A chilling tale emerged in the Bible when “there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 21:25). A Levite had a wife, who, I expect, had been mistreated so she left him and returned to her home. The Levite went there to sweet talk her into returning with him. She eventually relented and went with him. Bad decision!
They arrived at Gibeah in Benjamin late at night where an old man offered them accommodation. In no time the men of the town hammered on the door for the visitor to be sodomised by them. The host offered his own maiden daughter and the concubine, instead, indicating that women had no status at that time and that homosexual rape was a particularly repugnant practice.
The men of Gibeah weren’t placated until the Levite threw his concubine out the door. She was abused by them all night long and the Levite found her collapsed on the doorstep the next morning when he stepped out to leave. When she didn’t move after he told her to get up, he picked up her dead body and took it home with him.
When he got home he didn’t give her a decent burial. No – he cut her into 12 pieces and mailed them to the 12 tribes of Israel with a note about what had happened. This sparked a lot of bloodshed and a huge retaliation against the people of Gibeah and the armed men of Benjamin (Judg. 19-20).
I don’t think there is one element in this story that God endorsed. Why and how had this situation come about?
The answer is in my first paragraph—the people were living as if there was no king and living as they saw fit. Israel, however, did have a King but they had rejected Him and when you reject the King, this is how life ends up. Everyone will choose to be their own king and lord it over others.
This is the world we live in!
The answer to a world of sin and hurt is to make Jesus your King. When Jesus came into the world He taught God’s attitude towards violence, retaliation, disrespect towards women, rape, immorality, marital inequality, separation and divorce, adultery and unfaithfulness. In making Jesus King, you rely on Him for all your needs. There is peace and healing.
Are you hurting? Who is King?
Are you fearful? Who is King?
Are you suffering? Who is King?
Are you addicted to something? Who is King?
Are you angry and bitter? Who is King? Today, make Jesus your Lord and King and enter His kingdom of peace and justice!
“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).