else.

When a man forgets God the depth of evil is unimaginable. We should hear a call to return to the Bible and submit to God's authority in our lives. We have a bent for sin and if we continue to feed it, we will destroy ourselves and our families. We will become so absorbed with our own needs and desires we will not respect any boundaries of decency.

Perhaps we see that our treatment of women is a good indicator of how depraved we are. With all the talk about equality and women's rights, there is a sense in which women are more objectified than ever. Women are told they should look a certain way and that their value is based largely on how well they can attract and satisfy a man.

Women dress seductively to sell products. It is common for even young girls to wear clothing that leaves very little to the imagination. The Internet has brought pornography into every home and available on any smartphone. Women are groped, whistled at, and treated as if their sole purpose was to please men. And astonishingly, women are becoming just as superficial as men.

Men and Women must start respecting one another rather than using one another for our pleasures. We must heed God's call to recognize that God created both man and woman in His Image! Jesus died for both men and women. He created us to be fascinated with each other. When Adam saw Eve and said, "Now, that's more like it! This is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh." I am sure God smiled. He wants us to find a unique partnership with each other. He wants us to know that completeness that comes with giving yourself wholly to another person.

But we are dirtying what God created to be beautiful! We must guard against losing what was created to be so special. Prowling for people to "hook up with" is more like the animals than like humans created in God's image.

Can I be really practical? If you want the kind of relationship that God designed us to have,

Commit to your partner. See them as a person. Get acquainted or reacquainted with them. Put aside the stereotypes. Work hard to see them with new and "wonder-filled" eyes.

Stop flirting with anyone other than your spouse. It is a game that is dangerous and offensive if it is not with the person to whom you are married. It is sinful if it is with someone who is married to someone else. This includes "innocent" flirting via text message.

Run from pornography whether it is graphics on the Internet or subtle on TV. Stop laughing at immoral behavior.

For those who are dating... .work hard to look past the packaging to see the person within. As a society, we have made attraction about "getting turned on." As Christians, we should be looking for an attraction that is deeper . . . you should "fall in love" with who a person is and not just simply what they look like. Appearance is largely genetic, character and depth is something that is developed. Pursue the later beauty which will last for a lifetime.

I believe it is not just about how we view the opposite sex. It is about someone's value as a person. People have feelings, they can be wounded, they are precious and fragile. The minute we treat anyone like an object, or a means to an end, we have done what the Gibeonites were doing.

3. Sin has a ripple effect. There is an old story of a ship that was traveling across the Mediterranean, and one of the passengers cut a hole through the side of the ship. The sailors came to him and demanded to know what he was doing. “What difference does it make to you?” he asked. “The hole’s under my own bunk.” No sin was ever committed that affected one person alone. There is no such thing as victimless sin. Any sin sends ripples into all of society. If you understand the absurdity of the passenger in that story, you have gained an important insight into the biblical view of the effects of sin. People go around shouting, “Do your own thing!” and demanding the freedom to do what they please, when they please, where they please. Then we wonder why the boat is filling up with water and we are beginning to go under. We do not live to ourselves, and we do not sin to ourselves. The sinful choices we make will impact our children, our reputation, our witness. Likewise, the positive choices have a positive ripple effect.

We desperately need the gospel. Perhaps the most important lesson is this: the more we understand man's tendency for evil, the more we should run to the Lord for help. Our open-mindedness and our "enlightened" thinking is just a cover for sin and a hardness of heart. Israel didn't so much need A King, they needed THE King. His name is Jesus. He can cleanse our sinful thinking, our reckless living, and our aimless devotion. But to experience these things we must run to Him.

We can whine about the state of our society but we would be better served to work on living holy lives ourselves. If God's people do not follow Him, there is no hope for society. So, let's look honestly at our lives. Let us measure them by what the Bible says and not by what would "work best for us." When we find ourselves justifying sin, we need to confess that sin and repent. Our calling is not to be successful by the world's standards, to be popular, or even to "do what makes us happy." Our calling is to serve and honor the Lord with all our lives. Our calling is to serve Him who sent Jesus to pay for our sin and has given us His Holy Spirit so we can find true life . . . in contrast to the cheap substitute offered by the world.

I think this disturbing account is recorded for us . . . to disturb us! It is meant to show us the long-term consequences of ignoring the Lord. It shows us man's ability to justify, rationalize, and excuse sin. It is a warning that is meant to save us. May God help us to hear clearly and respond fully.