Day 80

Moral Chaos

Read: Judges 19-21

If you have never read the Bible through, this may be the first time you have come across this story. It is certainly not one taught in Sunday school. But it is in the Bible, the second of the two appendixes which show what happened when again “every man did what was right in his own eyes” (21:25).

A man and his concubine are given hospitality by an old man in Gibeah of the tribe of Benjamin. Men come to the door insisting that they be allowed to have homosexual relations with the guest. To prevent this, the man throws out his virgin daughter and the guest’s concubine to the men. They abuse the concubine all night and leave her lying dead on the doorstep.

The man returned to his home and then cuts her body in pieces and sends each piece with a message to the various tribes, protesting what the Benjaminites have done. The result is bloody conflict between Benjamin and the rest of Israel. Finally there are only 600 men and no women left in Benjamin. The other tribes vowed not to give wives to the Benjaminites. But then they realize this will cause one tribe to cease to exist. So they suggest to the Benjaminites that they slaughter a community and only leave 400 virgins for themselves. Since this still leaves 200 men without wives, they suggested that the Benjaminites kidnap young women attending a dance. Everyone does what he thinks is right. When God’s wisdom and moral boundaries are despised, such chaos and death often result.

PRAYER
Father, open the eyes of the blind that they may see the tragic results of sin and flee to Christ. Amen.