Day 62 – November 21, 2023: Judges 16-21

Remember that this book of the Bible is a portrayal of those whom God had chosen to rule over Israel as judges. Samsom is on that list and we read about his marriage to Delilah and his ensuing death. It does seem interesting that Delilah received 1,100 coins of silver for her betrayal of Samson, and then we pick up in chapter 17 with a woman who had the same amount taken from her by her son Micah. Micah turns out to hire a priest and make a place of worship which then becomes central to the worship of the Israelites as they begin their fledgling nation. But notice that this is an idol, it is not something the Lord would ever want, but they continue along and do what was not pleasing in the sight of the Lord.

From there we get the story of the concubine who is given to the citizens of Gibeah to be raped, and she is and dies. Notice the story rings very familiar. It sounds a lot like the story of Soddom and Gomorrah and the angels who visit Lot and the citizens who want to have their way with these angels. As a result of the death of the concubine of Levite we see war break out within Israel. The Benjaminites, who were from Gibeah, are killed and their city is destroyed. No one is allowe to marry a Benjaminite going forward because of what they did. That is unless they are kidnapped and forced to marry a Benjaminite. It is hard to justify how this all fits into God’s plan. But we only see the tip of the iceberg and don’t understand how God works in the world. It can be confusing, but we must trust that God is at work.