The Established Path of Discipleship

I am sure you have had those moments when something happens that causes you to say, “Wait! What?” I had one of those moments the other day while reading Judges. Judges 19 recounts the story of a Levite who has an unfaithful concubine. She leaves him to go live with her father in Bethlehem. After four months, the Levite goes to Bethlehem to retrieve his concubine. His father-in-law receives him joyfully, and through an amusing back-and-forth of preparing to leave and being compelled to stay that lasted five days, the Levite finally begins his journey back to his home in Ephraim.

On the return trip to Ephraim, the Levite gets as far as Jebus (Jerusalem) on the first day. His servant suggests they stay in Jebus for the night, but the Levite disagrees because he would rather stay with fellow Israelites than foreigners. They trudge on to Gibeah of the Benjaminites. When they arrive in the city square, they prepare to spend the night there because no one offers them hospitality. An old man returning from his fields offers them a place to stay. He makes a point of warning them not to stay in the city square.

As the Levite and his servant are enjoying the hospitality of the old man, “worthless fellows” surround the house and say to the old man, “Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may know him” (Judges 19:23). The old man pleads with the motley bunch outside his home not to do such an “outrageous thing.” He offers them his virgin daughter and concubine to appease their wicked lust. The men outside do not listen to the old man’s appeals, so the old man gives them the concubine, and they abuse her all night.

In the morning, the old man finds his concubine lying at his front door and unresponsive. In a macabre twist, he cuts her into twelve pieces and sends these pieces throughout Israel. The author of Judges concludes this grisly account with, “And all who saw it said, “Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day that the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day; consider it, take counsel, and speak” (Judges 19:30).

As I considered this passage, my first reaction was to say, wait! What? Haven’t I read something like this before? Genesis 19? Lot, Sodom, and wicked men surrounding the house? Some of the particulars are different, but the stories are strikingly similar. But wait, what? There is a significant difference. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were Canaanites/unbelievers. The people of Gibeah were Israelites of the tribe of Benjamin. How could such a thing happen among the people of God?

We understand if we “consider, take counsel, and speak” like the author of Judges commands. No one is exempt from the effects of original sin. Depravity affects everyone, even the people of God—the Church. When a shocking sin occurs, we must not shake our heads and say, wait, what? Instead, we must grieve and not hide the sin to save face. The counsel of Scripture teaches us that we must expose sin and let the Church know the gravity of such outrageous things. They bring dishonor to the body of Christ, but the message of Judges 19:30 is trying to cover it up is much worse. And yet we see grace in the book of Judges. God continues to send judges to rescue his people. These judges point us to the one who rescues us permanently from the penalty and effects of our sin, Jesus Christ.