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The Wickedness of the Benjamite Tribe - The Book of Judges · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. Behold, here is my daughter, a maiden,
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  Speaker 1: and his concubine. Them I will bring out now, and
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  Speaker 1: humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good
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  Speaker 1: unto you. But unto this man do not so vile
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  Speaker 1: a thing. Judges 19.24 Lord, I can't thank you enough
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  Speaker 1: for the spirit of discernment. Like the Levite, give me
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  Speaker 1: the intuition and instincts necessary. to know when to stay
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  Speaker 1: at a place and when to leave the company of
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  Speaker 1: people who would seek to distract me from my mission
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  Speaker 1: or cause me harm in any way. From this moment on,
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  Speaker 1: I have decided to follow your blueprint for my life, Lord,
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  Speaker 1: and not deviate from the layout or directions that you
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  Speaker 1: have given me. Help me to realize that when I
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  Speaker 1: try to forge my own path like the Levite, I'll
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  Speaker 1: end up killing the very thing that I've sacrificed time, effort,
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  Speaker 1: and energy to obtain. Therefore, I declare that my ears
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  Speaker 1: are open to hear your voice, Lord. I declare that
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  Speaker 1: my feet are firmly planted on your path, God. And
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  Speaker 1: when others try to come and pry my promise from
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  Speaker 1: my hands, I will stand boldly and confront my opponents.
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  Speaker 1: knowing that you will give me strength to stand and fight.
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  Speaker 1: Quicken my feet, Heavenly Father, when I stray, so that
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  Speaker 1: I can make it back to the place where the
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  Speaker 1: wings of your grace can comfort and protect me. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 1: Listening to these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God.
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  Speaker 1: Continue hearing from the Lord by listening to today's Bible
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  Speaker 1: in a Year. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: The Wickedness of the Benjamite Tribe In our last story,
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  Speaker 2: we learned about the tribe of Dan stealing idols from
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  Speaker 2: the house of Micah and their violent siege over an
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  Speaker 2: innocent village. The tribe of Dan found a home at
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  Speaker 2: the expense of others, and Israel continued to sin before God.
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  Speaker 2: Now we learn about the journey of a young Levite
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  Speaker 2: and his concubine. As they seek their own path away
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  Speaker 2: from God, they fall victim to all sorts of dark evils,
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  Speaker 2: as inspired by the book of Judges.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, this is Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of
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  Speaker 3: the Bible in a Year podcast. In our last episode,
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  Speaker 3: we heard the story of Micah's spiritual confusion and how
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  Speaker 3: the tribe of Dan stole idols from the house of Micah.
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  Speaker 3: to place in their own places of worship, in a
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  Speaker 3: city they stole from innocent people. It was a sign
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  Speaker 3: of Israel's moral bankruptcy in a time when each person
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  Speaker 3: did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. Yet as
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  Speaker 3: God's people continued to drift further away from him, God
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  Speaker 3: continued to wait for a time to rescue his children. Today,
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  Speaker 3: we'll see that Israel continues its descent into wickedness. And
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  Speaker 3: we'll hear another story of a man straying from God
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  Speaker 3: to seek his own path. a Levite who will leave
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  Speaker 3: his wife and journey with his concubine into dangerous territory,
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  Speaker 3: both physically and spiritually. It's a story that's destined to
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  Speaker 3: end in tragedy, of course, but let us not miss
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  Speaker 3: the lesson that there is for all who will listen
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  Speaker 3: and learn. So, let's hear today's reading.
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  Speaker 2: Israel continued its fall from the favor of God. The
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  Speaker 2: days of parted seas and manna falling from heaven were
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  Speaker 2: long forgotten. and even the holiest of people did what
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  Speaker 2: was right in their own eyes. Pursuing peace, blessing, and
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  Speaker 2: kindness was a distant virtue. Now people wandered the land
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  Speaker 2: without purpose. In those days, there was a certain Levite
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  Speaker 2: who was sojourning in the wilderness of Ephraim. This Levite,
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  Speaker 2: called to be a man who serves the people of God,
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  Speaker 2: left his wife and took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem.
