1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000 Well, at least you're not a female. 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:10,000 Paul, I have a question. 3 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:15,600 In the first service this morning, did you, in the second service this morning, you had 4 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:18,080 the women sing one verse and the men sing another verse. 5 00:00:18,080 --> 00:00:22,960 Did you do that in the first service? 6 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:27,200 Because on the second verse this morning, I noticed that the instruments cut out and 7 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:30,880 I was just wailing on the way up there. 8 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:34,920 The sound of the congregation got real low and I thought, oh my goodness, am I supposed 9 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:36,720 to be singing or not? 10 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:40,680 Which one you were? 11 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:41,680 That is my question. 12 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:47,040 You didn't make it real clear for a second, but we made it clear for a second. 13 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:48,040 You sure did. 14 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:52,000 And by the second hour I knew the answer. 15 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:55,000 So in good shape. 16 00:00:55,000 --> 00:01:02,640 Alright, let's open our Bibles together to the book of Judges where we will finish our 17 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:09,240 series in this book tonight. 18 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:13,240 Somebody has said this is the sewer of the Bible. 19 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:16,240 Have you read ahead? 20 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:20,160 Have you read what these chapters are like? 21 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:21,160 This is R-rated. 22 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:28,920 In fact, these are the kinds of chapters that critics of the Bible like to point to when 23 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:37,720 they say, well you see the Bible has all this stuff just like movies do today and you Christians 24 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:42,000 complain about the movies, the Bible has stuff like that and worse in it. 25 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:50,800 Well, you're going to see tonight that there's some pretty ugly stuff in these three chapters. 26 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:55,800 Verse chapter 19 is where we begin. 27 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:58,880 There's a difference though, isn't there? 28 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:03,880 You see the Bible gives us the truth. 29 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:06,800 It gives us the facts. 30 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:08,760 Just like Friday always asks for it. 31 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:11,520 Just the facts ma'am, just the facts. 32 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:15,640 See the Bible gives us the facts. 33 00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:20,480 It doesn't try to stir up period interests by what it tells us. 34 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:21,480 That's the difference. 35 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:30,280 One of the differences between movies today and the Bible, between television today and 36 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:31,280 the Bible. 37 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:38,360 It is true the Bible gives us some pretty lurid facts about what happened to various 38 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:41,520 peoples in various places. 39 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:49,480 But never does the Bible do that in order to stimulate us in our imagination and to 40 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:51,080 delight in sin. 41 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:57,280 But that is not the case with television and with movies. 42 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:04,840 The very reason for delving into these things in those cases is to stimulate the imagination 43 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:10,080 of people and to satisfy some sort of perverse interest. 44 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:19,880 Tonight's text is tough, and it's going to be tough on some of us here. 45 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:23,800 It says that it came about in those days when there was no king in Israel. 46 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:31,520 And so this is one of those phrases you remember that helps us know that the person who's writing 47 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:35,080 this is writing much later than the events. 48 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:41,720 And the person who's writing this is writing it during the time when there was a king and 49 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:48,440 is pointed backward in time when there was no king in Israel and telling us about what 50 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:49,440 happened. 51 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:53,400 Now we know from some of the other things that we'll touch on in the chapter, in these 52 00:03:53,400 --> 00:04:00,840 chapters that what happened in these three chapters, 19, 20, and 21, happened early on 53 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:04,640 in the period of Judges. 54 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:10,560 That long after Joshua had passed from the scene. 55 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:20,880 And so it happened back in the 1300s, probably, 1300s B.C. when these things took place here. 56 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:29,080 Chapters 17 and 18, 19 through 21, tell us of the deplorable conditions in Israel in 57 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:36,240 those days when there was a broad turning to idolatry and away from God, when the people 58 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:38,560 were unfaithful. 59 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:47,160 And so we see religious apostasy and gross immorality coming together. 60 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:51,040 And really that happens, doesn't it, in every civilization that turns from God? 61 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:57,160 There's a turning from God and apostasy from him, and the result of that is that man's 62 00:04:57,160 --> 00:05:03,280 wickedness begins to bubble up and express itself and then it just takes over. 63 00:05:03,280 --> 00:05:06,920 And that, I think, is where our culture is today. 64 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:12,800 It says that in those days there was a certain Levite staying in the remote part of the hill 65 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:13,800 country of Ephraim. 66 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:20,280 You remember that was north of Jerusalem, between Jerusalem and the Sea of Galilee. 67 00:05:20,280 --> 00:05:28,040 There's a ridge of hills, high hills, small mountains, that stretch north from Jerusalem, 68 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:31,000 and that's the hill country that is mentioned here. 69 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:36,640 He took a concubine for himself from Bethlehem in Judah, Bethlehem being on the other side 70 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:37,640 of Jerusalem. 71 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:45,040 And we learn immediately here that there was in Israel practiced multiple wives. 72 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:50,560 A concubine was a secondary wife, not the primary wife, but a secondary wife. 73 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:54,440 Now does this mean that God approved it because it happened in Israel? 74 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:56,760 No, it does not. 75 00:05:56,760 --> 00:05:58,240 God did not approve it. 76 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:00,560 But God recognizes that it happened. 77 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:03,840 He tells us about it. 78 00:06:03,840 --> 00:06:08,360 And it's interesting that whenever there were multiple wives, there were concubines involved, 79 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:11,000 always there was sorrow that came from that. 80 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:19,120 Whether you talk about Abraham, or you talk about Jacob, or you talk about David or Solomon, 81 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:25,200 they had always led the heartache and the tragedy personally and nationally for the 82 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:26,200 people. 83 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:31,200 But it says his concubine played the harlot against him. 84 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:32,200 She was unfaithful. 