January 4, 2023 • 18 mins
In this Bible Story, some men from the tribe of Benjamin brutally rape the concubine of a Levite. As a message to the people of Israel, the Levite tore his concubine into pieces, and spread her limbs to all the twelve tribes of Israel. This story is inspired by Judges 19. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.
Today's Bible verse is Judges 19:24 from the King James Version.
Episode 71: Israel continues its fall into depravity and even the holiest of people did whatever they wanted. A Levite, a minister of God, took on a concubine, who eventually left him. After a while, he left his home in Ephraim to go to Bethlehem and fetch his concubine. But whenever he arrived, the woman's father kept finding ways to keep him there at their house. When they were finally able to escape, the Levite decided to press on until the land of Benjamin. But little did he know, that Gibeah had become the new Sodom.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Behold, here is my daughter, a maiden, and his concubine them.
I will bring out now and humble ye them, and
do with them what seemeth good unto you, but unto
this man. Do not so vile a thing. Judge is
nineteen twenty four. Lord, I can't thank you enough for
(00:21):
the spirit of discernment, like the Levite, give me the
intuition and instincts necessary to know when to stay at
a place and when to leave the company of people
who would seek to distract me from my mission or
cause me harm in any way. From this moment on,
(00:41):
I have decided to follow your blue print from my life, Lord,
and not deviate from the layout or directions that you
have given me. Help me to realize that when I
try to forge my own path like the Levite, I'll
end up killing the very thing that I've sacrificed time, effort,
and energy to obtain. Therefore, I declare that my ears
(01:06):
are open to hear your voice. Lord. I declare that
my feet are firmly planted on your path God, And
when others try to come and pry my promise for
my hands, I will stand boldly then confront my opponents
knowing that you will give me strength to stand and fight.
(01:29):
Quicken my feet, Heavenly Father when I stray, so that
I can make it back to the place where the
wings of your grace can comfort and protect me. In
Jesus Name, Amen, Listening to these daily prayers strengthens your
relationship with God. Continue hearing from the Lord by listening
(01:51):
to today's Bible in a Year, brought to you by
Bible in a Year dot com. The wickedness of the
Benjamite tribe. In our last story, we learned about the
tribe of Dan stealing idols from the house of Micah
(02:13):
and their violent siege over an innocent village. The tribe
of Dan found a home at the expense of others,
and Israel continued to sin before God. Now we learn
about the journey of a young Levite and his concubine
as they seek their own path away from God, they
fall victim to all sorts of dark evils, as inspired
(02:35):
by the Book of Judges. Hello, this is Pastor Jack
Graham with today's episode of the Bible in a Year podcast.
In our last episode, we heard the story of Micah's
spiritual confusion and how the tribe of Dan stole idols
from the House of Micah to place in their own
places of worship in a city they stole from innocent people.
(02:56):
It was a sign of Israel's moral bankruptcy in a
when each person did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.
Yet as God's people continued to drift further away from him,
God continued to wait for a time to rescue his children.
Today we'll see that Israel continues its descent into wickedness,
(03:17):
and we'll hear another story of a man straying from
God to seek his own path, a Levite who will
leave his wife and journey with his concubine into dangerous
territory both physically and spiritually. It's a story that's destined
to end in tragedy, of course, but let us not
miss the lesson that there is for all who will
listen and learn so less Here today's reading, Israel continued
(03:43):
its fall from the favor of God. The days of
parted seas and Mana falling from heaven were long forgotten,
and even the holiest of people did what was right
in their own eyes. Pursuing peace, blessing, and kindness was
a distant virtue. Now people wandered the land without purpose.
In those days, there was a certain levite who was
(04:06):
sojouring in the wilderness of Ephrium. This leavite, called to
be a man who serves the people of God, left
his wife and took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem.
Together they traveled, but the woman was unfaithful to him
and traveled back to Bethlehem. Heart broken and love sick.