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  Speaker 2: TOGETHER THEY TRAVELLED, BUT THE WOMAN WAS UNFAITHFUL TO HIM
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  Speaker 2: AND TRAVELLED BACK TO BETHLEHEM. HEARTBROKEN AND LOVESICK, THE LEVITE
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  Speaker 2: TRAVELLED BACK TO BETHLEHEM TO WIN BACK HIS CONCUBINE'S AFFECTION.
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  Speaker 2: HE BROUGHT GIFTS AND WROTE POEMS, AND OUTSIDE HER FATHER'S
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  Speaker 2: HOUSE HE SOUGHT TO SERENADE HER. HER FATHER OPENED THE DOOR,
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  Speaker 2: OVERJOYED TO SEE THAT THE LEVITE RETURNED FOR HIS DAUGHTER.
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  Speaker 2: HE INVITED THE LEVITE TO STAY WITH HIM FOR THREE DAYS.
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  Speaker 2: The Levite gladly accepted the invitation, yet there was a
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  Speaker 2: strangeness in the father's smile. A lingering wickedness that was
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  Speaker 2: too subtle to spot clearly hovered over the house. The
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  Speaker 2: Levite ignored it, wanting only to win back his concubine's heart.
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  Speaker 2: So he entered the father's house and stayed for three days.
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  Speaker 2: The two men ate, drank, and exchanged tales of their
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  Speaker 2: travels and exploits. The wine continued to pour, and the
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  Speaker 2: food continued to be cooked. TIME MOVED QUICKLY, AND ON
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  Speaker 2: THE FOURTH DAY THE LEVITE AND HIS WOMAN AROSE TO LEAVE.
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  Speaker 2: THE FATHER PUT HIS HAND ON THE LEVITE'S SHOULDER AND SMILED.
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  Speaker 2: WHY DON'T YOU STAY FOR ONE LAST MEAL BEFORE YOU GO,
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  Speaker 2: HE SAID. SO THE TWO OF THEM ATE TOGETHER ONCE AGAIN.
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  Speaker 2: THEIR MEAL AND CONVERSATION LASTED HOURS, AND THE MORNING QUICKLY
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  Speaker 2: TURNED INTO DUSK. THE LEVITE OPENED THE DOOR TO DEPART
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  Speaker 2: AND LOOKED AT THE HORIZON. HE WAS SURPRISED TO SEE
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  Speaker 2: THAT THE NIGHT HAD COME SO QUICKLY. The skies turned
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  Speaker 2: into a deep red as the sun set against the
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  Speaker 2: bare sky. It was an uneasy sunset, and it sent
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  Speaker 2: chills down the Levite's neck. Ah, what do you know,
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  Speaker 2: the father said from behind him. It is already sunset.
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  Speaker 2: You might as well stay one more night. The Levite
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  Speaker 2: was uneasy about spending another night, but the father insisted.
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  Speaker 2: So he stayed another night. On the fifth morning, the
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  Speaker 2: Levite gathered his things, his woman and his servant, and
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  Speaker 2: the three of them prepared to depart from the father's house.
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  Speaker 2: It was still dark, but the girl's father had already
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  Speaker 2: been awake, tending to the fields. He shouted from a distance, saying,
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  Speaker 2: Strengthen your hearts. Stay, and I will make you breakfast
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  Speaker 2: until the sun arises. So the three of them remained.
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  Speaker 2: Time seemed to move at a different pace in that
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  Speaker 2: dining room. Drinks flowed like a river into the Levite's cup.
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  Speaker 2: and he found himself lost in a drunken stupor that
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  Speaker 2: lasted all day. Slapping himself awake, the Levite thanked the
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  Speaker 2: girl's father and finally went off to depart. But the
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  Speaker 2: sun had already begun its descent, and day was almost over. Well,
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  Speaker 2: there's no harm in spending the night again, the father
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  Speaker 2: said with a jolly grin. His rotted teeth could barely
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  Speaker 2: be spotted underneath his white beard. First thing tomorrow morning
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  Speaker 2: you can all start your journey, he said. The Levite
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  Speaker 2: peered into his eyes. The uneasy chills overcame him again.
