April 6, 2017

Insights on Today's Reading

These three chapters bring this sad but important book to a close.  Important because of what Judges can teach us.  Judges is one of the "best" examples of what can happen to people who refuse God's rule over their lives and opt for a self-centered lifestyle. 

Judges 19 - Here is another chapter to add to the "Sad Chapters of the Bible" list.  A Levite falls for a prostitute, marries her, then she runs away and he goes after her.  Nice that he went after her but when you read of his indifference to her later in the chapter you can't help but feel she would have been better off if she had never met him.  You'll also read of the perverted lifestyle of many and their cruel treatment of this woman.  Once she is dead there is a call for revenge.

Judges 20 - Israel rises up in horror over what happened to this woman and they seek to avenge her death.  God allows them His leadership but He shows them that their abandoning  Him brought them to this sad consequence.  A whole tribe, Benjamin, is nearly wiped out of existence.  The rest of the people mourn but seem to have no clue that they brought this awful situation down on themselves. 

Judges 21 - There are only a few men of Benjamin left and they apparently have no brides.  To supply the "need" for women the rest of Israel resorts to attacking a town, killing off nearly everyone, and then forcing the virgins of that town to marry the men from Benjamin.  When there is need for more wives a plan is put in place to arrange a mass kidnapping of young women from a festival.  The last verse of this book tells us again why Israel stooped so low in their behavior.