The levite traveled back to Bethlehem to win back his
(04:29):
concubine's affection. He brought gifts and wrote poems, and outside
her father's house he sought to serenade her. Her father
opened the door, overjoyed to see that the levite returned
for his daughter, He invited the levite to stay with
him for three days. The leavite gladly accepted the invitation,
Yet there was a strangeness in the father's smile. A
(04:52):
lingering wickedness that was too subtle to spot clearly hovered
over the house. The levite ignored it, wanting only to
win back as concubine's heart. So we entered the father's
house and stayed for three days. The two men ate
drank in exchanged tales, of their travels and exploits. The
wine continued to pour and the food continued to be cooked.
(05:16):
Time moved quickly, and on the fourth day, the levite
and his woman arose to leave. The father put his
hand on the levite's shoulder and smiled, Why don't you
stay for one last meal before you go? He said,
so the two of them ate together once again. Their
meal and conversation lasted hours, and the morning quickly turned
(05:37):
into dusk. The levite opened the door to depart and
looked at the horizon. He was surprised to see that
the night had come so quickly. The skies turned into
a deep red as the sun set against the bare sky.
It was an uneasy sunset, and it sent chills down
the levite's neck. Ah, what do you know, the father
(05:58):
said from behind him. It is our sun set. You
might as well stay one more night. The levite was
uneasy about spending another night, but the father insisted, so
he stayed another night. On the fifth morning, the levite
gathered his things, his woman, and his servant, and the
three of them prepared to depart from the father's house.
(06:20):
It was still dark, but the girl's father had already
been awake, tending to the fields. He shouted from a distance, saying,
strengthen your hearts. Stay and I will make you breakfast
until the sun arises. So the three of them remained.
Time seemed to move at a different pace in that
dining room. Drinks flowed like a river into the Levite's cup,
(06:42):
and he found himself lost in a drunken stupor that
lasted all day. Slapping himself awake, the levite thanked the
girl's father and finally went off to depart. But the
sun had already begun its descent and day was almost over. Well,
there's no harm in spending the night again, the father said,
with a jolly grin. His rotted teeth could barely be
(07:05):
spotted underneath his white beard. First thing tomorrow morning, you
can all start your journey, he said. The levite peered
into his eyes, the uneasy chills overcame him again. The
levite nodded politely, and the woman's father left the room
to go prepare the beds. Then he took his concubine
and servant, and they made a mad dash for the door.
(07:27):
They saddled their donkeys and rode off. He would not
spend the night again, for he feared that it could
very well be his last if he did. The treer
traveled to Jebas, which is now Jerusalem. The day was
nearly over and the sun was half way below the horizon.
The levite's servant said to him, let us descend into
the city of the Gebasites and spend the night, and
(07:49):
may become dangerous soon. The levite looked uneasy. He had
heard rumors of the Geebascites and was not sure if
he wanted to stay in their city, so they turned
away to get Ibia as the sun set behind them.
Gibbea belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, and the Levite
was sure they could find lodging among God's people. However,
(08:09):
they had no such luck. The three of them knocked
on every door in the city, seeking a place to
rest their heads, yet each one turned them away. So
the levite, his concubine, and his servant huddled in the
courtyard in the middle of the city. Alone and cold.
They slept without blankets or food to warm them. It
(08:29):
was still night and the levite had finally fallen into
a deep sleep. His snores were interrupted by an old
man poking at him and his companions. The levite jolted
awake and rose to his feet. The old man backed
away and gave a nervous smile. What are you doing
out here in the middle of the night, he said,
This place is dangerous at night. We are traveling back
(08:52):
to Ephraem, but no one has taken us in to
spend the night. We have donkeys in need of straw
and water, and we are in need of food. The
levite responded, hoping desperately that the man could help them.
Of course, the man said, I can care for all
your needs. Just please do not spend the night out here.
There would be trouble awaiting you. The old man seemed
(09:14):
nervous as he led them back to his home. He
was constantly shining his torch into the alleys and peering
over his shoulder. Another uneasy feeling came over the levite,
and the four of them entered the house safely. The
four of them were warming themselves by the fire, laughing
and eating warm food. The old man's family came out
to join them, and they ate, drank and laughed with
(09:37):
one another. Their laughter was interrupted by a violent banging
on the man's door. The levite looked towards the man,
and his face turned ghostly white. The man arose to
go answer the door and behold the men from the
city surrounded the entire house. The Levite could catch a
small glimpse of the men through the door. An ancient
(09:57):
wickedness could be seen in their eyes, the same wickedness
that tormented the hearts of Sodom and Gomorrah long ago.