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  Speaker 2: The Levite nodded politely, and the woman's father left the
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  Speaker 2: room to go prepare the beds. Then he took his
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  Speaker 2: concubine and servant, and they made a mad dash for
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  Speaker 2: the door. They saddled their donkeys and rode off. He
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  Speaker 2: would not spend the night again, for he feared that
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  Speaker 2: it could very well be his last if he did.
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  Speaker 2: The tree had traveled to Jebus, which is now Jerusalem.
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  Speaker 2: The day was nearly over, and the sun was halfway
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  Speaker 2: below the horizon. The Levite's servant said to him, Let
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  Speaker 2: us descend into the city of the Jebusites and spend
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  Speaker 2: the night. It may become dangerous soon. The Levite looked uneasy.
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  Speaker 4: He had heard.
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  Speaker 2: Rumors of the Jebusites and was not sure if he
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  Speaker 2: wanted to stay in their city. So they turned away
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  Speaker 2: to Gibeah as the sun set behind them. Gibeah belonged
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  Speaker 2: to the tribe of Benjamin, and the Levite was sure
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  Speaker 2: they could find lodging among God's people. However, they had
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  Speaker 2: no such luck. The three of them knocked on every
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  Speaker 2: door in the city, seeking a place to rest their heads,
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  Speaker 2: yet each one turned them away. So the Levite, his concubine,
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  Speaker 2: and his servant huddled in the courtyard in the middle
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  Speaker 2: of the city. Alone and cold they slept, without blankets
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  Speaker 2: or food to warm them. It was still night, and
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  Speaker 2: the Levite had finally fallen into a deep sleep. His
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  Speaker 2: snores were interrupted by an old man poking at him
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  Speaker 2: and his companions. The Levite jolted awake and rose to
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  Speaker 2: his feet. The old man backed away and gave a
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  Speaker 2: nervous smile. What are you doing out here in the
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  Speaker 2: middle of the night? he said.
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  Speaker 4: This place is dangerous at night.
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  Speaker 2: We are traveling back to Ephraim, but no one has
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  Speaker 2: taken us in to spend the night. We have donkeys
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  Speaker 2: in need of straw and water, and we are in
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  Speaker 2: need of food. The Levite responded, hoping desperately that the man.
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  Speaker 4: Could help them.
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  Speaker 2: Of course, the man said, I can care for all
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  Speaker 2: your needs. Just please do not spend the night out here.
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  Speaker 4: There would be trouble awaiting you.
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  Speaker 2: The old man seemed nervous as he led them back
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  Speaker 2: to his home. He was constantly shining his torch into
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  Speaker 2: the alleys and peering over his shoulder. Another uneasy feeling
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  Speaker 2: came over the Levite and the four of them entered
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  Speaker 2: the house safely. The four of them were warming themselves
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  Speaker 2: by the fire, laughing and eating warm food. The old
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  Speaker 2: man's family came out to join them, and they ate, drank,
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  Speaker 2: and laughed with one another. Their laughter was interrupted by
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  Speaker 2: a violent banging on the man's door. The Levite looked
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  Speaker 2: towards the man, and his face turned ghostly white. The
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  Speaker 2: man arose to go answer the door, and behold, the
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  Speaker 2: men from the city surrounded the entire house. The Levite
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  Speaker 2: could catch a small glimpse of the men through the door.
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  Speaker 2: An ancient wickedness could be seen in their eyes, the
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  Speaker 2: same wickedness that tormented the hearts of Sodom and Gomorrah
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  Speaker 2: long ago. One of them stood at the entrance of
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  Speaker 2: the home and pointed straight to the Levite. Bring out
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  Speaker 2: your petty little Levite, old man. The words slithered out
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  Speaker 2: of his grinning mouth. We would like to have our
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  Speaker 2: way with him, he said. The Levite jumped to his
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  Speaker 2: feet and pressed his back up against the wall. His
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  Speaker 2: eyes widened as he watched the old man squirm near
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  Speaker 2: the door. Please, my brothers, the old man trembled. Do
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  Speaker 2: not do such a wicked thing. These people are guests
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  Speaker 2: in my home. But the men of the city craved
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  Speaker 2: the satisfaction of forcing themselves on a young man. They
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  Speaker 2: had no regard for politeness or honor. They wanted what
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  Speaker 2: they wanted, and they would take it forcibly. For this
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  Speaker 2: was the state of Israel's heart after they turned away
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  Speaker 2: from God.
