A. The Levite and his concubine
1. (Judges 19:1) A Levite takes a concubine
Now it came about in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote part of the hill country of Ephraim, who took a concubine for himself from Bethlehem in Judah.
When there was no king in Israel: This story took place even earlier than the story of Micah, the silver image and the pagan Levite priest. It represents one of the most infamous outrages against the LORD which is recorded in Scripture.
The theme of the Book of Judges begins this chapter: "There was no king in Israel." Once again, the city of Bethlehem in Judah is mentioned immediately after these words, again reminding us of King David and Messiah's birthplace of Bethlehem. There was no law and order because there was no central authority. Although this sojourning Levite who lived in the hills of Ephraim sounds a lot like our previous story, it is not that same man. However, it does illustrate that Micah hiring a Levite was not an isolated instance. It had become common practice for Levites to seek position and advancement wherever it could be found.
The setup is that this anonymous Levite was living in the northern area of Ephraim. He had taken a concubine whose family was in Bethlehem of Judah. This means the girl was not a Levite but from the tribe of Judah.
2. (Judges 19:2-4) The Levite reconciles with his concubine
But his concubine played the harlot against him, and she went away from him to her father's house in Bethlehem in Judah, and was there for a period of four months. Then her husband arose and went after her to speak tenderly to her in order to bring her back, taking with him his servant and a pair of donkeys. So he brought him into her father's house, and when the girl's father saw him, he was glad to meet him. His father-in-law, the girl's father, detained him; and he remained with him three days. So they ate and drank and lodged there.
But his concubine played the harlot against him, and she went away from him to her father's house: At some point, there was a serious problem. The woman left the Levite and went back to her father's home. Verse two explains the nature of the problem, or does it? Many translations say the concubine was unfaithful to her Levite husband. Some translations are so bold as to say she played the harlot or acted like a whore. If one looks at the Hebrew, it is absolutely correct to say the woman acted in a whore like fashion because the Hebrew word used to describe her was that she was a zonah, which means prostitute. Some manuscripts state the woman behaved zonah, which means she acted in an unfaithful manner.
However, other translations will say she was angry with her husband and left him. These are equally good translations because they are drawn from the ancient Aramaic texts and also from the Greek Septuagint. These speak of anger and NOT unfaithfulness or sexual immorality. The general consensus from Rabbis is that the Levite and his concubine had an argument of some kind, but in no way was she unfaithful to the Levite. The logic for this reasoning is that by both the Mosaic Law and the customs and traditions of that era, a concubine or wife who had an adulterous affair was to be executed. There is no hint in this story that the concubine was in any danger of being harmed.
Remember from previous discussion that a concubine (pilegesh in Hebrew) was like a second class wife. It is common for the Bible to refer to the man as her husband. Simply speaking, the difference between a concubine and a wife was that the wife had more rights and had a marriage contract. But, the concubines were not slaves. They could not be mistreated. They had to be treated like a legal wife. Concubines were not playful sex toys or mistresses.
Then her husband arose and went after her to speak tenderly to her in order to bring her back: In verse three, we see that her husband was concerned enough for his concubine that after four months, he took a substantial journey from the northern hill country of Ephraim down to Bethlehem in Judah to try to win her back. He brought a house servant with him (undoubtedly for protection as traveling alone in those days was dangerous) and two donkeys. One donkey was for the concubine to ride on her journey back with the Levite. Although not stated in the text, the Levite brought gifts for the concubine and her father.
So she brought him into her father's house: The concubine brings her husband into her father's house. This is significant because it shows us that whatever caused the split-up, it was not irreconcilable. It also says that her father was glad to meet him. Translation: the concubine's husband was very relieved that his daughter would be going back with her husband. It is not as though the concubine's father wanted to get rid of her; rather, it was very dishonorable for a family to have a girl get married (or become a concubine) and then become separated from her husband. If the separation became an outright divorce, it brought shame upon the whole family regardless of the reason or who might be to blame. Her father probably had been extremely concerned about the status of his daughter's marriage.
3. (Judges 19:5-10) The father of the concubine extends the visit with a traditionally generous show of hospitality
Now on the fourth day they got up early in the morning, and she prepared to go; and the girl's father said to his son-in-law, "Sustain yourself with a piece of bread, and afterward you may go." So both of them sat down and ate and drank together; and the girl's father said to the man, "Please be willing to spend the night, and let your heart be merry." Then the man arose to go, but his father-in-law urged him so that he spent the night there again. On the fifth day he arose to go, but his father-in-law urged him so that he spent the night there again. On the fifth day he arose to go early in the morning, and the girl's father said, "Please sustain yourself, and wait until afternoon"; so both of them ate. When the man arose to go along with his concubine and servant, his father-in-law, the girl's father, said to him, "Behold now, the day has drawn to a close; please spend the night. Lo, the day is coming to an end; spend the night here that your heart may be merry. Then tomorrow you may arise early for your journey so that you may go home." But the man was not willing to spend the night, so he arose and departed and came to a place opposite Jebus (that is Jerusalem). And there were with him a pair of saddled donkeys; his concubine also was with him.