85 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:37,720 And she went away from him to her father's house in Bethlehem in Judah and was there 86 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:38,720 for months. 87 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:42,520 And the husband of the wives went after her to speak tenderly to her in order to bring 88 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:48,960 her back, taking with him a servant and a pair of donkeys. 89 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:56,960 So she brought him into her father's house, and when the girl's father saw him, she was 90 00:06:56,960 --> 00:06:58,920 glad to meet him. 91 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:05,200 And his father-in-law, the girl's father, detained him, and he remained with him three 92 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:06,200 days. 93 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:08,280 So they ate and drank and lodged there. 94 00:07:08,280 --> 00:07:16,040 This is just a lot of hospitality, very customary among the Bedouin people, people of intents. 95 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:21,160 And it came about that on the fourth day, they got up early in the morning, and he prepared 96 00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:22,160 to go. 97 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:25,880 And the girl's father said to his son-in-law, sustain yourself with a piece of bread, and 98 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:27,280 afterward you may go. 99 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:30,560 So they sat down and ate and drank together. 100 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:33,440 The girl's father said to the man, well, please be willing to spend the night. 101 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:34,440 Let your heart be merry. 102 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:39,640 And the man arose to go, but his father now urged him, so he spent the night there again. 103 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:42,920 On the fifth day he arose to go, early in the morning, the girl's father said, please 104 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:45,720 sustain yourself, wait till afternoon. 105 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:46,720 So both of them ate. 106 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:51,680 And when the man arose to go to this concubine's service, father and other girl's father said 107 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:55,800 to him, behold, now the day's drawing to a close, sun's going down, spend the night. 108 00:07:55,800 --> 00:08:00,480 Lo, the day's coming to an end, spend the night here that your heart may be married 109 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:04,800 into now, you may rise early for your journey so that you may go home. 110 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:10,000 So what's taking place here is just customary hospitality, and you see in-laws inviting 111 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:11,720 the son-in-law to stay a little longer. 112 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:14,720 That's different than today, isn't it? 113 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:22,420 But the man was not willing to spend the night, so he arose and departed and came to a place 114 00:08:22,420 --> 00:08:23,800 opposite Jebus. 115 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:27,880 And to buy parenthesis, he says, that is Jerusalem. 116 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:32,960 This is the old name, before it was under the control of the Israelites, it was called 117 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:33,960 Jebus. 118 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:42,680 And there were with him, it says, a pair of sated donkeys, his concubine also was with 119 00:08:42,680 --> 00:08:43,680 him. 120 00:08:43,680 --> 00:08:45,960 And when they drew near Jebus, the day was almost gone. 121 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:50,960 The servant said to his master, please come, let us turn aside into the city of the Jebusites 122 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:53,040 and spend the night in it. 123 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:57,740 The master said to him, we will not turn aside into the city of foreigners who are not the 124 00:08:57,740 --> 00:09:00,560 sons of Israel, we will go as far as Gibeah. 125 00:09:00,560 --> 00:09:06,240 And he said to his servant, come, let us approach one of these places and we will spend the 126 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:07,720 night in Gibeah or Ramah. 127 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:08,720 Well, this is on north. 128 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:14,760 Now we're traveling from Bethlehem through Jerusalem, Jebus as it was called then, and 129 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:17,600 we're heading on north toward home. 130 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:22,000 And the servant seeing the sun going down says, hey, we need to spend the night here, 131 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:24,280 but the man did not wish to do that. 132 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:28,000 He says, Levi did not wish to do that because this was a city of foreigners. 133 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:30,560 He did not feel safe there. 134 00:09:30,560 --> 00:09:34,440 He wanted to go to an Israelite city where he would feel safe. 135 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:42,560 And we're about to see what a terrible mistake he made in doing that. 136 00:09:42,560 --> 00:09:46,440 And so they passed along, went their way, and the sun set on them near Gibeah, which 137 00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:50,280 belongs to Benjamin, that is the tribe of Benjamin. 138 00:09:50,280 --> 00:09:55,240 They turned aside there in order to enter Lodge in Gibeah. 139 00:09:55,240 --> 00:09:56,760 By the way, who came from Gibeah? 140 00:09:56,760 --> 00:10:02,600 Does anybody know who came from Gibeah in Benjamin later? 141 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:06,120 Saul, that's exactly right. 142 00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:08,760 This is Saul's hometown. 143 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:13,520 And we're talking 300 years later when Saul would have come from here, but you'll see 144 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:17,680 what happened to the city where his ancestors lived. 145 00:10:17,680 --> 00:10:22,200 They turned aside, went to Gibeah, entered, and they sat down in the open square of the 146 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:23,200 city. 147 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:24,200 Now this is Times Square, folks. 148 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:26,880 I mean, I've not been to Times Square in New York City. 149 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:29,200 God has been pleased to deliver me from that. 150 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:34,240 But from what I understand about Times Square, this is just like Times Square. 151 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:40,600 Now typically, there was a square in a city, and it was the market area. 152 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:45,560 And when there was someone who was traveling, they would wait there in the town square for 153 00:10:45,560 --> 00:10:48,360 someone in the city to open their home to them. 154 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:51,360 That was the custom. 155 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:54,400 And obviously, they didn't have hotels. 156 00:10:54,400 --> 00:11:00,640 And this man and his party stayed there in the square, but no one took them into his 157 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:03,600 house to spend the night. 158 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:07,320 That gives us a little insight into this city of Gibeah. 159 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:13,440 They have lacked the common courtesies of their own culture. 160 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:19,240 They did not do what they should have done in caring for this stranger and his party. 161 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:25,080 It says, Behold, an old man was coming out of the field from his work at evening. 162 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:30,040 He was from the hill country of Ephraim, just like the Levites, as a matter of fact, and 163 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:32,600 was staying in Gibeah. 164 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:35,880 But the men of the place were Benjamites, so he didn't really fit in there. 165 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:38,480 He was a sojourner there for temporary purposes. 166 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:43,160 He lifted up his eyes and saw this traveler and his party in the square of the city in 167 00:11:43,160 --> 00:11:44,800 the old man said, Where are you going? 