#gibeah

[artandthebible]

The Levite at Gibeah

Artist: Gerbrand van den Eeckhout (Dutch, 1621-1674)

Date: Early 1640's

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Collection: National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, United States

Description

The subject of this painting is taken from the Old Testament book of Judges. After the Levite had married a woman of inferior status from Bethlehem, they quarreled and the concubine left him and returned to her father’s house. The Levite soon followed and retrieved her. On their journey home, they unsuccessfully searched the town of Gibeah for a place to sleep until finally a field laborer offered the couple lodging in his house. This is the moment depicted by Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, who painted at least three versions of this scene.

Later that evening, according to the biblical account, a few men surrounded the laborer’s house threatening to harm the Levite. To placate the aggressors, the host instead offered them his own daughter and the concubine. In the end, only the concubine was pushed out the door and, after being raped repeatedly, she died of her injuries on the laborer’s doorstep. The next day, the Levite left Gibeah with the dead woman’s body strapped onto his donkey. Once home, the Levite cut the corpse into twelve pieces and sent one piece to each tribe of Israel, triggering a horrendous cycle of revenge killings. Despite the horrible aftermath of the laborer’s initial act of hospitality, Van den Eeckhout chose to focus on the moment when the laborer, acting as a Good Samaritan, invited the travelers into his home.

Van den Eeckhout was one of Rembrandt’s most talented and versatile pupils, and was probably a member of the master’s workshop from about 1635 to 1640 or 1641. His oeuvre includes history paintings, landscapes, portraits, and genre scenes, as well as etchings, drawings, designs for metal objects, and book illustrations. Although Van den Eeckhout achieved Rembrandtesque effects through a powerful use of light and shade, his manner of painting was smoother and more fluid than that of his teacher.

[lordgodjehovahsway]

1 Samuel 11: Nahash Overtakes Jabesh Gilead Until Saul Rescues The City

1 Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you.”

2 But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel.”

3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you.”

4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and reported these terms to the people, they all wept aloud. 

5 Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, “What is wrong with everyone? Why are they weeping?” Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said.

6 When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. 

7 He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out together as one. 

8 When Saul mustered them at Bezek, the men of Israel numbered three hundred thousand and those of Judah thirty thousand.

9 They told the messengers who had come, “Say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, ‘By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be rescued.’��� When the messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh, they were elated. 

10 They said to the Ammonites, “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever you like.”

11 The next day Saul separated his men into three divisions; during the last watch of the night they broke into the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

Saul Confirmed as King

12 The people then said to Samuel, “Who was it that asked, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Turn these men over to us so that we may put them to death.”

13 But Saul said, “No one will be put to death today, for this day the Lord has rescued Israel.”

14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingship.” 

15 So all the people went to Gilgal and made Saul king in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.

[kdmiller55]

Israel’s Glory is Gone

16 And Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were present with them stayed in Geba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 And raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual; 18 another company turned toward Beth-horon; and another company turned toward the border that looks down on the Valley of…

[solidrockistand]

Praise of God's Law pt 12

89. Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens (Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart. Psalms 119:111 ESV)

(In the way of your testimonies, I delight as much as in all riches. Psalms 119:14 ESV)

90. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established earth, and it endures. (Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Psalms 36:5 ESV)

(I will sing of your steadfast love of the Lord forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. Psalms 89:1 ESV)

(But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. Psalms 59:16 ESV)

91. Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you. (Thus says the Lord: If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth. Jeremiah 33:25 ESV)

(To rule over the day and over the night and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:8 ESV)

("Thus says the Lord: If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night will not come at their appointed time. Jeremiah 33:20 ESV)

92. If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. (Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalms 37:4 ESV)

(Will he take delight in the Almighty? will he call upon God at all times? Job 27:10 ESV)

(For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty and lift up your face to God. Job 22:26 ESV)

93. I will never forget your precepts for by them and you have preserved my life. (For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten your statutes. Psalms 119:83 ESV)

(Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me; I do not forget your law. Psalms 119:61 ESV)

(Look on my affliction and deliver me, for I do not forget your law. Psalms 119:153 ESV)

94. Save me for I am yours, I have sought out your precepts. (O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might. Psalms 54:1 ESV)

(Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon? 1st Samual 23:19 ESV)

95. The wicked are waiting to destroy me but I will ponder your precepts. (More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. who I did not steal must I now restore. Psalms 69:4 ESV)

(Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me. Psalms 25:19 ESV)

(But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. Psalms 3:1 ESV)

96. To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless. (The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple. Psalms 19:7ESV)