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  Speaker 4: The men began to enter.
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  Speaker 2: The home, but the old man stopped them, saying, No, no!
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  Speaker 4: Behold, here is my daughter. She is a virgin. And
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  Speaker 4: here is the Levite's concubine. She is very beautiful. Take
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  Speaker 4: them and spare the Levite.
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  Speaker 2: The men seized the concubine and drug her into the darkness.
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  Speaker 2: Violent screams and evil laughs could be heard from the
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  Speaker 2: distance as the men abused and raped her.
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  Speaker 4: It was truly a dark time for Israel.
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  Speaker 2: What began as idle worship slowly transitioned into a corruption
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  Speaker 2: that rivaled the wicked kingdoms of old. Dawn began to break.
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  Speaker 2: The woman crawled out of the alleyway. Her face was
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  Speaker 2: swollen from being beaten and her clothes were torn apart.
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  Speaker 2: Barely alive, she slept on the doorstep of the old man,
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  Speaker 2: waiting for the Levite to come to her. The sun
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  Speaker 2: had fully risen, and the Levite opened the door slowly
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  Speaker 2: to see if the coast was clear. He found the
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  Speaker 2: woman on the floor and said, Quick, let us be
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  Speaker 2: going before they return. The woman was silent and still.
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  Speaker 2: He shook her and said, There is no time for delay.
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  Speaker 2: Get up and let's go.
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  Speaker 4: But she still lay there.
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  Speaker 2: So the Levite picked her up and lay her on
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  Speaker 2: his donkey. The Levite had finally made it back to
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  Speaker 2: his home. He came to wake up his concubine, only
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  Speaker 2: to realize.
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  Speaker 4: That she was dead. There she laid lifeless.
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  Speaker 2: The Levite boiled with anger and blamed the men for
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  Speaker 2: killing her, even though it was not just the men
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  Speaker 2: that slew her. His own cowardice is what killed her.
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  Speaker 2: In a heartbroken and shameful fury, the Levite took a
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  Speaker 2: knife and began tearing the woman's body apart. Limb by limb,
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  Speaker 2: he filleted her and separated her body. He tore her
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  Speaker 2: into twelve pieces and sent her body throughout all the
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  Speaker 2: territory of Israel. Pieces of her body hung for all
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  Speaker 2: of Israel to behold. Her bloodied and hanging limbs represented
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  Speaker 2: the divided and corrupt hearts of Israel. The land trembled
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  Speaker 2: and God wept over their wickedness.
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  Speaker 3: We begin today's reading in the wilderness of Ephraim with
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  Speaker 3: a nameless Levite who is wandering with his concubine. Concubines
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  Speaker 3: were considered legal wives of their husband but were afforded
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  Speaker 3: second-class status, something that will be shown to be true
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  Speaker 3: in a dramatic way in this story. This Levite, a
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  Speaker 3: man meant to be set apart to serve God and
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  Speaker 3: his people, had departed from his wife and from God's
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  Speaker 3: law and was living in darkness. It is a darkness
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  Speaker 3: we see throughout this story. The fact that our main
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  Speaker 3: character is not named seems fitting as he represents in
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  Speaker 3: many ways the wandering nation of Israel who are unrecognizable
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  Speaker 3: as God's chosen people. It's not long before the Levite
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  Speaker 3: has a taste of betrayal himself as his concubine is
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  Speaker 3: unfaithful to him and returns to her father's home. After
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  Speaker 3: he spent some time licking his wounds, the Levite went
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  Speaker 3: to win her back. He succeeds and he and his
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  Speaker 3: father-in-law begin to eat and drink together. For three days
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  Speaker 3: they did nothing but eat and drink and be merry.
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  Speaker 3: His father-in-law kept insisting that he stay, so he did
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  Speaker 3: another two nights. Then on the fifth day he took
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  Speaker 3: his servant and concubine and finally, late in the day, departed.