One of them stood at the entrance of the home
and pointed straight to the Levite. Bring out your petty,
little leavite, old man. The words slithered out of his
grinning mouth. We would like to have our way with him,
he said. The Levite jumped to his feet and pressed
(10:20):
his back up against the wall. His eyes widened as
he watched the old man squirm near the door. Please,
my brothers, the old man trembled, do not do such
a wicked thing. These people are guests in my home.
But the men of the city craved the satisfaction of
forcing themselves on a young man. They had no regard
for politeness or honor. They wanted what they wanted, and
(10:43):
they would take it forcibly. For this was the state
of Israel's heart. After they turned away from God. The
men began to enter the home, but the old man
stopped them, saying, no, no, behold, here is my daughter.
She is a virgin, and here is the Levite concubine.
She is very beautiful. Take them and spare the Levite.
(11:05):
The men seized the concubine and drug her into the darkness.
Violent screams and evil laughs could be heard from the
distance as the men have used and raped her. It
was truly a dark time for Israel. What began his
idol worship slowly transitioned into a corruption that rivaled the
wicked kingdoms of old. Dawn began to break. The woman
(11:27):
crawled out of the alleyway. Her face was swollen from
being beaten, and her clothes were torn apart. Early alive,
she slept on the doorstep of the old man, waiting
for the Levite to come to her. The sun had
fully risen, and the Levite opened the door slowly to
see if the coast was clear. He found the woman
on the floor and said, quick, let us be going
(11:49):
before they return. The woman was silent and still. He
shook her and said, there is no time for delay.
Get up and let's go. But she still lay there,
so the levite picked her up and lay her on
his donkey. The levite had finally made it back to
his home. He came to wake up his concubine, only
to realize that she was dead. There she laid lifeless.
(12:13):
The levite boiled with anger and blamed the men for
killing her, even though it was not just the men
that slew her. His own cowardice is what killed her.
And a heartbroken and shameful fury, the levite took a
knife and began tearing the woman's body apart, limb by limb.
He fellayed her and separated her body. He tore her
(12:34):
into twelve pieces and sent her body throughout all the
territory of Israel. Pie says, of her body hung for
all of Israel to behold. Her bloodied and hanging limbs
represented the divided and corrupt hearts of Israel. The land trembled,
and God wept over their wickedness. We begin today's reading
(12:58):
in the wilderness of Ephriel with a nameless levite who
is wandering with his concubine. Concubines were considered legal wives
of their husband, but were afforded second class status, something
that will be shown to be true in a dramatic way.
In this story. This Levite, a man meant to be
set apart to serve God and his people, had departed
(13:20):
from his wife and from God's law and was living
in darkness. It is a darkness we see throughout this story.
The fact that our main character is not name seems fitting,
as he represents in many ways the wandering nation of Israel,
who are unrecognizable as God's chosen people. It's not long
before the levite has a taste of betrayal himself, as
(13:43):
his concubine is unfaithful to him and returns to her
father's home. After he spent some time licking his wounds,
the levite went to winter back. He succeeds, and he
and his father in law began to eat and drink together.