168 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:46,400 And where do you come from? 169 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:51,280 And he said, We're passing from Bethlehem and Judah to the remote part of the hill country 170 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:52,280 of Ephraim. 171 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:53,280 I'm from there. 172 00:11:53,280 --> 00:11:55,000 I went to Bethlehem and Judah. 173 00:11:55,000 --> 00:12:00,760 But I'm now going to make my house, and no man will take me into his house. 174 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:03,920 Yet there's both straw and fodder for our donkeys. 175 00:12:03,920 --> 00:12:11,040 You see, customarily, the one who invited the party as a guest would care for his needs 176 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:12,480 and for his animal's needs. 177 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:14,240 That was part of the hospitality. 178 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:18,200 But here the Levite is saying, Look, I've got food for my donkeys. 179 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:20,240 I have bread and wine for my party. 180 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:24,440 Really, we don't like anything except a roof over our heads. 181 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:26,320 The old man said, Pace to you. 182 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:28,680 Only let me take care of your needs. 183 00:12:28,680 --> 00:12:31,720 He refused to use the man's own provisions. 184 00:12:31,720 --> 00:12:35,720 He said, I'll provide for you, but do not spend the night in the open square. 185 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:39,160 Now, there's a reason for that, as we're about to see. 186 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:42,600 And this is a yellow light that comes on here. 187 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:43,600 Something is wrong in this city. 188 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:46,240 I've already seen one yellow light. 189 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:47,240 Here's a second one. 190 00:12:47,240 --> 00:12:51,280 So he took them into his house and gave the donkeys fodder, and they washed their feet 191 00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:52,280 and ate and drank. 192 00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:55,520 And now they were making merry, it says. 193 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:58,560 By the way, we've seen that term now two or three times. 194 00:12:58,560 --> 00:13:04,640 It simply is an idiomatic expression, meaning they were eating and drinking and talking. 195 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:06,640 They were making merry. 196 00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:13,480 To hold the men of the city, certain worthless fellows, surrounded the house, pounding the 197 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:15,360 door. 198 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:20,160 This phrase, worthless fellows, or if you have King James, it may say sons of Belial. 199 00:13:20,160 --> 00:13:23,400 Do any of you have that? 200 00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:24,400 Sons of Belial. 201 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:28,800 Literally, it means that these were people of no profit. 202 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:32,160 They are worthless, as the New American says. 203 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:39,080 It is used elsewhere in the Old Testament, people who are involved in idolatry in Deuteronomy 204 00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:40,080 13.13. 205 00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:45,680 They are called the sons of Belial, people who worship false gods, gods other than the 206 00:13:45,680 --> 00:13:46,680 true God. 207 00:13:46,680 --> 00:13:53,680 In 1 Samuel 2.12, it is used of the two sons of the high priest. 208 00:13:53,680 --> 00:13:56,160 They are called sons of Belial. 209 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:57,160 They are worthless. 210 00:13:57,160 --> 00:14:01,560 They are no good because of their rebellion. 211 00:14:01,560 --> 00:14:08,800 The rebellion against the Lord, the rebellion against their father, and their immorality. 212 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:12,440 In 1 Samuel 1.16, it is used of those in drunkenness. 213 00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:20,280 Here, it is used of a population of people who are given to lewd, sensual behavior. 214 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:24,040 In this particular case, homosexuality. 215 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:30,600 It says, they spoke to the owner of the house, the old man, saying, bring out the man who 216 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:35,160 came into your house, that we may have relations with him. 217 00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:39,000 What does this remind you of? 218 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:42,600 Does this harken back to some other thing? 219 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:55,280 I write Sodom, and the angels who went down into Sodom to rescue Lot, and the perverse 220 00:14:55,280 --> 00:15:02,800 desires of the men of Sodom for those angels who appeared as normal human beings in that 221 00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:05,800 case. 222 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:09,200 Here it is a similar situation. 223 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:13,800 They're pounding on the doors of this house, wanting in. 224 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:16,200 Do you know how frightening that would be? 225 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:18,240 I can't imagine that. 226 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:25,720 Now, in a different way, but in a similarly frightening way, there was a church out in 227 00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:30,680 California last year that took a strong stand against the homosexuals in that city. 228 00:15:30,680 --> 00:15:37,840 On a particular night, the homosexuals surrounded that church as the congregation was trying 229 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:43,360 to get in, spat upon the adults and children, calling them every kind of filthy, perverse 230 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:45,000 name they could think of. 231 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:50,680 Beat on the doors and the walls of that church during the whole service, because they were 232 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:58,840 having a speaker there from one of the pro-family coalitions. 233 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:02,280 I should have gotten details together better for you, but some of you are shaking your 234 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:03,280 heads. 235 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:04,280 You know what I'm talking about. 236 00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:12,080 The people who were there talked about how terrified they were because of all of the 237 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:13,080 noise. 238 00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:15,360 Here's a similar situation. 239 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:20,840 The man, the owner of the house, went out to them and said, No, my fellows, please do 240 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:23,480 not act so wickedly. 241 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:28,400 Since this man has come into my house, do not commit this act of folly. 242 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:30,720 So he pleads with them to stop. 243 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:38,320 But then he says, Here's my virgin daughter and his concubine. 244 00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:45,520 Please let me bring them out, that you may lavish them and do to them whatever you wish. 245 00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:48,960 But do not commit such an act of folly against this man. 246 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:53,920 What do you think of that? 247 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:55,920 That's pretty sick, isn't it? 248 00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:59,520 It fit with the values of that day. 249 00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:01,280 I'm not saying they're godly values. 250 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:06,880 I'm not saying they're right values, but they fit with the values of the pagan world 251 00:17:06,880 --> 00:17:09,400 of that day. 252 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:14,640 And here's a Jew living in a city of Jews, Benjamites. 253 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:20,520 And you can just see the moral situation in that city is absolutely rotten. 254 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:24,120 No wonder this is called the Seer of the Bible. 255 00:17:24,120 --> 00:17:30,720 But the man would not listen to him. 256 00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:37,840 So the man seized his concubine and he brought her out to them. 257 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:42,280 And they raped her and abused her all night until morning. 