March 20 - Judges 17-19
Another day of tough reading. Some of the stories don’t
seem to make logical sense to me – I presume they were more understandable to
the original readers/hearers.
The first story about Micah and the Levite seem as though
they would have invoked the wrath of God – carved images and idols, household
gods, a descendant of Ephraim installing a priest in his home instead of at the
place God called them to worship…then the Danites taking him to be their priest
along with the household idols, killing unsuspecting people without necessarily
asking God’s direction. I did notice, however, that Moses’ descendants are
named (v 18:30). I guess they did stay with Moses through the desert trek.
The next story is even more disturbing. I was confused
when the man is referred to as a husband and son-in-law, but the woman is
called a concubine. The word translated as ‘concubine’ is ‘issah’, which has been
translated most times as woman or wife, but also as concubine or prostitute.
Why was it so important to tell that the woman’s father wanted the man to stay
so many days? And of course, just like the story of Lot, it is incomprehensible
to me that the men would offer her and the virgin daughter to the evil Benjamites
in the street.
Oh, how far the Israelites have fallen. Did you notice
that God himself did not show up in todays’ reading?
TOMORROW’S TEXT: Judges 20-21
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