Verse 22 Certain worthless fellows. Common theme in the book of Judges.
This story is one of those that might need to be broken down into plot points.
1. Man takes a concubine as his wife.
2. She cheats on him, and flees to her father's house.
3. Man follows her and retrieves her.
4. On the way home, she is raped and abused by locals. (Benjamites)
5. Her husband takes her back to their home. (I am assuming that she died in the night, and he has her body.)
6. He cuts her into 12 pieces and sends her throughout the Nation.
7. His kinsmen are shocked.
Chapter 20Verse 1 In light of the horrific tragedy, "the congregation assembled as one man to the Lord..." A small mention of how our church should work today.
Verse 5 The man's story has changed slightly. Nothing about her being offered as a substitute.
Verse 10 The council has decided that the "fellows" are most to blame.
Verse 13 The tribe of Benjamin will not hand over the men to be punished.
Verses 21-22 In the wake of defeat, they trust God. I've heard some criticism of Christians in the media. How they are outright with their praise of God when He gives them victory, but are silent when He gives it to another team. I think the unbelieving world would benefit from a demonstration of faith in all circumstances. The men in this battle were not sure what God's plan was, but they trusted Him.
And here's how the 3-day battle went:
Day one-Israel lost 22,000 men in battle
Day two-Israel lost 18,000 men (and God said, tomorrow you'll have victory)
Day three-Israel lost 30
When God speaks, believe Him.
Chapter 21Verse 11 When your kinsmen have a family meeting, make sure you are there! Otherwise they might plot to destroy you and take your virgins!
Verse 20-21 This reminds me of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, where they kidnap the women after the dance sequence.
Verse 25 perfect foreshadowing for what is to come. They had no human king, that is. They had a perfect King, but they disregarded Him and did things their own way.
Next time: A recap on Judges
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