The Horror of Sin Judges 19-20

MATTHEW 5.16 LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE AMONG MEN THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN.

So today I was once again struck by the wickedness of Israel during the time of Judges. I was shocked by the story in Judges 19 & 20. The Benjamites of Gilead molested a priest’s concubine to the point of death. The Priest then cuts up her body into 12 parts and sends a piece to each tribe, calling them to deal with the wickedness not of the men but of the city. The rest of Israel gathers and fights against Benjamin, destroying all their men of war, 25,000. Israel in the process of suffering the loss of 40,000 men. That’s 65,000 men killed in battle. Horrific. God led Israel against Benjamin, giving directions 3 times. So it was not just the offenders (Benjaminite’s) but Israel itself that suffered the judgment for this wickedness.

You see, it is a society that allows its people to digress and increase in wickedness. When we do not stand on the word of God and allow anything a man desires to go unchecked, the entire society spirals toward sinfulness. It is time for us to make a stand in our homes, in our lives, and in our minds, making sure the Word of God is planted deeply in our hearts and in our households. Then we need to make an effort to be a light to the world. If not, expect our society to continue to regress, without a revival of even a few the spiral will just continue.

Why does a priest have a concubine?
Why did God tell the Israelites attack twice only to see them defeated and suffer the loss of 40,000 men of war? No I don’t have the answer to everything.