258 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:47,560 And they let her go at the approach of dawn. 259 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:50,560 Where's God? 260 00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:55,640 Where's God here that he would allow something like this to happen? 261 00:17:55,640 --> 00:18:00,720 Well, I'll tell you where God is. 262 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:03,440 God is on his throne in heaven. 263 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:11,920 There's a great deal of injustice, a great deal of wrong that is done in our world that 264 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:12,920 God allows. 265 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:16,360 It doesn't mean that he's not in control. 266 00:18:16,360 --> 00:18:19,200 He is in control. 267 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:22,240 It doesn't mean that God permits. 268 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:27,560 It doesn't mean that God loves what's happening, that God approves it, there's the word I'm 269 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:32,720 looking for, because God doesn't approve it. 270 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:38,640 But God sits upon his throne and he beholds the just and the unjust. 271 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:44,800 And in the end, everyone will give account for their deeds. 272 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:52,920 This is a terrible thing that happened, a terrible thing that God condemns. 273 00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:57,320 It says, As the day began to dawn, the woman came and fell down at the doorway of the man's 274 00:18:57,320 --> 00:19:00,120 house where her master was until full daylight. 275 00:19:00,120 --> 00:19:04,560 When her master rose in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go 276 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:12,840 in his way, it says, Behold, his concubine was lying at the doorway of the house with 277 00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:14,720 her hands on the threshold. 278 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:15,720 She was dead. 279 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:20,960 Notice that he was just going to go in his way. 280 00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:24,240 What does it tell you about this Levite? 281 00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:30,600 Is he the kind of a man you would want your daughter to marry? 282 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:33,160 He's a man who lacks a great deal of character. 283 00:19:33,160 --> 00:19:39,400 He may be a Jew and he may be a Levite, but he lacks character. 284 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:42,840 His concern was to go in his way and just happen to stumble into this body on the door 285 00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:43,840 threshold. 286 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:49,200 He said, Get up and let's go, but there was no answer. 287 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:52,200 He placed her on the donkey. 288 00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:55,600 The man arose and went to his home and he entered his house. 289 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:58,680 I mean, this, you think, would have been bad. 290 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:00,680 We're going worse. 291 00:20:00,680 --> 00:20:06,720 He took a knife and laid hold of his concubine and cut her in twelve pieces. 292 00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:11,920 The onion, bam, and sent her throughout the territory of Israel. 293 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:13,920 You say, this is in the Bible? 294 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:14,920 Yes, it's in the Bible. 295 00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:20,200 That reminds you, it does not mean that God approves it. 296 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:25,400 God is not holding this up in any sense of an example to follow, obviously. 297 00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:31,360 God is simply telling us exactly what took place. 298 00:20:31,360 --> 00:20:35,400 Sometimes we hear the horrors that take place in our world today and we say, was there ever 299 00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:37,400 time as bad as this? 300 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:40,040 Yes, there was. 301 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:42,120 There have been. 302 00:20:42,120 --> 00:20:43,120 And there was in Israel. 303 00:20:43,120 --> 00:20:46,120 And there was no king. 304 00:20:46,120 --> 00:20:51,400 And the people did that which was right in their own hearts. 305 00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:55,320 Moral relativism leads to this. 306 00:20:55,320 --> 00:21:03,760 And it came about that all who saw it said, nothing like this has ever happened or been 307 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:07,880 seen from the day when the sons of Israel came up from the land of Egypt to this day. 308 00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:10,320 Consider it, take counsel, and speak up. 309 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:15,200 Now, why he did this was to send a message. 310 00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:22,440 This was such a heinous act on his part, such a repulsive thing that he did, that he knew 311 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:25,920 that it would get some kind of response from the people of Israel. 312 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:29,600 And it says, all the sons of Israel from Dan to Beersheba. 313 00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:33,120 Have you ever heard that phrase before? 314 00:21:33,120 --> 00:21:35,040 From Dan to Beersheba? 315 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:41,000 That is an expression that is sometimes used meaning from one extremity to the other, from 316 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:43,600 one end to the other. 317 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:50,040 Dan being to the farthest north in Israel, Beersheba being all the way to the south, 318 00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:53,000 so everybody in between too. 319 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:58,000 So from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, which is in the Transjordan to 320 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:03,820 the east of the Jordan River, they came out and the congregation assembled as one man 321 00:22:03,820 --> 00:22:06,400 to the Lord at Nezpa. 322 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:13,560 Nezpa was located eight miles north of Jerusalem and was just a few miles from Gibeah. 323 00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:18,920 And the chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, took their stand 324 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:21,440 in the assembly of the people of God. 325 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:24,480 Four hundred thousand foot soldiers who drew the sword. 326 00:22:24,480 --> 00:22:28,120 There are some critics who say, this could not possibly be four hundred thousand people. 327 00:22:28,120 --> 00:22:32,120 They must have put an extra zero in here. 328 00:22:32,120 --> 00:22:37,440 Well we believe that there is no reason to think that four hundred thousand is not the 329 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:38,440 appropriate number. 330 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:40,440 It is a lot of people. 331 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:45,960 But you notice that Benjamin was able to muster an army of over twenty seven thousand. 332 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:47,440 That was just one tribe. 333 00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:53,560 So you have the other eleven tribes, four hundred thousand is not too much. 334 00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:55,840 And Benjamin heard what was going on. 335 00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:59,160 The sons of Israel said, tell us, how did this wickedness take place? 336 00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:02,320 So the Levite goes back over the story. 337 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:04,880 He tells exactly what had happened. 338 00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:09,520 And he says in verse seven, behold all you sons of Israel, give your advice and counsel 339 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:10,520 here. 340 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:12,040 So what are we going to do about this? 341 00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:14,160 And all the people rose as one man. 342 00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:17,480 You will notice that phrase several times in the text here. 343 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:20,800 It is the tremendous power of unity. 344 00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:23,200 The power of having a unified purpose. 345 00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:29,760 Whether it be a positive one or a negative one, unity is a powerful force. 