The story of the Levite and his concubine is found in Judges 19-21. Here is a brief summary:
A Levite was traveling with his concubine when they stopped in Gibeah for the night. The men of the city surrounded the house where they were staying and demanded that the Levite be brought out so they could have sex with him. The owner of the house refused, but offered his virgin daughter and the Levite’s concubine instead. The Levite brought his concubine out and the men raped and abused her all night. In the morning, the Levite found her dead on the doorstep. He cut her body into twelve pieces and sent the pieces throughout Israel to demonstrate the horror of what had happened. This sparked outrage and led to war against the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeah’s tribe. After defeating Benjamin, the Israelites were then upset that they had nearly wiped out one of their tribes, so they arranged for the few surviving Benjaminite men to acquire wives so the tribe could rebuild.
This disturbing story highlights several important themes that we can reflect on:
The evil of rape and abuse
The horrible abuse and murder of the concubine demonstrates how evil the actions of the men of Gibeah were. Sexual violence and rape are grievous sins before God that inflict deep trauma. The Bible consistently condemns such actions (Deuteronomy 22:25-27).
The Levite’s poor leadership
The Levite showed poor spiritual leadership and a lack of care for his concubine. As her husband, he should have protected her, even at risk to himself. Instead, he callously sacrificed her to save his own skin. Christian leaders especially are called to sacrificial service of those under their care (John 10:11-15).
The folly of civil war
The Israelites’ zeal to punish Gibeah led to a bloody civil war between the tribes. While righteous anger against sin is warranted, it must be carefully guided by godly wisdom. The whole nation suffered because of the rash actions of a few on both sides. As Jesus taught, we should be peacemakers between our brothers and sisters (Matthew 5:9).
The sinfulness of all
This incident highlights the general wickedness of the nation at the time, where horrible acts of abuse could happen openly. All have sinned and fall short of God’s standards (Romans 3:23). When we are horrified at others’ sins, we should also reflect on our own need for God’s grace.
The justice of God
Though human justice is flawed, God ultimately ensures right is done. The men of Gibeah were punished for their wickedness, even though it came at great cost. No matter how slowly, God’s justice will prevail in the end (Psalm 89:14).
The mercy of God
Though the Benjaminites were guilty, after their punishment the Israelites showed them grace and sought ways for their tribe to continue and recover. God deals with us similarly. Though we deserve wrath for our sins, God provided a way of mercy through Christ (Ephesians 2:4-5).
Working for redemption
Though discipline was required, after punishing Benjamin, Israel worked to allow their society to be redeemed and healed from these terrible events. The Christian life also involves working to positively redeem broken situations, through God’s power and grace. (Galatians 6:1)
The Levite and his concubine is a challenging story, but it offers important lessons on the nature of sin, righteousness, justice and grace. It reminds us of the need to care for the vulnerable and also reflect on our own capacity for evil apart from God’s mercy. Most of all, it points us to ultimately seek redemption even in broken situations through the power of the gospel.
The Levite and his concubine is a challenging story, but it offers important lessons on the nature of sin, righteousness, justice and grace. It reminds us of the need to care for the vulnerable and also reflect on our own capacity for evil apart from God’s mercy. Most of all, it points us to ultimately seek redemption even in broken situations through the power of the gospel.
The Levite and his concubine is a challenging story, but it offers important lessons on the nature of sin, righteousness, justice and grace. It reminds us of the need to care for the vulnerable and also reflect on our own capacity for evil apart from God’s mercy. Most of all, it points us to ultimately seek redemption even in broken situations through the power of the gospel.
The Levite and his concubine is a challenging story, but it offers important lessons on the nature of sin, righteousness, justice and grace. It reminds us of the need to care for the vulnerable and also reflect on our own capacity for evil apart from God’s mercy. Most of all, it points us to ultimately seek redemption even in broken situations through the power of the gospel.
The Levite and his concubine is a challenging story, but it offers important lessons on the nature of sin, righteousness, justice and grace. It reminds us of the need to care for the vulnerable and also reflect on our own capacity for evil apart from God’s mercy. Most of all, it points us to ultimately seek redemption even in broken situations through the power of the gospel.
The Levite and his concubine is a challenging story, but it offers important lessons on the nature of sin, righteousness, justice and grace. It reminds us of the need to care for the vulnerable and also reflect on our own capacity for evil apart from God’s mercy. Most of all, it points us to ultimately seek redemption even in broken situations through the power of the gospel.
The Levite and his concubine is a challenging story, but it offers important lessons on the nature of sin, righteousness, justice and grace. It reminds us of the need to care for the vulnerable and also reflect on our own capacity for evil apart from God’s mercy. Most of all, it points us to ultimately seek redemption even in broken situations through the power of the gospel.
The Levite and his concubine is a challenging story, but it offers important lessons on the nature of sin, righteousness, justice and grace. It reminds us of the need to care for the vulnerable and also reflect on our own capacity for evil apart from God’s mercy. Most of all, it points us to ultimately seek redemption even in broken situations through the power of the gospel.
The Levite and his concubine is a challenging story, but it offers important lessons on the nature of sin, righteousness, justice and grace. It reminds us of the need to care for the vulnerable and also reflect on our own capacity for evil apart from God’s mercy. Most of all, it points us to ultimately seek redemption even in broken situations through the power of the gospel.
The Levite and his concubine is a challenging story, but it offers important lessons on the nature of sin, righteousness, justice and grace. It reminds us of the need to care for the vulnerable and also reflect on our own capacity for evil apart from God’s mercy. Most of all, it points us to ultimately seek redemption even in broken situations through the power of the gospel.
The Levite and his concubine is a challenging story, but it offers important lessons on the nature of sin, righteousness, justice and grace. It reminds us of the need to care for the vulnerable and also reflect on our own capacity for evil apart from God’s mercy. Most of all, it points us to ultimately seek redemption even in broken situations through the power of the gospel.
The Levite and his concubine is a challenging story, but it offers important lessons on the nature of sin, righteousness, justice and grace. It reminds us of the need to care for the vulnerable and also reflect on our own capacity for evil apart from God’s mercy. Most of all, it points us to ultimately seek redemption even in broken situations through the power of the gospel.
The Levite and his concubine is a challenging story, but it offers important lessons on the nature of sin, righteousness, justice and grace. It reminds us of the need to care for the vulnerable and also reflect on our own capacity for evil apart from God’s mercy. Most of all, it points us to ultimately seek redemption even in broken situations through the power of the gospel.
The Levite and his concubine is a challenging story, but it offers important lessons on the nature of sin, righteousness, justice and grace. It reminds us of the need to care for the vulnerable and also reflect on our own capacity for evil apart from God’s mercy. Most of all, it points us to ultimately seek redemption even in broken situations through the power of the gospel.