Mon.’s Devo - The Levite and His Concubine

Read: Judges 19:1-20:48; John 3:22-4:3; Psal 104:24-35; Proverbs 14:22-24 This is the hardest story for me to read every year. It begins with “there was no king in Israel.” This tells us that there was no one leading them so they were doing what was right in their own eyes. God wanted to open their eyes to the sin they were in so we have this story. *** This story is about a Levite who was traveling in Ephraim and found a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. I had to look up the meaning of the difference between a concubine and a wife. A wife was a legally and socially recognized partner with full marital rights, while a concubine was a recognized relationship but without the full legal, social, or religious status of a wife. This Levite’s concubine was unfaithful and ran away and went back home. The Levite went to try to convince her to come back to him. The girl’s father welcomed the Levite into his home and they drank and partied for several nights. Finally, the Levite could stay no longer and took his wife and left in the late afternoon. *** They came first to Jebus but didn’t want to stay there since it was not an Israelite town. They went on to Gibeah which was in the land of Benjamin. They sat in the town square waiting for someone to welcome them into their home to spend the night. Finally an old man came who was from Ephraim but was working in Benjamin. He invited them to come to his house to spend the night. *** The townspeople came and surrounded the house and beat on the door demanding that they bring out the man so they could have sex with him. (This is the same thing that the men of Sodom did to Lot’s house.) Instead, the Levite threw out his concubine so they could violate her. *** The next morning when the Levite was ready to go, he found his wife dead by the door. He cut her body into 12 pieces and sent the pieces throughout the territory of Israel. The people were appalled and met at Mizpah. Four hundred thousand soldiers came to fight for the Levite. *** They went down to Gibeah and demanded that the Benjaminites hand over the evil men of their town. They refused to do that and formed an army of 33,000 Benjaminites. *** The Israelites went to Bethel to ask the Lord which tribe should lead the battle and the Lord said that Judah should go first. The first two days of battle did not go well for the Israelites but then they fasted and wept before the Lord and gave offerings. They asked the Lord if they should continue fighting and he said they should. They did an ambush to draw the people out of the city. When they drew the people out of the city, they were able to enter the city and burn it to the ground and kill all of the inhabitants. The survivors of Benjamin fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon. Six hundred made it safely to the rock and stayed there for four months. *** In John, John was having a conversation with his followers. They were concerned that Jesus was drawing more attention and followers than John. John explained that this is the plan. Jesus was from heaven which supersedes all born of the earth. He can tell them about heavenly things because he has been there. The Father loves his Son and has begin everything to him. Whoever believes in him has eternal life, whoever does not obey him will face the wrath of God. *** Lord, will you show us the secrets hidden in your Word and give us understanding. We trust that all you say is true and gives life.