346 00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:34,360 And by the way, if I can say this in a sigh, that is the purpose of this strategic plan 347 00:23:34,360 --> 00:23:38,680 that we are going to be talking about over the upcoming weeks. 348 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:43,920 By the end of May everyone will have a chance to look at that and to participate in it. 349 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:49,800 It is to bring oneness of vision and understanding of what we are about as a church. 350 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:52,200 It is very powerful to have unity. 351 00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:57,640 And that was taking place here, although the way they got it was extremely vile. 352 00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:02,120 And they said not one of us will go to his tent, nor will any of us return to his house. 353 00:24:02,120 --> 00:24:05,080 But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah. 354 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:08,000 We will go up against it by lot. 355 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:12,880 In other words, we are going to cast lots so he would go in order and so on. 356 00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:17,560 And the plan was to take one-tenth of all the people who would supply food for this 357 00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:24,000 army that was being gathered together, which would go up against Gibeah of Benjamin because 358 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:27,440 of the disgraceful acts that they committed. 359 00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:31,960 So the men of Israel were gathered against the city, united as one man. 360 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:37,240 And the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the entire tribe of Benjamin saying, what 361 00:24:37,240 --> 00:24:40,120 is this wickedness that has taken place among you? 362 00:24:40,120 --> 00:24:47,520 Now then deliver up the men, the sons of Belial in Gibeah, that we may put them to death in 363 00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:50,120 and remove this wickedness from Israel. 364 00:24:50,120 --> 00:24:55,160 But the sons of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of 365 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:56,160 Israel. 366 00:24:56,160 --> 00:24:57,160 Is that some odd deal? 367 00:24:57,160 --> 00:25:04,080 Wouldn't it seem reasonable that they would give up the people who committed this heinous 368 00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:11,920 crime and spare themselves from the war? 369 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:17,760 What do you think is about them that causes them to say, forget it? 370 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:20,760 Any ideas? 371 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:27,680 Maybe they shared some of the same character flaws. 372 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:30,680 What did you say? 373 00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:34,880 They're involved with them? 374 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:39,960 A sense of tribal unity? 375 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:40,960 Maybe that's a part of it too. 376 00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:43,960 Hey, we're Benjamats, we're going to stick together? 377 00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:47,720 Well, they will refuse to do it. 378 00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:53,520 The sons of Benjamin gathered from the cities to Gibeah to go out to battle against the 379 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:54,520 sons of Israel. 380 00:25:54,520 --> 00:25:56,880 So here we have the tribes of Israel fighting each other. 381 00:25:56,880 --> 00:26:01,920 There's a civil war breaking out over this terrible situation. 382 00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:06,760 And from the cities on that day, the sons of Benjamin numbered 26,000 men to draw the 383 00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:12,720 sword besides the inhabitants of Gibeah who were numbered 700 choice men. 384 00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:17,880 Out of all these people, 700 choice men were left handed. 385 00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:22,320 Each one could sling a stone at a hare and not miss. 386 00:26:22,320 --> 00:26:26,160 Do you know how powerful a stone is from a sling? 387 00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:29,120 Have you ever seen that demonstrated? 388 00:26:29,120 --> 00:26:34,920 How much force is gathered when you whip a solid stone around and release it? 389 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:42,760 It can literally break into the skull of a person and explode the brain. 390 00:26:42,760 --> 00:26:48,120 It's interesting to me, it says they were left handed. 391 00:26:48,120 --> 00:26:49,600 Is that discrimination or what? 392 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:52,840 I mean, why does he say left handed, you think? 393 00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:55,840 Any ideas about it? 394 00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:56,840 Okay. 395 00:26:56,840 --> 00:27:09,960 The thought has come to my mind that perhaps the normal thing would be to hold your sword 396 00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:12,880 in your right hand and what in your left hand? 397 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:15,200 Your shield, okay? 398 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:21,760 So you've got this opposing soldier who's got his sword here and his shield here. 399 00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:27,120 Obviously the shield is going to be tending to shield this part of his body. 400 00:27:27,120 --> 00:27:31,480 He's going to be looking around the shield this way to fight. 401 00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:38,200 So if a guy on the other side uses his left hand to throw a stone, the shield is here, 402 00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:39,680 the stone's coming this way. 403 00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:45,280 See, that's the point I think, that these men were going to be especially effective 404 00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:52,920 because right handed warriors with shields would be vulnerable to left handed sling throwers. 405 00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:57,200 Watch out for left handed sling throwers. 406 00:27:57,200 --> 00:28:01,840 The men of Israel, besides Benjamin numbered 400,000 who draw the sword, all these were 407 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:04,840 men of war. 408 00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:10,800 And it says the sons of Israel rose and went up to Bethel, that's a city not college, 409 00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:16,080 and inquired of God and said, who shall go up first for us to battle against the sons 410 00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:18,400 of Benjamin? 411 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:24,800 The name Bethel means house of God, yet it is a city that's very ancient in Israel, 412 00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:28,600 goes all the way back to the days of Abraham. 413 00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:31,640 So it's been there for hundreds of years. 414 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:43,520 And apparently the tabernacle, which was originally placed in Sharlo, was at Bethel at this point. 415 00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:50,320 There's some indication that the tabernacle was moved back and forth. 416 00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:53,880 And the reason of course that we go to the tabernacle is because there's where the priests 417 00:28:53,880 --> 00:29:01,160 would be and the priest, the high priest would have the yom and tungum, a means by which 418 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:03,080 the will of God might be known. 419 00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:09,160 A little mysterious as to what the yom and tungum were, perhaps a couple of stones within 420 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:17,080 a pocket or a box and whichever stone was drawn out, it gave a yes or no answer. 421 00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:22,680 But by some means God devised the yom and tungum to be the way for his people to know 422 00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:23,680 his will. 423 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:29,680 And so they went up and they asked this question, who shall go up first to the battle? 424 00:29:29,680 --> 00:29:34,760 And the Lord said, Judah will go first. 425 00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:37,800 So the sons of Israel rose in the morning and camped against Gibeah. 426 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:40,800 The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin. 427 00:29:40,800 --> 00:29:44,920 The men of Israel arrayed for battle against them at Gibeah. 