For three days, they did nothing but eat and drink
and be married. His father in law kept insisting that
(14:05):
he stays, so he did another two nights. Then on
the fifth day he took his servant and concubine, and finally,
late in the day departed. When it was nearly nighttime,
they found themselves near a city of foreigners, Jebus, which
would later become Jerusalem. The Levite did not want to
stay there for fear of what the foreigners might do
(14:26):
to him, so he chose to go instead to Gibbee,
a city of the tribe of Benjamin. Sadly, the wickedness
he found there was even greater. Unable to find lodging
for the evening, his party set up camp in the
center of town, but an elderly man of the tribe
of Ephraim came to their aid, pleading for them to
stay in his home. He knew the evil that lurked
(14:48):
in the streets, and he feared for their lives. But
the evil in the streets soon came knocking. Judges nineteen,
verse twenty two says this worthless fellows surrounded the house,
beating on the door, and they said to the old man,
the master of the house, bring out the man who
came into your house, that we may know him. Worthless fellows,
(15:09):
for sure, how low could Israel go? As the sin
of Sodom ran rampant in the hearts of these benjamin
Nite men. Rather than deliver the Levite, their host offered
his virgin daughter and the concubine. The Levite, fearing for
his own safety, and caring nothing for that of the
women he had sought out just five days before, gave
(15:30):
over the concubine to be beaten and raped brutally in
the streets. Meanwhile, he slept seemingly without a care in
the world. This story obviously shows us how deceitful and
wicked the human heart is. The Levite in these townspeople
paint a gruesome and awful picture of the evil that
people are capable of. The next morning, when the Levite
(15:53):
found the woman dead outside the door, he did not
mourn or offer her a proper burial. He carried her home,
desecrated her body, and sent pieces of her to each
of the twelve tribes. He wanted to rally the people
to deal with the men of give up. Instead, he
would set off a war in Israel. And that's what
we'll hear about the next time. Dear God, we know
(16:18):
that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.
That's clear in the scripture and is clear in experience. Lord,
we ask for repentance, that our nation would repent, that
we personally would repent of our sins, confessing our sins,
that you might forgive us and pardon us. We praise
(16:39):
you that your son Jesus Christ came to us to
die on the cross for our sins and to give
us eternal life. May we guard our hearts that we
might not turn back to sin in any way in
Jesus name. Amen, thank you for listening to today's Bible
in the Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham, Dallas, Texas, and
(17:01):
you can download the Prey dot com app and make
prayer the priority of your life. It is our prayer
that you would know Jesus Christ in a personal way.
Jesus and knowing him is the key to understanding the Bible.
Jesus is on every page in the pathway of Scripture,
so I pray that you would know him and look
(17:22):
to Him for eternal life. As we see all of
these stories, some of them very sordid, we realize just
how desperately we all need the Lord. So invite Christ
into your life and receive him as your Lord and savior.
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com app and let others know about this podcast and
(17:43):
if you want more resources on how to know God
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visit Jack Graham dot org. God bless you. This episode
is sponsored by Medica, an innovative healthcare solution for Christians
(18:04):
to save money without sacrificing quality
Behold, here is my daughter, a maiden, and his concubine them.
I will bring out now and humble ye them, and
do with them what seemeth good unto you, but unto
this man. Do not so vile a thing. Judge is
nineteen twenty four. Lord, I can't thank you enough for
(00:21):
the spirit of discernment, like the Levite, give me the
intuition and instincts necessary to know when to stay at
a place and when to leave the company of people
who would seek to distract me from my mission or
cause me harm in any way. From this moment on,
(00:41):
I have decided to follow your blue print from my life, Lord,
and not deviate from the layout or directions that you
have given me. Help me to realize that when I
try to forge my own path like the Levite, I'll
end up killing the very thing that I've sacrificed time, effort,
and energy to obtain. Therefore, I declare that my ears
(01:06):
are open to hear your voice. Lord. I declare that
my feet are firmly planted on your path God, And
when others try to come and pry my promise for
my hands, I will stand boldly then confront my opponents
knowing that you will give me strength to stand and fight.
(01:29):
Quicken my feet, Heavenly Father when I stray, so that
I can make it back to the place where the
wings of your grace can comfort and protect me. In
Jesus Name, Amen, Listening to these daily prayers strengthens your
relationship with God. Continue hearing from the Lord by listening
(01:51):
to today's Bible in a Year, brought to you by
Bible in a Year dot com. The wickedness of the
Benjamite tribe. In our last story, we learned about the
tribe of Dan stealing idols from the house of Micah
(02:13):
and their violent siege over an innocent village. The tribe
of Dan found a home at the expense of others,
and Israel continued to sin before God. Now we learn
about the journey of a young Levite and his concubine
as they seek their own path away from God, they
fall victim to all sorts of dark evils, as inspired
(02:35):
by the Book of Judges. Hello, this is Pastor Jack
Graham with today's episode of the Bible in a Year podcast.
