Judges 19

Judges 19:1

C. The Levite and His Concubine (Chap. 19)19:1-12 We now come to a story of incredible moral corruptionthe account of the Levite and his concubine. This particular Levite had a concubine who had come from Bethlehem in Judah. She forsook him to return to her home and live as a harlot. He went to her father’s house to get her and was entertained there day after day. Each time he tried to leave with his concubine, her father prevailed on him to stay a little longer. Finally he left, on the evening of the fifth day, with his servant, his two saddled donkeys, and his concubine. It was late afternoon when they came to Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), but they did not stop because that city was still inhabited by the heathen Jebusites. George Williams observes: It would have been better for the Levite to have spent the night with the heathen than with the professed children of God, for the latter had already become viler than the former. 19:13-21 At sunset they came to Gibeah, in the territory of Benjamin. No one offered to provide lodging for the caravan, so the Levite relaxed temporarily in the street. Then an old Ephraimite man who was living in Gibeah offered to take the party to his home, and the offer was accepted. 19:22-24 That evening a band of sexual perverts surrounded the house and demanded that the visiting Levite be brought out to them. The only other time we read of such debauched behavior is in the days of Lot (Gen. 19). Unfortunately for the young woman, there were no guardian angels present at Gibeah, as there were in Sodom. Both incidents brought severe consequences on the offenders. The Lord abhors homosexuality. Human depravity can hardly sink lower. The owner sought to satisfy these wicked Benjamites by offering his virgin daughter and the Levite’s concubine. Arthur Cundall comments on their conduct as follows: In his concern for the accepted conventions of hospitality the old man was willing to shatter a code which, to the modern reader, appears of infinitely more importance, namely, the care and protection of the weak and helpless. Womanhood was but lightly esteemed in the ancient world; indeed it is largely due to the precepts of the Jewish faith, and particularly the enlightenment which has come through the Christian faith, that women enjoy their present position. The old man was willing to sacrifice his own virgin daughter and the Levite’s concubine to the distorted lusts of the besiegers, rather than allow any harm to befall his principal guest. 19:25-30 Finally, fearing for his own skin, the cowardly Levite sent his concubine out to them. As a result of their vile and harrowing abuse of her, she died during the night. Without excusing the Benjamites, we might point out that if she hadn’t given herself to harlotry beforehand (v. 2) she would not have suffered a harlot’s death. Sin mercilessly rewards its followers. The Levite found her body at the doorstep in the morning. He was so enraged that such grossness should be practiced in Israel that he cut her body into twelve pieces . . . and sent one part to each of the twelve tribes with an account of what had happened. The nation of Israel was stunned!