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Original Message
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I had read this story in the Bible many times and as always, it upset me greatly that GOD had caused (in mind, at the time) this to happen. This particular time, I was brought very low with this woman’s suffering and pain, and as I sat with the open Bible in my hand, I began to pray.
I asked GOD “WHY? Why do you dislike women so much? I know Eve sinned in the Garden but so did Adam. Why are we to be treated as less than animals? Why did you do this to this girl?”
I was very upset – to the point of tears, and as I prayed, I quickly received the answer to my question, “Why?”
It was very simple and to the point, “I DIDN’T – THEY DID.” I felt HIS holy spirit within me and my mind was filled with ‘light’ and then I understood something I never seen before – The Bible is made up of accounts of things that happened – and these things were not necessarily the will of GOD. But were many times, the actions of “MAN”.
God has more moral fiber in his little finger than we have collectively, as a people. And if it is wrong to us, it is wrong to HIM also. But HE gave us all freewill, and unfortunately, mankind uses that freewill to do despicable things sometimes. And even have the nerve to say it is in GOD’S name.
The man in this story used his freewill, and cost a young woman her life and he (her husband) went down in history as a sniveling, evil little coward.
I am going to write some of this account in story form for brevity.
The Levite’s Concubine: Judges 19 and 20
There is a young woman known only in the Bible as the Levite’s concubine. After she had been with him for a time, she left him and went back to her father’s house for four months. But her husband went to get her.
Jdg 19:3 And her husband arose, and went to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, and she brought him into her father's house:
Upon arriving at his father-in-law’s home, the man was greeted happily by both his wife and her father. And he stayed there enjoying his host’s hospitality for several days, before leaving for home. On the fifth day, in the evening, they departed.
Jdg 19:11 And when they were by Jebus, the day was spent; and the servant said unto his master, Let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.
Jdg 19:12 And his master said, We will not turn into the city of a stranger, they are not of the children of Israel;
Jdg 19:13 And he said unto his servant, Let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah.
Upon arriving in Gibeah, a city of the tribe of Benjamin, they could find no lodging, and was waiting in the street when a man coming in from the fields saw them and asked. “Where are you from –and where are you going?’ The Levite explained that they could find no place to lodge for the night and as it was very dangerous in the streets at night, the man offered them lodging at his home. – Which they accepted.
“The men of the city, a perverse lot, surrounded the house, and started pounding on the door. They said to the old man, the master of the house, 'Bring out the men who came into your house so that we may ‘know’ (sexually) them.
And the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, 'No, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Since this man is my guest, do not do this vile thing. Here are my virgin daughter and his concubine; let me bring them out now. Ravish them and do whatever you want to them; but against this man do not do such a vile thing.”
Nothing in God's laws made this man's offer acceptable. Just because someone in the Bible does a thing, does not make it right. This man's actions violated God's laws and God's plan. Instead of protecting the weak as God calls us to, this man offered the weakest of these up to the wolves.
“Judges 19:25:
But the men would not listen to him. So the man (the Levite) seized his concubine, and shoved her out the door to them. They raped her, and abused her all through the night until the morning. And as the dawn began to break, they let her go.”
Because of the Levite's actions, this woman was thrust out the door to be gang raped. Her screams of pain and fear must have echoed through the night, while her husband who the day before had "spoken tenderly" to her, sat safe inside.
“Judges 19:26:
As morning appeared, the woman came and fell down at the door of the man's house where her master was, until it was light.”
After the men had finished with her, she made it to the door of the house. There she collapsed. There she stayed, alone in the dark until dawn.
“Judges 19:27:
In the morning her master got up, opened the doors of the house, and when he went out to go on his way, there was his concubine lying at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold. 'Get up,' he said to her, 'we are going.' But there was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey; and the man set out for his home.”
Where before he offered tender words to allay her anger, in her moment of darkness he offers only curt commands. Instead of attending her wounds or offering comfort, he merely puts her on his donkey and heads home. What a jerk he was.
“Judges 19:29:
When he had entered his house, he took a knife, and grasping his concubine he cut her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel.”
If you read back through this passage, you will notice some information is missing. When did this young lady die? Did she die alone in the dark? Or while slung over the donkey's back? Or worse, when her husband took his knife to her? The Bible doesn't answer that question, but in my opinion he killed her. It is more likely, that he killed her, as he did not want ‘damaged’ goods.
This is not all the story, but it is the part I wanted to relate about the woman. To get the rest of the story read Judges chapter 20.
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