Judges 19-21: In Their Own Eyes
In Their Own Eyes
Summary of Judges 19-21
Chapter 19
This chapter tells a story of a man who goes to ask his wife to come back after she has gone back to her fathers home. On his way home he stays in Gibeah where his concubine is raped and killed after he tosses her out to the vicious gangs of men outside the house where he is staying, so they won't kill him. When he finds her dead on the doorstep in the morning he goes home cuts up her body and sends it out in pieces to all the tribes of Israel.
Chapter 20
The Israelites gather together in anger of what was done at Gibeah. The Benjimites (who live in Gibeah) will not say they are sorry so they all go to war. In the end the Benjimites lose.
Chapter 21
Israel vows not to give their daughters to the Benjimites but they don't want to lose the tribe. Their solution is to conquer Jabesh-Gilead to teach them a lesson for not showing up to help in the war. They take their wives and give them to the Benjimites.The point of these stories seems to be to highlight the fact: Israel had no King, every did what was right in their own eyes.
What I learned for these chapters:1. People, including me, will take of our ourselves first. Sin causes us to be selfish.
2. Keeping in step with the Holy Spirit is the only way I can be sure I am not doing what is right in my eyes. I can't trust my own inner dialogue.
3 We do terrible things, then we turn around and point to someone else telling them how terrible they are. Human nature is to point out the sins of others while ignoring my own.
4.Judging others is only judging myself. I am just as broken and in need of saving as the rest of humanity.
5. God was intended to be Israel's King but they rejected God. It is so important that I acknowledge God as my King even when I don't like the way he tells me I need to live. He can be trusted, I cannot. I do not know what is best for me or others.
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