428 00:29:44,920 --> 00:29:52,000 And the sons of Benjamin came out and they killed 22,000 men of Israel. 429 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:55,240 Now, did you get that? 430 00:29:55,240 --> 00:29:56,240 22,000. 431 00:29:56,240 --> 00:30:00,080 Only people died in the Vietnam War. 432 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:07,280 50 plus thousand people, soldiers on the American side, were killed in Vietnam. 433 00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:10,880 So here in one day you've got nearly half that number slain. 434 00:30:10,880 --> 00:30:14,320 I mean, this is a carnage. 435 00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:19,840 But the people, the men of Israel encouraged themselves and arrayed for battle again in 436 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:23,360 the place where they had arrayed themselves the first day. 437 00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:27,520 And the sons of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until evening and inquired of the 438 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:31,080 Lord, saying, Shall we again draw near for battle against the sons of Benjamin? 439 00:30:31,080 --> 00:30:33,320 And the Lord said, Go up. 440 00:30:33,320 --> 00:30:34,320 Go up. 441 00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:37,120 And so they did. 442 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:42,640 And that day 18,000 men were killed. 443 00:30:42,640 --> 00:30:43,640 What's going on here? 444 00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:46,560 God said, Send Judah first. 445 00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:47,560 God said, Go up. 446 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:52,360 And now a total of 40,000 of them have been killed. 447 00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:55,360 Is God playing a joke on his people? 448 00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:57,360 What do you think God is doing here? 449 00:30:57,360 --> 00:31:08,200 Do you have any ideas as to why God is telling them to go up? 450 00:31:08,200 --> 00:31:11,880 He's really judging the whole nation here in a way. 451 00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:19,160 And he's causing even the other tribes of Israel, especially they at this point, to 452 00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:23,800 reevaluate themselves spiritually. 453 00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:30,200 God allows things sometimes to come into our lives that are very painful so that we as 454 00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:32,360 a result of that may seek him. 455 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:40,040 Now these people did go, but it suggests at least that they went up perfunctorily. 456 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:41,640 They just went up. 457 00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:46,800 And God wanted more than just outward external seeking of him. 458 00:31:46,800 --> 00:31:51,480 He allowed tremendous defeat and it says, Now that they went up and they wept again, 459 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:56,240 and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 460 00:31:56,240 --> 00:31:57,960 So they offered this time. 461 00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:02,560 And the sons of Israel inquired of the Lord, it says here, the ark of the covenant was 462 00:32:02,560 --> 00:32:03,720 there in those days. 463 00:32:03,720 --> 00:32:08,760 And Phineas, the son of Elias or Aaron's son, stood before to minister in those days. 464 00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:13,440 Now notice that parenthesis because that's where we're able to somewhat time date this 465 00:32:13,440 --> 00:32:14,440 book. 466 00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:18,720 Phineas, as it says here, is Aaron's grandson. 467 00:32:18,720 --> 00:32:22,480 Aaron was the brother of Moses. 468 00:32:22,480 --> 00:32:23,480 He is still alive. 469 00:32:23,480 --> 00:32:25,800 Phineas is still alive. 470 00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:35,400 And so it tells us that this is early in the period of judges in the 1300s undoubtedly. 471 00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:39,600 And they say, Shall I yet again go to battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin or 472 00:32:39,600 --> 00:32:40,600 shall I cease? 473 00:32:40,600 --> 00:32:46,120 The Lord said, Go up for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand. 474 00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:50,040 So now God gives them a specific promise and they did that. 475 00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:55,800 They went up against the sons of Benjamin this third time and arrayed themselves as 476 00:32:55,800 --> 00:32:56,800 at other times. 477 00:32:56,800 --> 00:33:00,320 And the sons of Benjamin went out against the people and they were drawn away from the 478 00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:06,560 city and they began to strike and kill some of the people as at other times in the highways 479 00:33:06,560 --> 00:33:12,240 on which one goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah and in the field about 30 men of 480 00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:13,240 Israel. 481 00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:17,120 So about 30 men were killed just pretty quickly in the battle. 482 00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:22,880 And what we would learn is we would look at this more closely down through verse 46 because 483 00:33:22,880 --> 00:33:30,320 up through verse 36 we have kind of a snapshot of the battle and then up through verse 46 484 00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:32,680 then there is more detail about what happened. 485 00:33:32,680 --> 00:33:39,040 And basically what happened was that they planned an ambush and they drew out the men 486 00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:40,040 of Gibeah. 487 00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:41,040 They fell back. 488 00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:47,880 30 of them were killed and doing that the men of the soldiers in Gibeah felt, Hey, we 489 00:33:47,880 --> 00:33:49,960 are just like the other two days. 490 00:33:49,960 --> 00:33:51,920 So carelessly they left the city. 491 00:33:51,920 --> 00:33:56,600 They were drawn away from the city but there was an ambush set and soldiers from Israel 492 00:33:56,600 --> 00:34:04,840 closed in behind them and entered into the city of Gibeah and they burned it. 493 00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:11,200 And as the smoke was going up from the city the soldiers in Israel who had fallen back 494 00:34:11,200 --> 00:34:16,720 pointed to the city and the soldiers had been drawn out from Gibeah turned around to look 495 00:34:16,720 --> 00:34:23,340 and suddenly they saw they had been hit and they panicked and the result of that was tremendous 496 00:34:23,340 --> 00:34:31,960 destruction for them and it says that there were 25,000 of them who fell that day. 497 00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:34,480 Only 600 of them who remained. 498 00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:36,400 Now you start adding up the figures here. 499 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:40,480 We have got about 1,000 men unaccounted for. 500 00:34:40,480 --> 00:34:44,080 These are not MIAs actually. 501 00:34:44,080 --> 00:34:46,880 These 1,000 men were probably killed. 502 00:34:46,880 --> 00:34:49,660 These are 1,000 men of Gibeah. 503 00:34:49,660 --> 00:34:55,040 They were probably killed, these Benjamites were probably killed the first two days just 504 00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:57,640 not mentioned in the text. 505 00:34:57,640 --> 00:35:02,080 So while there were 40,000 Israelites being killed there were at least 1,000 of the Benjamites 506 00:35:02,080 --> 00:35:04,080 killed in those battles. 507 00:35:04,080 --> 00:35:07,400 So when you come down to it, it all comes out. 508 00:35:07,400 --> 00:35:12,040 It says in verse 47 there were 600 men who turned and fled toward the wilderness of the 509 00:35:12,040 --> 00:35:15,520 Rock of Women. 510 00:35:15,520 --> 00:35:16,920 That's four miles east of Bethel. 511 00:35:16,920 --> 00:35:20,960 So we're not talking about a big geographical area here. 512 00:35:20,960 --> 00:35:26,760 This is all within five, six, eight miles. 513 00:35:26,760 --> 00:35:28,960 They remained in the Rock of Women for four months. 514 00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:36,400 The Rock of Women was a cone and so they were able to get up on top of that and to protect 515 00:35:36,400 --> 00:35:38,640 themselves and they were there for four months. 516 00:35:38,640 --> 00:35:42,720 The men of Israel then turned back against the sons of Benjamin. 517 00:35:42,720 --> 00:35:44,280 They struck them with the edge of the sword. 518 00:35:44,280 --> 00:35:45,680 They set the city on fire. 519 00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:50,120 They killed and plundered and that brings us to chapter 21. 520 00:35:50,120 --> 00:35:58,080 And it says, now we're going to see something really strange in this chapter and I don't 521 00:35:58,080 --> 00:36:04,160 launch you single men here to get any ideas in what we're going to read about. 