{"id":386,"date":"2012-02-18T09:10:42","date_gmt":"2012-02-18T17:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/?p=386"},"modified":"2012-02-21T06:29:45","modified_gmt":"2012-02-21T14:29:45","slug":"judges-201-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/?p=386","title":{"rendered":"Judges 20:1-16"},"content":{"rendered":"

Judges 20:1-16. \u00a0We are not done yet with the story of the Levite. \u00a0When we left the story yesterday he had cut up his dead mistress and sent parts of her body to leaders of each of twelve tribes (See “The Twelve?”<\/a>). \u00a0And the leaders were out raged. \u00a0In todays reading we find the leaders calling an all Israel meeting. \u00a0The meeting took place in Mizpah. \u00a0Mizpah was about 7-1\/2 miles north of Jerusalem in the Benjamin’s territory but near the border with Ephraim’s territory. \u00a0It was about 3 miles north of Gibeah where the woman was abused. \u00a0It looks like the leaders were more than outraged they were going to do something about this evil act. \u00a0They had an army of 400,000 men ready. \u00a0Although verses 1 says “all the sons of Israel …came out”\u00a0it looks like the tribe of Benjamin was not there. \u00a0Verse 3 tells us that the Benjamites “heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.” \u00a0As we will see they were going to\u00a0taken sides with their “brothers” in Gibeah. \u00a0One last interesting note from these first few verses. \u00a0Verse 2 tells us that the leaders took their stand in “the assembly of the people of God.” \u00a0Could this be a break in the cycle of disobedience? Let’s continue.<\/p>\n

At the end of verses \u00a03 the leaders look into what has happened. In verses 4-6 the Levite tells his story. \u00a0It is interesting that the Levite is back. \u00a0Remember that the man was identified as a Levite at the beginning of the story but through out the rest of chapter 19 he is only called the man. \u00a0The word for man can mean husband. \u00a0And it looks it look like it is the word in Hebrew that is usually used to talk about a husband. \u00a0There is another word in Hebrew, “chathan”, that is used a few times to mean husband. \u00a0Chathan is used a several times to mean bridegroom but it is mostly used to mean son-in-law of father in law. \u00a0That is the word used by the author in Judges 19:4-5. \u00a0It seems that the main idea of that word is that there is some sort of legal relationship. \u00a0In the 2\/16\/12<\/a> post when I tried to describe what a concubine is I said she was sort of a mistress or girlfriend. \u00a0She was not a wife. \u00a0But there was some sort of legal connection. \u00a0She was definitely equal to a wife though. \u00a0The only other word used for husband in Hebrew is “bawal” and it’s main idea is one of ownership. \u00a0that word is not used in Judges. \u00a0In this story the Levite \u00a0sure didn’t act like much of a husband, or a priest for that matter. \u00a0So it is interesting that the author goes back to that description. \u00a0I think the point is that, now that there is an assembly (That word (v. 2) often had a religious “feel” to it like the word church. \u00a0It could also be a military assembly. \u00a0Both ideas are combined in verse 2) of the people, that the guy wanted to be thought of as the Levite, the priest and so the author of Judges brings that out.<\/p>\n

Look at how the “Levite” describes what happened (Judges 20:4-6). \u00a0What parts did he leave out? \u00a0Hmmmm, the part about him throwing her out to save his own skin. \u00a0Hmmm, \u00a0the part about sleeping all night while she was tortured. \u00a0Hmmmm, the part about sleeping in. \u00a0 \u00a0Hmmm, the part about how casual he was about her being dead. \u00a0Sure he was mad and sent his little bodygram (like a telegram only more gruesome) around, but I get the feeling it was because he wanted his little woman toy back. \u00a0He does say he cut her up and mailed the parts around \u00a0because what guys did was lewd and disgraceful. \u00a0But throwing her out was just as bad, in our legal system he would be seen as an accessory to the crime. \u00a0then the priest comes out in him as he challenges the people to “give their advise” about what ought to be done. \u00a0Seems a little self-righteous to me.<\/p>\n

