As we near the end of the Book of Judges, we all near the end of the death spiral which Israel is presently in. They have almost reached bottom and the final chapters will get us there. Judges 19 opens with a rather plain story of a Levite and his concumbine, or second wife, who seem to have a relationship problem. We are not told what the issue is, but she travels home to Bethlehem from Ephraim. (This reverses the previous story of the Levite, who leaves Judah and heads north.)
The Levite follows and stays in his in-laws home for days, but then finally leaves on the fifth day, however, later in the day than is wise. As they journey back to the north, they turn from Jebus (Jerusalem) since it is not an Israelite city yet, and look for shelter among the Israelites. They come upon a man from Ephraim who presently resides in Gibeah, which is in the region of the tribe of Benjamin, who opens his home to them.
One of the virtues of the Ancient Near East, not just for Israel, was hospitality. The job of making sure that Israel understood the importance of hospitality falls upon the Levites.
In Gibeah, the home is surrounded by the men of the town who want to have sexual relations with the Levite, for we are told they are a perverse lot, that might be an understatement considering what they will do. Of course, the Levite is not much better, as he willingly gives over his concubine to the masses, knowing full well what they will do to her. The Levite finds her on the doorstep in the morning, takes her home to Ephraim. The question is, is she living or dead? If she is not dead what happens next is just too crazy!
The Levite chops her into pieces and sends her body to the other tribes of Israel, inciting them to act against Benjamin. The fall is nearly complete, now the Israelites will descend into civil war.
Perhaps you have noticed that throughout the story of Judges, it is the rare occassion that all the tribes gather to throw off Israel's oppressors, but in Judges 20, all the tribes gather to discuss the actions of Benjamin. The Levite tells his tale of woe, of course he leaves out the part where he gives up his concubine, and we still don't know who killed her.
Israel agrees that this is an outrage and an affront to who they are. They send men throughout the tribal region of Benjamin, asking that those who acted be turned over to them. The Benjaminites refused, instead gathering their men of battle, 26,000 with 700 marksmen, against the 400,000 of Israel. Surprisingly, the Israelites remember God and go to Bethel to inquire who should go out against Benjamin and Judah is listed first.
It would seem the first day of battle goes Benjamin's way, so much so that the Israelites inquire of God of whether the should go the next day. God informs them to go up against Benjamin again. The second day is not much better. Finally, Israel again entreats the Lord but this time properly with sacrifices. God now will deliver Benjamin into their hands. Now it will be God acting and not Israel.
In this battle, Israel wins a crushing defeat, virtually wiping out the number of armed men of Benjamin. Two accounts of the battle are listed, first in 29-35 and then 37-48.
Just a quick note here: there are no winners in this scenario. The Levite seems far more concern with is own loss of face than he does with the fate of his concubine, he was all to willing to give her up to save himself. Israel responds in a way that was morally reprehensible. Yes the action of the men of Gibeah was wrong, but seeking to nearly wipeout Benjamin was not the sort of legal retribution listed in the Torah. And finally, Benjamin, who could have easily given up the guilty parties for justice but instead sought to fight. Everyone was doing what they thought was right in their own eyes, and it lead to disaster.
Psalm 44
Our Psalm is an interesting one, for in it we hear a cry of the righteous, or perhaps the not so righteous, for help. Israel is recalling the great deeds of the past of God, a past that is a reminder that God has cared for Israel and that at the hand of God, Israel has conquered others and has been blessed. The Psalmist proclaims the righteousness of God for caring for Israel while punishing those who have afflicted Israel.
However, something has happened in the present. It would seem that the nation of Israel has suffered military defeat and has been embarrassed in the eyes of the world. Worse still, it seems as if God has forgotten about them, abandoned them. Israel has become a laughingstock.
Normally, this situation would follow a period of sin in which God ignores the pleas for help until Israel turns back to God, but if we are to believe the Psalmist, they have been righteous in their behavior and there is no cause for such treatment. They have been faithful to the covenant, they have stayed true to their word, yet God remains silent.
In light of recent events in Boston and Waco, this Psalm might be one of the first times that Israel is confronted with bad things that are truly of this world that happen to them. Their defeat is not divine punishment but the act of evil in the world. God's silence might not be silence but God now working to defeat that evil. While God is all powerful and the Almighty, in the war that God is waging against evil, sometimes evil does celebrate a victory. So we remain faithful, doing the Will of the God of the Resurrection, who will conquer all.
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