Day 89: OT Judges C20-21 (END); Lust, Revenge, Repentance; Tribe of Benjamin Lives On!

This tale of ‘so heinous a crime, an incredible fury of lust, ever committed in Israel’ began back in Chapter 29:

A wife of Bethlehem Juda… and her husband followed her, willing to be reconciled with her, and to speak kindly to her, and to bring her back with him…

Bring forth the man that came into thy house, that we may abuse him… I pray you from this folly… I have a maiden daughter, and this man has a concubine, I will bring them out to you, and you may humble them, and satisfy your lust only, I beseech you, commit not this crime against nature on the man… They would not be satisfied with his words; which the man seeing, brought out the concubine to them, and abandoned her to their wickedness: and when they had abused her all the night, they let her go in the morning.

Came to the door of the house where her lord lodged, and there fell down… He thinking she was taking her rest, said to her: Arise, and let us be going…

And when he was come home he took a sword, ad divided the dead body of his wife with her bones into twelve parts, and sent the pieces into all the borders of Israel.

A savage and odd story with an interchangeable wife and concubine as the concubine was abused yet the wife was dead and then cut up into twelve pieces and evidently sent to all the twelve tribes of Israel, including the offending tribe of Benjamin.

The story continues in Chapter 20:

…intending to kill me, and abused my wife with an incredible fury of lust, so that at last she died.

And I took and cut her in pieces, and sent the parts into all the borders of your possession: because there never was so heinous a crime, and so great an abomination committed in Israel.

That was the lust—the sin against God and fellow children of Israel.

The revenge was as brutal and savage against the city of Gabaa where the offenders lived and the entire tribe of Benjamin because they would not give up the criminals as requested by other eleven tribes of Israel—who met together in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen fit for war.

…and they sent messengers to all the tribe of Benjamin to say to them: Why hath so great an abomination been found among you? Deliver up the men of Gabaa, that have committed this heinous crime, that they may die, and the evil may be taken away out of Israel. But they would not hearken to the propostion of their brethren the children of Israel.

Let Juda be your leader answered the Lord.

Shall I go out any more to fight against the children of Benjamin my brethren or not? And he (the Lord) answered them: Go up against them, and join battle.

After two not so yet victorious attempts: Shall we go out any more to fight against the children of Benjamin our brethren, or shall we cease? And the Lord said to them: Go up, for to morrow I will deliver them into your hands.

On the third change, using the tactic of “we flee, they follow, then we ambush them,” the body of the children of Israel were victorious. So much so that there remained of all the number of Benjamin only six hundred men that were able to escape, and flee to the wilderness: and they abode in the rock Remmon four months.

That was the revenge—the sin against God and fellow children of Israel.

O Lord God of Israel, why is so great an evil come to pass in thy people, that this day one tribe should be taken away from among us?

And the children of Israel being moved with repentance for their brother Benjamin…

And there were found of Jabes Galaad four hundred virgins, that had not known the bed of a man… and commanded them (children of Benjamin) to receive them (four hundred virgins)  in peace…

And all of Israel was very sorry, and repented for the destroying of one tribe out of Israel.

For all the women in Benjamin are dead. And we must use all care, and provide with great diligence, that one tribe not destroyed out of Israel… come ye on a sudden out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife among them… and they went into their possession and built up their cities, and dwell in them.

That was the repentance—what God wants us to do every time we cannot avoid the temptation of the Devil to sin.

Even though there was lust and revenge, there was also repentance and the tribe of Benjamin lived on as one of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel!

This Book of Judges, which has come to an end, is so called, because it is a history of the Jews under the government of the Judges, men, like Gedeon and Samson, who were raised up to rule Israel before they had kings. It describes the religious and political condition of the Jews and the work of the twelve Judges.

I don’t think there were twelve judges identified in the Book of Judges but I do remember Gedeon and Samson.

I was surprised when the latest passage did not end with something like “and Juda, chosen by God to lead the Israelites against the tribe of Benjamin, judged Israel for twenty years.”

Leaders chosen by God typically became judges in those times.

Rather the Book of Judges ended with “In those days there was no king in Israel: but every one did that which seemed right to himself.”