Proverbs 18:17 tells us there are tow sides to every story. \u00a0Deuteronomy 17:6 tells us that we need two or three witnesses before we act, that was God’s law. \u00a0By the time of Jesus, Jewish law required that some one facing death for their actions must have a chance to defend themselves. \u00a0And there was a waiting period and a sort of second trial \u00a0(none of which happened in Jesus’ rial by the way). \u00a0Did you notice that they all assembled as “one man to the LORD” (verse 1). \u00a0the were waiting to hear from Yahweh and the “priest” steps up and what does he tell them to do? \u00a0Think for yourself. \u00a0He didn’t bother to point them to God at all, which was his job.<\/p>\n

The people decide to sent messengers through out the tribe of Benjamin and demand that the men of Gibeah be turned over for execution. \u00a0I hope that they had in mind just the guilty guys, but as we will see tomorrow, their quick decision and action will result in innocent (or at least less guilty) people getting hurt. \u00a0The reading today ends with a count of the population of Benjamin and a description of an elite fighting force that the tribe had. \u00a0This is a dark note just like the mention of it getting dark as the Levite and his entourage (his group) approached Gibeah. \u00a0This kind of information hints that a battle is coming. \u00a0In fact verse 14 says that that is their intention. \u00a0And Benjamin only has 26,000 total people and only 700 “Navy SEALs”, against an army of 400,000. \u00a0These are the worst odds we have seen in the whole book of Judges. \u00a0And it looks like the Benjaminites don’t have God on their side.<\/p>\n

We will have to wait until tomorrow to see how this goes but for today what can we learn. \u00a0It may seem like I am a little sympathetic to the people of Benjamin, and I am. \u00a0It’s not that i am on the side of the men of Gibeah who committed the crime. \u00a0As I said yesterday or the day before this is the ugliest story in the Bible from a human point of view. \u00a0The actions of all involved have been the worst. \u00a0Even the old man offered his daughter as a trade. \u00a0And the people, the other eleven tribes, are running way ahead of God. \u00a0they are just listening tot he priest and running down a path to war. \u00a0Evil should be dealt with but God had given the Israelites rules and they were not following them. \u00a0As always in the book of Judges they were doing what they thought was right. \u00a0In a way the Benjaminites are the least guilty. \u00a0Notice that the voice they are not listening to is the voice of the people. \u00a0And the people had not really bothered to listen to God. \u00a0They were acting like they were but were not really listening to Him. \u00a0We are like that we advise ourselves and pretending that we are getting advise from God. \u00a0But it’s just our own voice, or the voice of the crowd. \u00a0We need to slow down when the mob is all up and yelling, especially when it is an offended religious mob. \u00a0I remember a story like that some where else in the Bible. \u00a0Wasn’t the crowd yelling something like, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him”? \u00a0Now you probably want to crucify me. \u00a0Jesus was innocent and the guys from Gibeah were not. \u00a0Yes they needed to be punished nd that was what the Israelites needed to do, but they need to follow the rules. \u00a0And to do that they needed to learn the rules. \u00a0There is no place in God’s world for mob action. \u00a0James 1:20 says, “the anger of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God”. \u00a0James tells us that instead that we need to be “quick to hear, slow to speak , and slow to anger”. \u00a0We also need to be careful to deal with our own sins before we start in on others (Matthew 7:3). \u00a0In the end God is watching and all evil will be dealt with, we do need to do our part, but our parts needs to start with us and in all needs to be by His rules. \u00a0God help me not be soft on sin but let me start on myself first. \u00a0Let me remember to alway live by your rules. \u00a0Let me never be a part of a mob even if it is a mob that says they are serving you. \u00a0Help me remember to get both sides of the story. \u00a0And let me alway remember your side, a side of forgiveness and restoration. \u00a0I know in the end you will judge. \u00a0If you can be so patient with me I should be patient with those around me. \u00a0Let me be salt and light.<\/p>\n

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Seems like a little bit of overkill for one town.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Judges 20:1-16. \u00a0We are not done yet with the story of the Levite. \u00a0When we left the story yesterday he had cut up his dead mistress and sent parts of her body to leaders of each of twelve tribes (See “The Twelve?”). \u00a0And the leaders were out raged. \u00a0In todays reading we find the leaders […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=386"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":417,"href":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386\/revisions\/417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}