Today's reading in Judges 19 and 20 was another one of the chapters in the Bible that I just don't understand, and frankly, I wish that I could just skip over. It tells the tragic and ugly story of the perversion of the men of Gibeah, and the resulting abuse and death of the Levite's concubine. "How could the Levite not fight for her? Hadn't he just gone and gotten her from her father's house because he loved her? How could he just turn her over to be used and abused by these wicked men?" my heart cries. Of course, her death is not the end of the story, for the Levite then cuts her up into 12 pieces and sends these pieces all over Israel. This resulted in outrage in Israel and 400,000 armed men came together. A major battle and massacre between the tribes of Israel resulted, with the tribe of Benjamin almost being completely wiped out. Ugly, ugly, ugly. But that's always the results of sin... ugly, ugly, ugly. Usually we don't see the end result, and so we don't think sin is that ugly.
I was struck in today's reading of the parallels between Judges 19-20 and Psalms 44:8-15,22-34.
"Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen. Thou fellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price. Thou makes us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us. Thou makes us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people. My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me...Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever."
Do you ever feel like you are being trampled by the enemy, and God is sleeping? You've been striving to be faithful, and yet the enemy continues his onslaught, and it appears God is sleeping while your name is being smeared? I've felt this way a few times in my life, and I currently have several dear friends that are going through this painful trial of faith. They feel like sheep headed to the slaughter... but, God is not sleeping. We are in the midst of a terrible and ugly great controversy... right now it seems like the enemy is winning.... But God will avenge... May we hold on and continue to trust Him in the darkness as well as the light.
Tomorrow's Reading: Judges 21 and Mark 7
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