522 00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:09,080 The men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah saying, none of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin 523 00:36:09,080 --> 00:36:10,080 in marriage. 524 00:36:10,080 --> 00:36:17,000 In other words, part of their covenant as one man earlier was, we will not give any 525 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:24,240 of our daughters to the Benjamites to marry because they are such worthless people. 526 00:36:24,240 --> 00:36:26,280 They made that oath among themselves. 527 00:36:26,280 --> 00:36:28,040 They swore that. 528 00:36:28,040 --> 00:36:31,400 So the people came to Bethel and they sat there before God until evening. 529 00:36:31,400 --> 00:36:37,360 Now these are the Israelites who won and they lifted up their voices and wept, early. 530 00:36:37,360 --> 00:36:41,920 There really wasn't a celebration on their part. 531 00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:48,640 They were weeping and they said, why, oh Lord, God of Israel has this come about in Israel 532 00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:51,920 so that one tribe should be missing today in Israel? 533 00:36:51,920 --> 00:36:58,120 Have you ever heard people get into trouble and turn and say, God, why did you do this? 534 00:36:58,120 --> 00:37:00,880 I think that's a bit what you have here, the part of these people. 535 00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:05,600 I mean, this mess was because of their own sin, the sin of the people. 536 00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:09,400 Now they turn and say, God, why? 537 00:37:09,400 --> 00:37:14,600 But their concern was genuine and it was that one whole tribe of Israel was about to be 538 00:37:14,600 --> 00:37:15,600 extinct. 539 00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:25,160 There were only 600 men left and there were no women to marry among the Benjamites. 540 00:37:25,160 --> 00:37:27,200 They were dead. 541 00:37:27,200 --> 00:37:32,520 600 men were left with Benjamites and the people of Israel had sworn they would not 542 00:37:32,520 --> 00:37:35,280 give their daughters to marry them. 543 00:37:35,280 --> 00:37:40,520 So that meant when those 600 died, that was it for the tribe of Benjamin. 544 00:37:40,520 --> 00:37:46,840 And yet there were promises that God had made to Benjamin, to the tribe of Benjamin. 545 00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:52,920 And so they're alarmed by this, that one of their own tribes is about to go extinct and 546 00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:54,280 they began to think on that. 547 00:37:54,280 --> 00:37:59,160 And it came about the next day that the people rose early and built an altar there and offered 548 00:37:59,160 --> 00:38:01,360 burnt offerings and peace offerings. 549 00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:06,240 Then the sons of Israel said, who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not 550 00:38:06,240 --> 00:38:09,280 come up in the assembly to the Lord? 551 00:38:09,280 --> 00:38:10,280 So they're thinking back. 552 00:38:10,280 --> 00:38:14,480 They're going to go back and take account now, who was it that came up to fight this 553 00:38:14,480 --> 00:38:17,560 battle with us? 554 00:38:17,560 --> 00:38:26,120 And they take account of that when they had taken that oath and they realized that, and 555 00:38:26,120 --> 00:38:30,920 they had taken oath that said, anyone who doesn't come up, who's not represented here, 556 00:38:30,920 --> 00:38:34,120 is going to be put to death. 557 00:38:34,120 --> 00:38:36,800 And the sons of Israel were sorry for their brother Benjamin. 558 00:38:36,800 --> 00:38:37,800 One tribe was cut off from Israel. 559 00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:39,800 What shall we do, they say, for wives? 560 00:38:39,800 --> 00:38:44,240 And they said, who is there among the tribes of Israel that did not come up to the Lord 561 00:38:44,240 --> 00:38:45,240 of Mespah? 562 00:38:45,240 --> 00:38:52,040 Verse 8, and behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-Gilead to the assembly. 563 00:38:52,040 --> 00:38:58,120 That was a city on the other side of the Jordan River and no one had come from there to join 564 00:38:58,120 --> 00:38:59,120 in the battle. 565 00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:04,240 And when the people were numbered, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead 566 00:39:04,240 --> 00:39:10,080 was there, and the congregation sent 12,000 of the valiant warriors there and commanded 567 00:39:10,080 --> 00:39:15,480 them saying, Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead with the edge of the sword, 568 00:39:15,480 --> 00:39:18,640 with the women and the little ones. 569 00:39:18,640 --> 00:39:20,120 And this is the thing that you shall do. 570 00:39:20,120 --> 00:39:25,720 You shall utterly destroy every man and every woman who has land with a man. 571 00:39:25,720 --> 00:39:30,760 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead 400 young virgins who had not yet known a 572 00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:36,080 man by lying with him, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land 573 00:39:36,080 --> 00:39:37,080 of Canaan. 574 00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:43,040 Isn't that pretty disgusting? 575 00:39:43,040 --> 00:39:46,680 But that's what they decided they would do. 576 00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:47,680 And they did it. 577 00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:53,360 And the people of Jabesh-Gilead paid with their lives. 578 00:39:53,360 --> 00:40:00,120 And so they had 400 wives now for the 600 men, gained at a horrible price. 579 00:40:00,120 --> 00:40:05,360 And the whole congregation sent word and spoke to the sons of Benjamin who were up there 580 00:40:05,360 --> 00:40:09,200 on the rock, and they made peace. 581 00:40:09,200 --> 00:40:14,640 And Benjamin returned and they gave them the women they had kept alive from Jabesh-Gilead. 582 00:40:14,640 --> 00:40:17,880 But they weren't enough of them. 583 00:40:17,880 --> 00:40:20,720 There's 200 men without wives. 584 00:40:20,720 --> 00:40:26,200 And the people were sorry for Benjamin because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of 585 00:40:26,200 --> 00:40:27,200 Israel. 586 00:40:27,200 --> 00:40:32,920 And then the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for those who are 587 00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:33,920 left? 588 00:40:33,920 --> 00:40:39,600 And they said, There must be inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a child may 589 00:40:39,600 --> 00:40:44,520 not be brought about, but we cannot give them wives or our daughters. 590 00:40:44,520 --> 00:40:48,160 For the sons of Israelites were saying, Christ is he who gives a wife to Benjamin. 591 00:40:48,160 --> 00:40:50,400 See, they keep bringing this up. 592 00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:53,200 They're trying to get around this oath they had made. 593 00:40:53,200 --> 00:40:55,480 Well, we need to be careful, don't we? 594 00:40:55,480 --> 00:41:01,000 They're trying to find a way to get around this vow, this solemn oath that they had made. 595 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:05,720 So they said, Behold, there's a feast of the Lord from year to year in Shalom. 596 00:41:05,720 --> 00:41:07,520 That's where the tabernacle was. 597 00:41:07,520 --> 00:41:10,360 Unclear which feast they're talking about. 598 00:41:10,360 --> 00:41:16,840 Here could have been the Passover or the Day of Atonement, and most likely the latter. 599 00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:21,240 He says, Which is the north side of Bethel on the east side of the highway that goes 600 00:41:21,240 --> 00:41:24,560 up from Bethel to Shechem and the south side of Lebanon? 601 00:41:24,560 --> 00:41:27,080 Sounds like my grandfather, how he used to give directions. 602 00:41:27,080 --> 00:41:34,360 You know, you go up here past the Smith Place and take a ride, and you can't see what I'm 603 00:41:34,360 --> 00:41:35,360 saying. 604 00:41:35,360 --> 00:41:38,120 Whoever wrote this knew well the territory. 605 00:41:38,120 --> 00:41:42,320 And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie and wait in the vineyards and watch, 606 00:41:42,320 --> 00:41:46,800 and behold, if the daughters of Shalom come out to take part in the dances, then you shall 607 00:41:46,800 --> 00:41:51,000 come out of the vineyards and each of you shall catch his wife and the daughters of 608 00:41:51,000 --> 00:41:53,960 Shalom and go to the land of Benjamin. 609 00:41:53,960 --> 00:41:56,320 So this is how they're going to make up the deficit in lives. 610 00:41:56,320 --> 00:41:59,680 That's why I'm saying to you single men who are here, watch out. 611 00:41:59,680 --> 00:42:01,360 Don't do this. 612 00:42:01,360 --> 00:42:03,000 This is not an example for you. 613 00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:08,520 And it came about when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us that we shall 614 00:42:08,520 --> 00:42:13,960 say to them, give them to us voluntarily, because we did not take for each man of Benjamin 615 00:42:13,960 --> 00:42:18,120 a wife in battle, nor did you give them to them, or else you would now be guilty. 