Board Thread:Bible Questions/@comment-26538658-20161010015359/@comment-1777104-20161011183728

The first thing you need to do to learn from a passage is to take the whole story into account. This story does not start with the woman "running away" and it is not clear that she is a "second wife." The word translated "concubine" is simply "Issha" (literally "female" or "woman"). The primary translation is "wife," followed by "woman." Since no other woman is involved, it is safe to assume this is his only wife. Later in the passage, once her status had once again been reduced to not much more than a sex slave, she is labeled a "concubine" (Pilegeah).

Now the whole story:

(1) The wife did not just "run away." She became a prostitute, having sex with other men and wished to be free to continue in her sin.

(2) In spite of this, the Levite loved the woman and traveled to her parents house in Bethlehem to persuade her to come back to her (not "drag her back"). Her family was very hospitable and sought to have them remain for an extended time. Finally, the Levite foolishly insisted on leaving late in the afternoon.

(3) Nearby Jerusalem was the logical place to stay, but the Levite was prejudiced against the Gentiles that controlled the city. He did not trust them, so he kept going to a city in the lands controlled by the Benjamites. He could not find a place to stay, and had to be talked into staying at an old man's house. The man proved a very good host.

(4) However, there was a gang of thugs that had spotted the strangers in town. Much like the men of Sodom, they wanted to offer their own kind of "hospitality" toward the younger man. This unnatural affection was just as unacceptable to the old man as it had been to Lot. The solution seems to have been just the same: sacrifice the virginity of his daughter! This is bizarre, but reported in all its horror. The old man also offered the Levite's wife.

(5) The Levite, instead of sacrificing himself, saved the old man from the shame by sending only his adulterous wife out to satiate the desires of the mob. This "worked" in that the thugs "had their way" with her all night long. Unfortunately, they were not gentle. By morning she had apparently died, or at least was in a comatose state.

(6) When he got to his home, the Levite took his wife's dead body and cut it into 12 pieces to send a message to the twelve tribes of Israel. The gruesome act was to illustrate the exceedingly evil nature of the thugs that had killed her. He asked the leadership of the tribes what should be done to right this injustice.

(7) Elite forces from among the gathered armed forces were sent to the city where the thugs lived to bring them to justice. However, the tribe of Benjamin acted in "national" interests to prevent the thugs from being taken. They instead decided to fight for their rights of self-governance.

(8) In the end, this "civil war" almost wiped out the tribe of Benjamin! There were only 600 men left in this tribe of very able warriors. All along, the armies of the eleven tribes had sought cancel from the, not wanting to sin against Him in pursuing justice. However, it is clear that in their zeal they were far too vicious.

(9) Finally, having sworn not to allow these warriors access to wives among the families of the eleven tribes, they found out that the city of Jabeshgilead had not chosen to take part in the civil war. This Benjamite city was then destroyed, saving only the virgins to be wives to their fellow countrymen. Coming up short, they sent the remaining men to kidnap the "daughters of Shiloh" (presumed to be Levite virgins).

So, there is a whole lot we can learn from this sordid story. Not much of it is good.

The first thing is the importance of hospitality. In the society of the time, strangers were to be treated with respect. There was an understanding that those in need were to be treated with respect. This has not changed in principle.

The attitude toward women that is seen in this story is deplorable. Such was the way of the world, and not of God. When the Israelites inquired about this to the they were seeking justice as was required in the Law. The rape of anyone, even an adulteress, is a great sin. The zealous, and vicious, war that ensued illustrates further the sorry state of people that "do what is right in their own eyes."

A secondary lesson that we can learn from this is that prejudice towards strangers (the Jebusites in this case) is usually a bad idea. Though the Levite may have been justified in fear of these people (they had retaken the city from the Benjamites), his servant had not thought it less of a risk than traveling at night.

Underlying the whole gruesome tale is the serious problem mankind has with sexual sin. The Levite's wife was drawn to other men in order to satisfy her lust. Then, the lust of the Benjamite thugs showed its ugly head. This lead further to violence; first in rape, then in war.

We learn from the Israelite leadership, though, that the source of guidance is the Word of God. In those days, they had direct access through the priesthood. In today's world, every believer has access through our great high priest, Jesus Christ. If the tribe of Benjamin had followed the Law, the gang of thugs would have been turned in to the Judahite forces that first came to get them.

And finally, we learn from this whole episode that nothing good comes from "doing what is right in [our] own eyes." Let us seek out the and His Word in all our ways.