In this passage, a Levite from the hill country of Ephraim takes a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. The concubine is unfaithful to him, though, and she returns to her father's home in Bethlehem. The Levite goes to Bethlehem and is able to persuade her to return to his home, despite the best efforts of her father. The Levite, his concubine and his servant spend the night with an old man in Gibeah in Benjamin on their way to Ephraim. Later, some wicked men in Gibeah surround the old man's house and demand to sleep with the Levite. After much haggling on the part of the old man, the wicked men of Gibeah consent to being allowed to rape and abuse the Levite's concubine. She dies as a result of her injuries; the Levite dismembers her and sends her body parts throughout Israel, inciting widespread anger.
I was reminded of the account of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19, as homosexuals play a prominent role in both accounts. Also, I get the sense that God did not approve of the Levite taking a concubine, as that action does not square with his tribe's special relationship with God. In addition, we see that the old man in Gibeah has a twisted moral compass; allowing the wicked men of his city to rape and abuse the Levite's concubine implies that he lacked a clear conscience.
2. Israelites Fight the Benjamites
In this passage, the Israelites respond to the Levite's grisly deliveries by gathering at Mizpah. The Levite tells them of the demise of his concubine; they then demand that the Benjamites allow the men of Gibeah to be punished for their actions. Yet the Benjamites refuse to hand over the men of Gibeah, and they mobilize against the rest of Israel. The Israelites then go to Bethel and inquire of the Lord on two occasions as to whether they should attack the Benjamites. In both instances the Lord seemingly allows Israel to attack their brethren, yet they are soundly defeated. The Israelites then earnestly inquire of the Lord for a third time by weeping, fasting and offering sacrifices; He promises them that the Benjamites will be defeated, and they rout the Benjamites after setting an ambush for them near Gibeah.
Clearly the Israelites were spiritually distant from God at this time, as their desire to punish the men of Gibeah mushroomed into a desire to decimate the Benjamites. The Benjamites were also spiritually distant from God at this time, as they would not hand over the men of Gibeah to be punished for their evil deeds. On a side note, the Benjamites, though vastly outnumbered by the Israelites, fought valiantly by defeating them in two battles; yet that was small solace for the survivors after their tribe was crushed in a third engagement.
3. Wives for the Benjamites
In this passage, the Israelites realize that they have committed a grievous error in nearly decimating the Benjamites. This stems from their taking an oath before the Lord at Mizpah that they would not give any of their daughters in marriage to the Benjamites. The Benjamites are now on the verge of extinction, so the Israelites initially assist them by finding wives for the survivors among the virgins of Jabesh Gilead (the men of Jabesh Gilead did not join the Israelites in their battles with the Benjamites, so the Israelites sack their city while sparing all virgins). Yet some of the Benjamites still lack wives, so the Israelites instruct them to go to Shiloh and seize wives for themselves among the girls who will dance in their annual festival of the Lord.
This passage concludes the rather unpleasant book of Judges. Here, we are reminded of the spiritual poverty that characterized Israel at that time. The Israelites took rash oaths, sacked one of their own cities (Jabesh Gilead), and sanctioned the kidnapping of innocent girls from Shiloh. Perhaps the last verse of this passage sums up the book of Judges, "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit." Hopefully the book of Ruth will provide some better examples of personal devotion to God...
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