Thur’s Devo - They Did What Was Right in Their Own Eyes

Read: Judges 19:1-20:48; John 3:22-4:3; Psalm 104:24-35; Proverbs 14:22-24 When I think the men in Judges can’t get any eviler, I read this story. This is the epitome of evil that Israel had fallen into. Justice was perverted and so was the soul of man. A man from Judah went to Ephraim and brought home a concubine. She got mad at him and went back home. After four months, he went to beg her to come back. *** Her father welcomed the man into his house and feasted with him for six days and finally left that evening with his concubine. He told his servant that he didn’t want to sleep in Jebus which became Jerusalem later. At the time it was a foreign town. The man wanted to wait and stay in Gibeah or Ramah since they were Israelite towns. They sat in the town square till finally an old man came in from the field and asked them to come home with him. He told them it was not safe to stay in the city. *** That night the men of the city came to have sex with him (sounds a lot like Sodom). He ended up giving them his concubine to do to her what they wanted. They did and left her dying at the door. When he opened it he next morning he found she was dead. He and the men of Benjamin should have been tried for murder, but instead, he cut her body into 11 pieces and sent them to all the tribal leaders except Benjamin. Since this act happened in Benjamin, he stirred up all Israel to fight with him against them. They battled for three days. The Israelites lost 40,000 men the first two days. They regrouped, prayed and fasted and finally sought the Lord’s help. The Lord gave them the victory and they killed 25,100 of Benjamin’s warriors in an ambush. Six hundred of the men of Benjamin fled to the rock of Rimmon where they hid out for four months. Israel then slaughtered every living thing in all the towns of Benjamin. *** I can’t help but think that this is just like some of the senseless wars we have fought where thousands of lives were lost. It is so sad for the nation. *** In John, Jesus was becoming very popular and many were coming to hear him preach and teach. One of John’s disciples complained to John about losing their followers to Jesus. John did such a good job at explaining that this was the sign that his ministry was successful, not that he was failing. His ministry was to lead people to Jesus. Jesus had been in heaven and was the only one who could tell the people about heavenly things. John had only been on earth, so he could only tell people about earthly things. His job was to clean their bodies so their soul could be cleansed to receive. He was thrilled that people were going to hear Jesus. *** This news was not good news to Jesus. He did not come to baptize and set up a “church”. He came to scatter seed as far and wide as he could. He left and went to Judea and Galilee to tell more people. *** Lord, may we spread seed of the gospel today as we go about our day. May you be always on our minds and in our hearts.