In our last episode, we heard the story of Micah's
spiritual confusion and how the tribe of Dan stole idols
from the House of Micah to place in their own
places of worship in a city they stole from innocent people.
(02:56):
It was a sign of Israel's moral bankruptcy in a
when each person did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.
Yet as God's people continued to drift further away from him,
God continued to wait for a time to rescue his children.
Today we'll see that Israel continues its descent into wickedness,
(03:17):
and we'll hear another story of a man straying from
God to seek his own path, a Levite who will
leave his wife and journey with his concubine into dangerous
territory both physically and spiritually. It's a story that's destined
to end in tragedy, of course, but let us not
miss the lesson that there is for all who will
listen and learn so less Here today's reading, Israel continued
(03:43):
its fall from the favor of God. The days of
parted seas and Mana falling from heaven were long forgotten,
and even the holiest of people did what was right
in their own eyes. Pursuing peace, blessing, and kindness was
a distant virtue. Now people wandered the land without purpose.
In those days, there was a certain levite who was
(04:06):
sojouring in the wilderness of Ephrium. This leavite, called to
be a man who serves the people of God, left
his wife and took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem.
Together they traveled, but the woman was unfaithful to him
and traveled back to Bethlehem. Heart broken and love sick.
The levite traveled back to Bethlehem to win back his
(04:29):
concubine's affection. He brought gifts and wrote poems, and outside
her father's house he sought to serenade her. Her father
opened the door, overjoyed to see that the levite returned
for his daughter, He invited the levite to stay with
him for three days. The leavite gladly accepted the invitation,
Yet there was a strangeness in the father's smile. A
(04:52):
lingering wickedness that was too subtle to spot clearly hovered
over the house. The levite ignored it, wanting only to
win back as concubine's heart. So we entered the father's
house and stayed for three days. The two men ate
drank in exchanged tales, of their travels and exploits. The
wine continued to pour and the food continued to be cooked.
(05:16):
Time moved quickly, and on the fourth day, the levite
and his woman arose to leave. The father put his
hand on the levite's shoulder and smiled, Why don't you
stay for one last meal before you go? He said,
so the two of them ate together once again. Their
meal and conversation lasted hours, and the morning quickly turned
(05:37):
into dusk. The levite opened the door to depart and
looked at the horizon. He was surprised to see that
the night had come so quickly. The skies turned into
a deep red as the sun set against the bare sky.
It was an uneasy sunset, and it sent chills down
the levite's neck. Ah, what do you know, the father
(05:58):
said from behind him. It is our sun set. You
might as well stay one more night. The levite was
uneasy about spending another night, but the father insisted, so
he stayed another night. On the fifth morning, the levite
gathered his things, his woman, and his servant, and the
three of them prepared to depart from the father's house.
(06:20):
It was still dark, but the girl's father had already
been awake, tending to the fields. He shouted from a distance, saying,
strengthen your hearts. Stay and I will make you breakfast
until the sun arises. So the three of them remained.
Time seemed to move at a different pace in that
dining room. Drinks flowed like a river into the Levite's cup,
(06:42):
and he found himself lost in a drunken stupor that
lasted all day. Slapping himself awake, the levite thanked the
girl's father and finally went off to depart. But the
sun had already begun its descent and day was almost over. Well,
there's no harm in spending the night again, the father said,
with a jolly grin. His rotted teeth could barely be
(07:05):
spotted underneath his white beard. First thing tomorrow morning, you
can all start your journey, he said. The levite peered
into his eyes, the uneasy chills overcame him again. The
levite nodded politely, and the woman's father left the room
to go prepare the beds. Then he took his concubine
and servant, and they made a mad dash for the door.
(07:27):
They saddled their donkeys and rode off. He would not
spend the night again, for he feared that it could
very well be his last if he did. The treer
traveled to Jebas, which is now Jerusalem. The day was
nearly over and the sun was half way below the horizon.