Now on the fourth day they got up early in the morning: On the fourth day after the Levite's arrival, he was ready to leave. But the father-in-law wanted the Levite to stay longer. Likely, this was a simple matter of Middle Eastern hospitality. Visitors were rare and proper protocol required making the most out of your time together. The father-in-law pressed on the Levite to stay. The Levite agreed.
On the fifth day he arose to go early in the morning: On the fifth day, the same situation happened. The father wanted the Levite to stay. But, in the afternoon, the Levite, his servant and his concubine leave. The route they take brings them near Jebus. Jebus was the name of the city which eventually would be renamed Jerusalem. Jebus was about six miles from Bethlehem, around a 2-hour walk. The people who founded and controlled the city were called Jebusites. They were just another group of Canaanites.
4. (Judges 19:11-15) Returning home, the Levite and the concubine decide to spend the night in Gibeah
When they were near Jebus, the day was almost gone; and the servant said to his master, "Please come, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites and spend the night in it." However, his master said to him, "We will not turn aside into the city of foreigners who are not of the sons of Israel; but we will go on as far as Gibeah." He said to his servant, "Come and let us approach one of these places; and we will spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah." So they passed along and went their way, and the sun set on them near Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin. They turned aside there in order to enter and lodge in Gibeah. When they entered, they sat down in the open square of the city for no one took them into his house to spend the night.
When they were near Jebus, the day was almost gone: Since it was getting close to sundown, the servant suggested that they spend the night inside the massive defensive walls of Jebus, but the Levite refused. Jebus was a non-Israelite city. Instead, the Levite wanted to travel a little farther and stay in a village or city that was occupied by the Hebrews--perhaps Gibeah or Ramah.
The sun set on them near Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin: The trio only made it as far as Gibeah by the time the sun was setting and darkness was upon them. So they stopped in Gibeah, a city in which the Israelite tribe of Benjamin inhabited.
When they entered, they sat sown in the open square of the city for no one took them into his house to spend the night: Verse 15 explains that they went inside the city and sat down at what we would call the city square. This would be just inside the city gate. By doing this, they would make themselves noticeable to the city's residents as they passed in and out. There is a hint of what was to come, though. No one offered the trio a place to stay for the night. This was a sacred duty in that era, and a failure of the local residents to offer rest and sustenance to a traveler (especially one who obviously had the means to feed himself and his animals) was a sign that these people were of poor character.
5. (Judges 19:16-21) Finally, a fellow Ephraimite finds them and extends hospitality
Then behold, an old man was coming out of the field from his work at evening. Now the man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was staying in Gibeah, but the men of the place were Benjamites. And he lifted up his eyes and saw the traveler in the open square of the city; and the old man said, "Where are you going, and where do you come from?" He said to him, "We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote part of the hill country of Ephraim, for I am from there, and I went to Bethlehem in Judah. But I am now going to my house, and no man will take me into his house. Yet there is both straw and fodder for our donkeys, and also bread and wine for me, your maidservant and the young man who is with your servants; there is no lack of anything." The old man said, "Peace to you. Only let me take care of all your needs; however, do not spend the night in the open square." So he took him into his house and gave the donkeys fodder, and they washed their feet and ate and drank.
Then behold, an old man was coming out of the field from his work at evening: At dark, an old man came through the city gates. He had been working out in the fields which surrounded Gibeah. Coincidentally, this old man was from the same area that the Levite was. The old man also was not a permanent resident of Gibeah nor was he from the tribe of Benjamin. The old man did not share the morals of Gibeah is evident in that he does the right thing and offers to take the Levite, his concubine and his servant into his dwelling place for the night.
The old man said, "Where are you going, and where do you come from: In verse 17, the old man inquires about the Levite and asks the logical questions, "Where are you going and where are you from?" The Levite is truthful and explains where he is from and that he is returning there. But the latter part of the answer is puzzling. He says he is going to the house of God, more accurately translated Bethel in verse 18. But what does this mean that he is going to the house of God? Almost certainly, he was merely saying that he was going home by way of Shiloh. Shiloh was the current location of the Wilderness Tabernacle. The young man was a Levite. So it would be logical if he had an opportunity to visit the Tabernacle, the home of the priesthood, he would do so. He would go there and offer a sacrifice. But there is another implication in this scene. Some Jewish scholars point out that this Levite traveler was probably recognizable as a Levite.
The Levites had for some reason quickly developed a dialect or accent (as we saw played a role in our previous story) that was different enough from the other Hebrews that it helped to identify them. The Levite may have also worn garments or some ritual object of clothing that marked him as a Levite. In any case, the most likely reason the town of Gibeah would not offer him hospitality was that they did not want anything to do with the Priestly Tribe. They may have been Israelites, but their hearts were far from God.
Yet there is both straw and fodder for your donkeys, and also bread and wine for me, your maidservant and the young man who is with your servants: The Levite explained to the old man that even though they would be no burden on anyone (because they all carried their own provisions with them), the townspeople refused to offer them shelter. The old man says to come and stay with him. But he warns them not to stay out in the city square at night. This matter of avoiding bedding down in the city square, which would have been lawful and safe under most circumstances, had little to do with discomfort. Rather, it was a dire warning from someone who knew these townspeople well.
No comments:
Post a Comment