Isn’t that the whole point of The Bible and the old and new covenant with humankind—that which seems right to each of us—based on our own self, pride and silly ego is not right with God.

We need to find our Splendid Spiritual Self and evolve to a Spiritual Love in order to do God’s Will, of course, in my opinion, based on my own life experiences.

TROML Baby Forever!

 

One afterthought: Here we are a couple of hundred pages into the Old Testament, and it seems to me that this is the first time that there was a real injustice, a real sin that may have warranted such revenge of savage and brutal means.

I didn’t say it was a well-thought out afterthought, did I? While there was captivity and bondage up to this point in the Old Testament, it seemed to me that lots of times innocent people were being slaughtered only because the slaughters had found favor with God.

I do see an evolution of humankind though. From a brutal seemingly lawless tribal society into some sort of organized and mutually beneficial society all the doings of an emerging merciful and compassionate God.

As I get closer to the Word of God, both Old and New Testaments, I sense some sort of transition within me, as well, along similar thinking and feeling lines. I pray it results and recommits me forever and beyond with Jesus overflowing in my heart and knowing, without a doubt, God loves me and has a place reserved for me in heaven.

TROML Baby Forever, Again!

 

Day 89: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; Lust, Revenge, Repentance and the Tribe of Benjamin Lives On!

Read and inspired by the Old Testament, The Book of Judges Chapters 20-21 (END)

Bible Notes:

This Book is so called, because it is a history of the Jews under the government of the Judges, men, like Gedeon and Samson, who were raised up to rule Israel before they had kings. It describes the religious and political condition of the Jews and the work of the twelve Judges.

Judges Chapter 20: The Levite reveals the crime; The Israelites decide to attack Gabaa; The tribe of Benjamin defends Gabaa; Forty thousand Israelites slain; The Israelites consult the Lord; By strategy the Israelites are victorious; Flight and massacre of Benjamin; Only six hundred men of Benjamin survive.

…And all the tribes of Israel, met together in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen fit for war.

…intending to kill me, and abused my wife with an incredible fury of lust, so that at last she died.

And I took and cut her in pieces, and sent the parts into all the borders of your possession: because there never was so heinous a crime, and so great an abomination committed in Israel

…and render to it for its wickedness, what it deserveth.

…and they sent messengers to all the tribe of Benjamin to say to them: Why hath so great an abomination been found among you? Deliver up the men of Gabaa, that have committed this heinous crime, that they may die, and the evil may be taken away out of Israel. But they would not hearken to the propostion of their brethren the children of Israel.

…and the Lord answered them: Let Juda be your leader.

…trusting in their strength and number

Shall I go out any more to fight against the children of Benjamin my brethren or not? And he (the Lord) answered them: Go up against them, and join battle.

At that time the ark of the covenant of the Lord was there…

Shall we go out any more to fight against the children of Benjamin our brethren, or shall we cease? And the Lord said to them: Go up, for to morrow I will deliver them into your hands.

Set ambushes round about the city of Gabaa… but they artfully feigning a flight, designed to draw them away from the city… and they slew of them in that day five and twenty thousand, and one hundred…

…gave them place to flee, that they might come to the ambushes that were prepared… they should make a fire: that by the smoke rising on high, they might show that the city was taken… and so it was, that they were slain on both sides by the enemies, and there was no rest of their men dying.

And there remained of all the number of Benjamin only six hundred men that were able to escape, and flee to the wilderness: and they abode in the rock Remmon four months.

Judges Chapter 21: Israel bewails the fate of Benjamin; Men of Jabes Galaad put to the sword; The Benjaminites take wives from Silo.

O Lord God of Israel, why is so great an evil come to pass in thy people, that this day one tribe should be taken away from among us?

And the children of Israel being moved with repentance for their brother Benjamin…

And there were found of Jabes Galaad four hundred virgins, that had not known the bed of a man… and commanded them (children of Benjamin) to receive them (four hundred virgins)  in peace…

And all of Israel was very sorry, and repented for the destroying of one tribe out of Israel.

For all the women in Benjamin are dead. And we must use all care, and provide with great diligence, that one tribe not destroyed out of Israel… come ye on a sudden out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife among them… and they went into their possession and built up their cities, and dwell in them.

In those days there was no king in Israel: but every one did that which seemed right to himself.