The levite's servant said to him, let us descend into
the city of the Gebasites and spend the night, and
(07:49):
may become dangerous soon. The levite looked uneasy. He had
heard rumors of the Geebascites and was not sure if
he wanted to stay in their city, so they turned
away to get Ibia as the sun set behind them.
Gibbea belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, and the Levite
was sure they could find lodging among God's people. However,
(08:09):
they had no such luck. The three of them knocked
on every door in the city, seeking a place to
rest their heads, yet each one turned them away. So
the levite, his concubine, and his servant huddled in the
courtyard in the middle of the city. Alone and cold.
They slept without blankets or food to warm them. It
(08:29):
was still night and the levite had finally fallen into
a deep sleep. His snores were interrupted by an old
man poking at him and his companions. The levite jolted
awake and rose to his feet. The old man backed
away and gave a nervous smile. What are you doing
out here in the middle of the night, he said,
This place is dangerous at night. We are traveling back
(08:52):
to Ephraem, but no one has taken us in to
spend the night. We have donkeys in need of straw
and water, and we are in need of food. The
levite responded, hoping desperately that the man could help them.
Of course, the man said, I can care for all
your needs. Just please do not spend the night out here.
There would be trouble awaiting you. The old man seemed
(09:14):
nervous as he led them back to his home. He
was constantly shining his torch into the alleys and peering
over his shoulder. Another uneasy feeling came over the levite,
and the four of them entered the house safely. The
four of them were warming themselves by the fire, laughing
and eating warm food. The old man's family came out
to join them, and they ate, drank and laughed with
(09:37):
one another. Their laughter was interrupted by a violent banging
on the man's door. The levite looked towards the man,
and his face turned ghostly white. The man arose to
go answer the door and behold the men from the
city surrounded the entire house. The Levite could catch a
small glimpse of the men through the door. An ancient
(09:57):
wickedness could be seen in their eyes, the same wickedness
that tormented the hearts of Sodom and Gomorrah long ago.
One of them stood at the entrance of the home
and pointed straight to the Levite. Bring out your petty,
little leavite, old man. The words slithered out of his
grinning mouth. We would like to have our way with him,
he said. The Levite jumped to his feet and pressed
(10:20):
his back up against the wall. His eyes widened as
he watched the old man squirm near the door. Please,
my brothers, the old man trembled, do not do such
a wicked thing. These people are guests in my home.
But the men of the city craved the satisfaction of
forcing themselves on a young man. They had no regard
for politeness or honor. They wanted what they wanted, and
(10:43):
they would take it forcibly. For this was the state
of Israel's heart. After they turned away from God. The
men began to enter the home, but the old man
stopped them, saying, no, no, behold, here is my daughter.
She is a virgin, and here is the Levite concubine.
She is very beautiful. Take them and spare the Levite.
(11:05):
The men seized the concubine and drug her into the darkness.
Violent screams and evil laughs could be heard from the
distance as the men have used and raped her. It
was truly a dark time for Israel. What began his
idol worship slowly transitioned into a corruption that rivaled the
wicked kingdoms of old. Dawn began to break. The woman
(11:27):
crawled out of the alleyway. Her face was swollen from
being beaten, and her clothes were torn apart. Early alive,
she slept on the doorstep of the old man, waiting
for the Levite to come to her. The sun had
fully risen, and the Levite opened the door slowly to
see if the coast was clear. He found the woman
on the floor and said, quick, let us be going
(11:49):
before they return. The woman was silent and still. He
shook her and said, there is no time for delay.
Get up and let's go. But she still lay there,
so the levite picked her up and lay her on
his donkey. The levite had finally made it back to
his home. He came to wake up his concubine, only
to realize that she was dead. There she laid lifeless.
(12:13):
The levite boiled with anger and blamed the men for
killing her, even though it was not just the men
that slew her. His own cowardice is what killed her.
And a heartbroken and shameful fury, the levite took a
knife and began tearing the woman's body apart, limb by limb.