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  Speaker 3: When it was nearly nighttime, they found themselves near a
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  Speaker 3: city of foreigners, Jebus, which would later become Jerusalem. The
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  Speaker 3: Levite did not want to stay there for fear of
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  Speaker 3: what the foreigners might do to him, so he chose
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  Speaker 3: to go instead to Gibeath, a city of the tribe
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  Speaker 3: of Benjamin. Sadly, the wickedness he found there was even greater.
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  Speaker 3: Unable to find lodging for the evening, his party set
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  Speaker 3: up camp in the center of town. But an elderly
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  Speaker 3: man of the tribe of Ephraim came to their aid,
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  Speaker 3: pleading for them to stay in his home. He knew
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  Speaker 3: the evil that lurked in the streets, and he feared
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  Speaker 3: for their lives. But the evil in the streets soon
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  Speaker 3: came knocking. Judges 19 verse 22 says this, Worthless fellows
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  Speaker 3: surrounded the house, beating on the door. And they said
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  Speaker 3: to the old man, the master of the house, Bring
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  Speaker 3: out the man who came into your house, that we
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  Speaker 3: may know him. Worthless fellows for sure. How low could
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  Speaker 3: Israel go as the sin of Sodom ran rampant in
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  Speaker 3: the hearts of these Benjaminite men. Rather than deliver the Levite,
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  Speaker 3: their host offered his virgin daughter and the concubine. The Levite,
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  Speaker 3: fearing for his own safety and caring nothing for that
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  Speaker 3: of the women he had sought out just five days before,
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  Speaker 3: gave over the concubine to be beaten and raped brutally
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  Speaker 3: in the streets. Meanwhile, he slept seemingly without a care
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  Speaker 3: in the world. This story obviously shows us how deceitful
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  Speaker 3: and wicked the human heart is. The Levite and these
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  Speaker 3: townspeople paint a gruesome and awful picture of the evil
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  Speaker 3: that people are capable of. The next morning when the
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  Speaker 3: Levite found the woman dead outside the door, he did
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  Speaker 3: not mourn or offer her a proper burial. He carried
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  Speaker 3: her home, desecrated her body, and sent pieces of her
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  Speaker 3: to each of the twelve tribes. He wanted to rally
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  Speaker 3: the people to deal with the men of Gibeah. Instead,
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  Speaker 3: he would set off a war in Israel. And that's
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  Speaker 3: what we'll hear about the next time. Dear God, we
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  Speaker 3: know that the heart is deceitful above all things and
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  Speaker 3: desperately wicked. That's clear in the scripture and is clear
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  Speaker 3: in experience. Lord, we ask for repentance, that our nation
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  Speaker 3: would repent, that we personally would repent of our sins,
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  Speaker 3: confessing our sins that you might forgive us and pardon us.
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  Speaker 3: We praise you that your son Jesus Christ came to
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  Speaker 3: earth to die on the cross for our sins and
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  Speaker 3: to give us eternal life. May we guard our hearts
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  Speaker 3: that we might not turn back to sin in any way.
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  Speaker 3: In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for listening to today's
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham of Dallas, Texas,
• 17:03
  Speaker 3: and you can download the Pray.com app and make prayer
• 17:06
  Speaker 3: the priority of your life. It is our prayer that
• 17:10
  Speaker 3: you would know Jesus Christ in a personal way. Jesus
• 17:14
  Speaker 3: and knowing him is the key to understanding the Bible.
• 17:18
  Speaker 3: Jesus is on every page in the pathway of Scripture.
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  Speaker 3: So I pray that you would know him and look
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  Speaker 3: to him for eternal life. As we see all of
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  Speaker 3: these stories, some of them very sordid, we realize just
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  Speaker 3: how desperately we all need the Lord. So invite Christ
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  Speaker 3: into your life and receive him as your Lord and Savior.
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  Speaker 3: I would also encourage you to download the Pray.com app
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  Speaker 3: and let others know about this podcast. And if you
• 17:45
  Speaker 3: want more resources, on how to know God and experience
• 17:50
  Speaker 3: his presence in your life, be sure to visit jackgram.org.
• 17:55
  Speaker 3: God bless you.