Finding Rest

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

FINDING REST

Judges 19:11-30

11 When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, "Come, let's stop at this city of the Jebusites and spend the night." 12 His master replied, "No. We won't go into an alien city, whose people are not Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah." 13 He added, "Come, let's try to reach Gibeah or Ramah and spend the night in one of those places." 14 So they went on, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin. 15 There they stopped to spend the night. They went and sat in the city square, but no one took them into his home for the night. 16 That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was living in Gibeah (the men of the place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the fields. 17 When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, "Where are you going? Where did you come from?" 18 He answered, "We are on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim where I live. I have been to Bethlehem in Judah and now I am going to the house of the LORD. No one has taken me into his house. 19 We have both straw and fodder for our donkeys and bread and wine for ourselves your servants — me, your maidservant, and the young man with us. We don't need anything." 20 "You are welcome at my house," the old man said. "Let me supply whatever you need. Only don't spend the night in the square." 21 So he took him into his house and fed his donkeys. After they had washed their feet, they had something to eat and drink. 22 While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, "Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him." 23 The owner of the house went outside and said to them, "No, my friends, don't be so vile. Since this man is my guest, don't do this disgraceful thing. 24 Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. I will bring them out to you now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish. But to this man, don't do such a disgraceful thing." 25 But the men would not listen to him. So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. 26 At daybreak the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight. 27 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. 28 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. 29 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. 30 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!"

NIV

Now we have come to the rest of the story, of this horrific story that is difficult to understand why a man would take his concubine and cut her up into twelve parts and then send those parts into all the areas of Israel. Once again, we see in this one town that this elderly man exhibited hospitality. Still, at the same time, this man and his male servant and concubine came into this man's home, just as in Sodom, the men came and wanted to have illicit relationships with the man. How evil is the heart of man that they would even consider doing such a thing, and then, when they were offered the concubine, they abused her all night long. There is no excuse for this kind of behavior other than pure evil. However, the story is still not complete. We will come to the reasoning behind the Levite sending 12 pieces of his concubine throughout Israel there will be a war The Benjamite’s will pay for this evil behavior they committed against this Levite and his concubine, however for now we are still seeing the hospitality offered to the Levite, and his manservant and concubine similar to the hospitality what was offered the two angels. As with lot, this man's hospitality was repaid to him with evil. We are still in the time when Israel had no king and everyone did as they saw fit, which meant there was no true law and order, and it seemed, at least generally speaking, the Israelites had no moral compass not even paying attention to the commands that had been given to them through Moses. It does seem strange that in our culture, we have law and order and a justice system, and yet we still have a segment of our society that seems to pay no attention to law and order or has any moral compass and does whatever they see fit. We will see the Benjamites defend themselves against the retribution placed on them for their evil deeds rather than repenting and asking for forgiveness. Certainly, none of us are free from all evil deeds, as none of us are free from sin, however, we repent and seek forgiveness and find it. But on earth, some would defend their evil deeds and will ultimately pay. Although we do not judge the world, for that is God's right and his alone, and we do not condemn the world, for that too is God's right and his alone. And yet this truth that this man who offered hospitality to the Levite and his manservant and concubine offered his own daughter to those men is also a picture of God who is offering us hospitality into his Kingdom by offering his own son. Let us also be willing to extend that invitation of hospitality to those who need to come to Jesus and find rest.