He fellayed her and separated her body. He tore her
(12:34):
into twelve pieces and sent her body throughout all the
territory of Israel. Pie says, of her body hung for
all of Israel to behold. Her bloodied and hanging limbs
represented the divided and corrupt hearts of Israel. The land trembled,
and God wept over their wickedness. We begin today's reading
(12:58):
in the wilderness of Ephriel with a nameless levite who
is wandering with his concubine. Concubines were considered legal wives
of their husband, but were afforded second class status, something
that will be shown to be true in a dramatic way.
In this story. This Levite, a man meant to be
set apart to serve God and his people, had departed
(13:20):
from his wife and from God's law and was living
in darkness. It is a darkness we see throughout this story.
The fact that our main character is not name seems fitting,
as he represents in many ways the wandering nation of Israel,
who are unrecognizable as God's chosen people. It's not long
before the levite has a taste of betrayal himself, as
(13:43):
his concubine is unfaithful to him and returns to her
father's home. After he spent some time licking his wounds,
the levite went to winter back. He succeeds, and he
and his father in law began to eat and drink together.
For three days, they did nothing but eat and drink
and be married. His father in law kept insisting that
(14:05):
he stays, so he did another two nights. Then on
the fifth day he took his servant and concubine, and finally,
late in the day departed. When it was nearly nighttime,
they found themselves near a city of foreigners, Jebus, which
would later become Jerusalem. The Levite did not want to
stay there for fear of what the foreigners might do
(14:26):
to him, so he chose to go instead to Gibbee,
a city of the tribe of Benjamin. Sadly, the wickedness
he found there was even greater. Unable to find lodging
for the evening, his party set up camp in the
center of town, but an elderly man of the tribe
of Ephraim came to their aid, pleading for them to
stay in his home. He knew the evil that lurked
(14:48):
in the streets, and he feared for their lives. But
the evil in the streets soon came knocking. Judges nineteen,
verse twenty two says this worthless fellows surrounded the house,
beating on the door, and they said to the old man,
the master of the house, bring out the man who
came into your house, that we may know him. Worthless fellows,
(15:09):
for sure, how low could Israel go? As the sin
of Sodom ran rampant in the hearts of these benjamin
Nite men. Rather than deliver the Levite, their host offered
his virgin daughter and the concubine. The Levite, fearing for
his own safety, and caring nothing for that of the
women he had sought out just five days before, gave
(15:30):
over the concubine to be beaten and raped brutally in
the streets. Meanwhile, he slept seemingly without a care in
the world. This story obviously shows us how deceitful and
wicked the human heart is. The Levite in these townspeople
paint a gruesome and awful picture of the evil that
people are capable of. The next morning, when the Levite
(15:53):
found the woman dead outside the door, he did not
mourn or offer her a proper burial. He carried her home,
desecrated her body, and sent pieces of her to each
of the twelve tribes. He wanted to rally the people
to deal with the men of give up. Instead, he
would set off a war in Israel. And that's what
we'll hear about the next time. Dear God, we know
(16:18):
that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.
That's clear in the scripture and is clear in experience. Lord,
we ask for repentance, that our nation would repent, that
we personally would repent of our sins, confessing our sins,
that you might forgive us and pardon us. We praise
(16:39):
you that your son Jesus Christ came to us to
die on the cross for our sins and to give
us eternal life. May we guard our hearts that we
might not turn back to sin in any way in
Jesus name. Amen, thank you for listening to today's Bible
in the Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham, Dallas, Texas, and
(17:01):
you can download the Prey dot com app and make
prayer the priority of your life. It is our prayer
that you would know Jesus Christ in a personal way.
Jesus and knowing him is the key to understanding the Bible.
Jesus is on every page in the pathway of Scripture,
so I pray that you would know him and look
(17:22):
to Him for eternal life. As we see all of
these stories, some of them very sordid, we realize just
how desperately we all need the Lord. So invite Christ
into your life and receive him as your Lord and savior.
I would also encourage you to download the Prey dot
com app and let others know about this podcast and
(17:43):
if you want more resources on how to know God
and experience his presence in your life, be sure to
visit Jack Graham dot org. God bless you. This episode
is sponsored by Medica, an innovative healthcare solution for Christians
(18:04):
to save money without sacrificing quality
Host
Jack Graham
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