616 00:42:18,120 --> 00:42:23,640 In other words, they're saying, we can't give them, but they can take them. 617 00:42:23,640 --> 00:42:25,360 They can steal them. 618 00:42:25,360 --> 00:42:27,040 So that's what they decided to do. 619 00:42:27,040 --> 00:42:29,240 That's how they got around it. 620 00:42:29,240 --> 00:42:34,000 And the sons of Benjamin did so and took wives according to their number, from those who 621 00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:35,800 danced to whom they carried away. 622 00:42:35,800 --> 00:42:41,520 And they went and returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the cities and lived in them. 623 00:42:41,520 --> 00:42:44,000 And the sons of Israel departed from there at that time. 624 00:42:44,000 --> 00:42:49,960 Every man to his tribe and family and each of them went out from there to his inheritance. 625 00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:56,800 And so this very ugly episode in Israel's history comes to a close. 626 00:42:56,800 --> 00:43:04,400 And as I say, Saul was born out of one of these arranged marriages here, because it 627 00:43:04,400 --> 00:43:07,560 came from Gibeah 300 years later. 628 00:43:07,560 --> 00:43:13,400 Is it any wonder then that the writer of the book closes again by saying, in those days 629 00:43:13,400 --> 00:43:16,360 there was no king in Israel? 630 00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:18,920 Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. 631 00:43:18,920 --> 00:43:28,200 And I say, how in the world can a civilization, especially people who have had the knowledge 632 00:43:28,200 --> 00:43:37,180 of God, who've had the writings of Moses, how in the world can these people end up in 633 00:43:37,180 --> 00:43:38,640 such a mess like this? 634 00:43:38,640 --> 00:43:44,400 And I'll answer the question by saying the same way that the United States is doing it 635 00:43:44,400 --> 00:43:45,400 today. 636 00:43:45,400 --> 00:43:47,720 Exactly the same way. 637 00:43:47,720 --> 00:43:50,840 Everyone doing what is right in his own eyes. 638 00:43:50,840 --> 00:43:56,520 What's right for you is right for you, what's right for me is right for me. 639 00:43:56,520 --> 00:44:04,640 It is moral relativism and it is tearing the heart out of our nation and you wonder why 640 00:44:04,640 --> 00:44:08,960 there's violence in our country, you wonder why there's immorality, you don't, but people 641 00:44:08,960 --> 00:44:09,960 do. 642 00:44:09,960 --> 00:44:11,960 Well, we need to educate more. 643 00:44:11,960 --> 00:44:19,520 We need to pay higher taxes so we can improve the living situations of people. 644 00:44:19,520 --> 00:44:24,800 None of that is the problem and they refuse to see what the real problem is. 645 00:44:24,800 --> 00:44:25,800 It's a moral problem. 646 00:44:25,800 --> 00:44:28,360 It is a moral problem. 647 00:44:28,360 --> 00:44:35,440 And our country would be far better off to allow the Ten Commandments to be taught in 648 00:44:35,440 --> 00:44:39,440 the public schools of this country again than to raise the taxes under the dime. 649 00:44:39,440 --> 00:44:41,120 I mean it's free. 650 00:44:41,120 --> 00:44:47,880 They don't have to pay anything to teach morality in our schools and in our homes. 651 00:44:47,880 --> 00:44:53,000 But we refuse to do that and I tell you something, we're going to end up the same place the judges 652 00:44:53,000 --> 00:44:57,220 did and we're going to be under the judgment, indeed I believe we are under the judgment 653 00:44:57,220 --> 00:44:58,880 of God. 654 00:44:58,880 --> 00:45:03,560 It's only beginning, it can get a lot worse if our country doesn't repent. 655 00:45:03,560 --> 00:45:04,560 I pray it will. 656 00:45:04,560 --> 00:45:05,560 I pray it will. 657 00:45:05,560 --> 00:45:14,360 Well, I wish we could conclude judges on a happy note and they all went out and lived 658 00:45:14,360 --> 00:45:19,760 happily ever afterward but they went out but they didn't live happily ever afterward. 659 00:45:19,760 --> 00:45:22,400 They still had some terrible things to learn. 660 00:45:22,400 --> 00:45:26,520 But you know what God says to us in the New Testament, all of these things are written 661 00:45:26,520 --> 00:45:30,760 for our example so that we can learn by them. 662 00:45:30,760 --> 00:45:35,080 So let's avoid the mistakes that the people of Israel made in their religious apostasy 663 00:45:35,080 --> 00:45:41,840 and turning away from God and turning away from morality and right and wrong based upon 664 00:45:41,840 --> 00:45:44,160 the absolutes of the Word of God. 665 00:45:44,160 --> 00:45:48,880 Let's learn by watching their example and determine in our hearts that we will live 666 00:45:48,880 --> 00:45:51,160 differently and obediently to God. 667 00:45:51,160 --> 00:45:55,240 And everybody will love us if we do that. 668 00:45:55,240 --> 00:45:56,720 Right? 669 00:45:56,720 --> 00:46:00,360 Well, that's another story isn't it? 670 00:46:00,360 --> 00:46:04,640 Jesus said the world will hate you because of that. 671 00:46:04,640 --> 00:46:13,760 They will be hostile toward you but we are called to be faithful, not to be happy. 672 00:46:13,760 --> 00:46:16,440 Happiness comes later when we are with Jesus. 673 00:46:16,440 --> 00:46:18,600 That's where there is fullness of joy for evermore. 674 00:46:18,600 --> 00:46:22,760 But in this world we will have tribulations and trials. 675 00:46:22,760 --> 00:46:26,600 We are destined for these things, as Paul told the Thessalonians. 676 00:46:26,600 --> 00:46:32,680 That's part of our lot that we should rejoice that we are counted worthy to suffer shame 677 00:46:32,680 --> 00:46:35,120 for the name of Jesus Christ. 678 00:46:35,120 --> 00:46:41,800 So let's not think it's strange when fiery trials come to us as though something unusual 679 00:46:41,800 --> 00:46:42,800 happened. 680 00:46:42,800 --> 00:46:47,480 This is our lot in the world to suffer in the place of Jesus Christ. 681 00:46:47,480 --> 00:46:50,560 What a privilege that is. 682 00:46:50,560 --> 00:46:56,280 What a privilege it is to suffer for Jesus in the world. 683 00:46:56,280 --> 00:47:03,440 And like him we commit our souls to him who is a faithful creator and anticipate the day 684 00:47:03,440 --> 00:47:05,000 of his victory. 685 00:47:05,000 --> 00:47:08,240 Let's pray together. 686 00:47:08,240 --> 00:47:15,080 Father, we live in a time that is so much like this period in the book of Judges that 687 00:47:15,080 --> 00:47:16,080 it is frightening. 688 00:47:16,080 --> 00:47:19,280 But we learn a lot from it. 689 00:47:19,280 --> 00:47:23,800 In the midst of the moral decay, the apostate... 690 00:56:20,280 --> 00:56:31,440 Father, we live in a time that is so much like this period in the book of Judges that 691 00:56:31,440 --> 00:56:36,840 it is frightening. 692 00:56:36,840 --> 00:56:46,840 Father, we live in a time that is so much like this period in the book of Judges that 693 00:56:46,840 --> 00:56:48,900 you 694 00:57:16,840 --> 00:57:19,900 you 695 00:57:46,840 --> 00:57:49,900 you 696 00:58:16,840 --> 00:58:19,900 you 697 00:58:46,840 --> 00:58:49,900 you 698 00:59:16,840 --> 00:59:19,900 you 699 00:59:46,840 --> 00:59:49,900 you 700 01:00:16,840 --> 01:00:19,900 you 701 01:00:46,840 --> 01:00:49,900 you 702 01:01:16,840 --> 01:01:19,900 you 703 01:01:46,840 --> 01:01:49,900 you 704 01:02:16,840 --> 01:02:19,900 you 705 01:02:46,840 --> 01:02:49,900 you 706 01:03:16,840 --> 01:03:18,900 you 707 01:03:46,840 --> 01:03:49,900 you 708 01:04:16,840 --> 01:04:18,900 you 709 01:04:46,840 --> 01:04:48,900 you 710 01:05:16,840 --> 01:05:18,900 you 711 01:05:46,840 --> 01:05:48,900 you 712 01:06:16,840 --> 01:06:18,900 you 713 01:06:46,840 --> 01:06:48,900 you 714 01:07:16,840 --> 01:07:18,900 you 715 01:07:46,840 --> 01:07:48,900 you 716 01:08:16,840 --> 01:08:18,900 you 717 01:08:46,840 --> 01:08:48,900 you 718 01:09:16,840 --> 01:09:18,900 you 719 01:09:46,840 --> 01:09:48,900 you 720 01:10:16,840 --> 01:10:18,900 you 721 01:10:46,840 --> 01:10:48,900 you 722 01:11:16,840 --> 01:11:18,900 you 723 01:11:46,840 --> 01:11:48,900 you 724 01:12:16,840 --> 01:12:18,900 you 725 01:12:46,840 --> 01:12:48,900 you 726 01:13:16,840 --> 01:13:18,900 you 727 01:13:46,840 --> 01:13:48,900 you 728 01:14:16,840 --> 01:14:18,900 you 729 01:14:46,840 --> 01:14:48,900 you 730 01:15:16,840 --> 01:15:18,900 you 731 01:15:46,840 --> 01:15:48,900 you 732 01:16:16,840 --> 01:16:18,900 you 733 01:16:46,840 --> 01:16:48,900 you 734 01:16:48,900 --> 01:16:50,960 you 735 01:16:50,960 --> 01:16:54,020 you 736 01:17:20,960 --> 01:17:23,020 you 737 01:17:50,960 --> 01:17:53,020 you 738 01:17:50,960 --> 01:17:53,020 you 739 01:17:50,960 --> 01:17:53,020 you 740 01:17:53,020 --> 01:17:56,080 you 741 01:17:56,080 --> 01:17:58,140 you 742 01:18:26,080 --> 01:18:29,140 you 743 01:18:56,080 --> 01:18:59,140 you 744 01:19:26,080 --> 01:19:29,140 you 745 01:19:56,080 --> 01:19:59,140 you 746 01:20:26,080 --> 01:20:29,140 you 747 01:20:56,080 --> 01:20:59,140 you 748 01:21:26,080 --> 01:21:29,140 you 749 01:21:56,080 --> 01:21:59,140 you 750 01:22:26,080 --> 01:22:29,140 you 751 01:22:56,080 --> 01:22:59,140 you 752 01:23:26,080 --> 01:23:29,140 you 753 01:23:56,080 --> 01:23:59,140 you 754 01:24:26,080 --> 01:24:28,140 you 755 01:24:56,080 --> 01:24:59,140 you 756 01:25:26,080 --> 01:25:28,140 you 757 01:25:56,080 --> 01:25:58,140 you 758 01:26:26,080 --> 01:26:28,140 you 759 01:26:56,080 --> 01:26:58,140 you 760 01:27:26,080 --> 01:27:28,140 you 761 01:27:56,080 --> 01:27:58,140 you 762 01:28:26,080 --> 01:28:28,140 you 763 01:28:56,080 --> 01:28:58,140 you 764 01:29:26,080 --> 01:29:28,140 you 765 01:29:56,080 --> 01:29:58,140 you 766 01:30:26,080 --> 01:30:28,140 you 767 01:30:56,080 --> 01:30:58,140 you 768 01:31:26,080 --> 01:31:28,140 you 769 01:31:56,080 --> 01:31:58,140 you 770 01:32:26,080 --> 01:32:28,140 you 771 01:32:56,080 --> 01:32:58,140 you 772 01:33:26,080 --> 01:33:28,140 you