What can we learn from the story of the Levite and his concubine?

Answer

The final chapters of Judges emphasize that everyone did what they considered right in their own eyes (Judges 17:6;Judges 21:25). One of the narratives illustrating the disorder and lack of law during that period is the story of the Levite and his concubine, which commences in Judges 19. The Levite had a concubine who had fled and been unfaithful to him. Initially, there is the issue of a Levite (from the priestly tribe) having a concubine, followed by the woman engaging in a sexual relationship with someone other than her husband.

The Levite located his concubine at her parents’ house. While bringing her back to his residence, they halted for the night in Gibeah, a Benjamite town. An elderly man insisted, for safety reasons, that the Levite and his concubine lodge at his home instead of in the town square. That evening, “certain wicked men of the city surrounded the house. They pounded on the door, calling to the old man who owned the house, ‘Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have relations with him’” « Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him. », (Judges 19:22). The host attempted to reason with them, but they refused to listen. To protect himself, the Levite sent his concubine outside. The depraved mob mistreated her throughout the night (verse 25). When the man opened the door in the morning, the mob had vanished, and the lifeless body of the concubine lay “at the entrance of the house, with her hands on the threshold” (verse 27).

The Levite lifted her up.

The concubine’s body was placed on his donkey and taken home. Her body was then cut into twelve pieces—one for each tribe of Israel—and sent throughout the land. The disturbing parcels incited the desired reaction; all who heard of the atrocity exclaimed: “Such an act has never been witnessed or committed, not since the day the Israelites left Egypt. Just think! We must take action! So speak up!” «And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.», (Judges 19:30).

The tribes of Israel (except Benjamin) gathered and decided to execute the men who assaulted and killed the Levite’s concubine. However, when they confronted the people of Benjamin, the Benjamites opted to shield the culprits and refused to hand them over for justice (Judges 20:12-14). This led to a civil war, and the tribe of Benjamin was ultimately defeated. Nearly all the Benjamites were killed, leaving only 600 men remaining (Judges 20:47-48).

Judges 21 recounts the consequences of the conflict involving the Levite and his concubine. Following a period of mourning, the leaders of the other eleven tribes sought a way to preserve the tribe of Benjamin. Their resolution was to penalize the city of Jabesh Gilead, which did not join the fight against the Benjamites. The penalty imposed was that the 600 Benjamite men could abduct young women from Jabesh Gilead to wed. They found 400 young women there, and the remaining wives were taken from Shiloh.

This grim and unsettling sequence of events culminates with the apt words of Judges 21:25: “In those days Israel had Judges 21:25.

“In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” Readers shocked by the immoral actions in the final chapters of Judges can find solace in the fact that Scripture unequivocally condemns these behaviors. Incidents like the tragedy involving the Levite’s concubine illustrate the consequences of disregarding the law and allowing everyone to act according to their own desires.

This bleak era in Israel’s past ultimately led to the call for an Israelite king, a decision that offered some improvement but also underscored the necessity for a flawless King and Savior—Jesus Christ.