Skip to main content

March 17 + Daily notes & readings

DAY 76

We're finishing the book of Judges today.  The judges have ruled over Israel, but the people have strayed from God.  Things are not as they should be.  By the book, the tribes of Israel have been fighting against one of their own.

Image result for jewish commentary judges 19

DAILY READINGS

Judges 19-21 & Psalm 76

DAILY NOTES

Judges 19

  • No one is given a name in this chapter.  
  • A Levite takes a concubine for a wife.  She gets angry and leaves to go back to her father's house.
  • The Levite goes to her and the father-in-law and he enjoy several days of eating and drinking together.
  • The Levite eventually leaves with his wife and they travel to Gibeah; they get no help from anyone else along the way.
  • They stay at the home of a man from Gibeah.  While they are there, the men of Gibeah rise against the Levite.  
    • The man of the house refuses their attack and offers both his daughter and the Levite's wife instead.  
    • The men "wantonly" rape the wife.  The impression is that she is dead--although the text never explicitly says so (the man does later).
  • The Levite cut the woman's body into twelve pieces and sends it the the tribes of Israel.
Judges 20
  • The Levite makes a case against the Benjamites (Gibeah is part of their territory) and the rest of Israel plan to attack them.
  • The Benjamites are able to win a couple of battles, but are defeated after an ambush.  
  • Six hundred Benjamites escape.  Their escape sets up the events of the following chapter.
Judges 21
  • In order to preserver the tribe of Benjamin, the rest of the Israelites make a way for them to take wives to rebuild their towns--it's a strange story.
Psalm 76
  • God's name is know in Israel because of his judgement and power.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

Hopefully, you're a bit disturbed by today's reading (in particular, Judges 19) and you're wondering what kind of meaning this could have as part of the Bible.

I'm glad you asked.  No, not because I have any concrete God-given answer, but because it means you're paying attention to what we're reading!

As far as I can tell, this story, in all its sickness and troublesome details, illustrates how far the people of God were from God.  We are repeatedly told that they have strayed from and forgotten God.  And they have no king to rule over them.  What are these judges doing?

So, Judges 19, and maybe the entire book, is a reminder of the chaos we can expect when we live our lives away from the holiness of God.

Stay blessed...john
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

March 31 + Daily notes & readings

DAY 90 David's family situation continues to spiral.  In today's reading, David's family is torn apart by rape.  As a consequence, David's son sets his eyes on his father's throne. DAILY READINGS 2 Samuel 13-15 & Psalm 90 DAILY NOTES 1 Samuel 13:1-14 Amnon was David's first born son (3:2).  That may shed light as to why David seems to deal with him so easily (Verse 21).  Although he does kind of the same thing later with Absalom. Tamar is Absalom's full sister, half sister to Amnon.  Amnon is lovesick with her.  He devises a plan, with the help of a friend, to have her enter his chamber (bedroom).   Since she was a virgin, she didn't go out and about.  She remained in her house, perhaps protected.   Tamar knows what will become of her if Amnon goes through with his wishes; she will be left aside, unable to marry (see Verse 20).  She seems willing to have become married to Amnon, but his lust clouds h...
Post a Comment
Read more

June 18 + Daily notes & readings

DAY 169 DAILY READINGS Jeremiah 4-6 & Psalm 14 DAILY NOTES Jeremiah 4 Perhaps the people swore "As the Lord lives," but they did not do so in truth, justice or uprightness.  That's a sobering reminder that our words about God must match the way we live. Jeremiah (God) wants the people to move from an empty adherence to a covenant behavior (circumcision) to an attitude of praise before God.  In other words, empty religion is not appealing to God. God will ask the people to "wash" their heart "clean of wickedness" (Verse 14). Jeremiah feels as if God has deceived the people (Verse 10).  Maybe God didn't predict the peace Jeremiah was thinking of.  False prophets? Jeremiah 5 The same theme.  There were people who said, "As the Lord lives," because that was the religious thing to say.  But God says there is not one person who acts justly or seeks truth.  The people used the right words, but lived the wrong way.  #Pr...
Post a Comment
Read more

January 27 + Daily notes & readings

DAY 27 We'll be reading about atonement today.  T oday's video helps make sense of that biblical theme. DAILY READINGS Exodus 30-31 & Psalm 27 DAILY NOTES Exodus 30:6 Everything has its place.   Exodus 30:10 Once a year would be Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Exodus 12-15 The Lord's offering is required of everyone equally (of the appropriate age).  Strangely enough, there is a designation of rich and poor.  Everyone has just come from Egypt.  How has that distinction arisen?   Exodus 31:13 It's interesting to compare how the idea of sabbath here relates to previous mentions of it.   Exodus 31:18 Moses had written the words down.  Now, with merely his finger, God has provided the tablets for all to remember the covenant that has been made.   Psalm 27 Have you ever prayed and prayed and prayed for something?  The psalmist seems to know the feeling.  His final adm...
Post a Comment
Read more