(But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law, he meditates day and night. Psalms 1:2 ESV)

(PRAISE THE LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments! Psalms 112:1 ESV)

Psalms 119: 89-96 NIV

[aprettyjewishyear]

אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן: יוֹם שֶׁהוּתַּר שֵׁבֶט בִּנְיָמִין לָבוֹא בַּ��ָּהָל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְאִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל נִשְׁבַּע בַּמִּצְפָּה לֵאמֹר אִישׁ מִמֶּנּוּ לֹא יִתֵּן בִּתּוֹ לְבִנְיָמִן לְאִשָּׁה״. מַאי דְּרוּשׁ? אָמַר רַב: ״מִמֶּנּוּ״, וְלֹא מִבָּנֵינוּ.

Rav Yosef said that Rav Naḥman said: The fifteenth of Av was the day on which the tribe of Benjamin was permitted to enter the congregation of the Jewish people. After the tragic incident at Gibeah, for which the tribe of Benjamin was blamed, the other tribes ostracized them. They took an oath to prohibit themselves from marrying a member of the tribe of Benjamin, as it is stated: “And the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying: None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife” (Judges 21:1). The Gemara asks: What did they expound that enabled them to dissolve this oath? Rav said: They understood the verse literally, as it states: “None of us,” and not: None of our children, i.e., the oath applied only to the generation that took the oath, not their descendants.

translation courtesy of Sefaria, Koren-Steinsaltz. Taanit 30b:11.

Trigger warning: rape, gendered violence, kidnapping

The "tragic incident at Gibeah" referenced in this passage was thus: a Levite brought his concubine into the city of Gibeah and, when its citizens threatened to rape him, he offered up his concubine to be raped instead. She died of the brutality. The Levite desecrated her body and sent pieces of it to each tribe, inciting the war and the oath.

After this oath and after peace was made with the Benjaminites, but before the oath was annulled by time, the Levites kidnapped four hundred women who had not taken the oath and forced them to marry four hundred of the six hundred remaining Benjaminites. The remaining two hundred Benjaminites abducted their wives themselves.

The expiration of this oath is one of the many things celebrated on Tu b'Av, but the story is a difficult one to grapple with. When I celebrate Tu b'Av and I think of this story, I will celebrate not because the men of the tribe of Benjamin were once more free to marry outside of their tribe, but because all of them of the generation who participated in these horrific acts must have died. The end of the oath represents and necessitated an end to the violence, and the end of this violence feels like something worth celebrating.

Of course, no two people will interpret this story or this Talmud passage or this holiday the same; I put forth my thoughts not as an authority but as one of many voices.

art titled The Levite Carries the Woman's Body Away. by Gustave Doré, originally published in Doré's English Bible.

[walkwithgod07]

21 Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.

2 And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)

3 Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the Lord?

4 And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you.

5 And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel,

6 Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, whom the Lord did choose. And the king said, I will give them.

7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the Lord's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

8 But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite:

9 And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the Lord: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.

10 And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.

11 And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.

12 And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabeshgilead, which had stolen them from the street of Bethshan, where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa:

13 And he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son; and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged.

14 And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was intreated for the land.

15 Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines: and David waxed faint.

16 And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.

17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel.

18 And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant.

19 And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

20 And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.

21 And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimeah the brother of David slew him.

22 These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

[davonati]

ok tell me how Jonathan just casually rode the hundreds of miles between Gibeah and Mount Sinai and back again in like a day or two 😭😭😭😭😭

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

God's Judgment on Israel and Judah

1 Hear ye this, O priests; and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ye ear, O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because ye have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.

2 And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all.

3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled.

4 They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the Lord.

5 And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity: Judah also shall fall with them.

6 They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them.

7 They have dealt treacherously against the Lord: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.

8 Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at Bethaven, after thee, O Benjamin.

9 Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be.

10 The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.

11 Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment.

12 Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness.

13 When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound.

14 For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him.

15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early. — Hosea 5 | King James Version (KJV) The King James Version Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Genesis 42:21; Leviticus 26:40; Deuteronomy 19:14; Deuteronomy 27:17; Deuteronomy 28:33; Judges 5:14; Psalm 7:2; Psalm 39:11; Psalm 50:22; Proverbs 1:28; Isaiah 1:14-15; Isaiah 3:7; Isaiah 5:24; Isaiah 7:16; Isaiah 28:1; Isaiah 29:15; Isaiah 37:3; Isaiah 48:8; Isaiah 59:12; Jeremiah 2:19; Jeremiah 30:12; Ezekiel 23:7; Hosea 4:1-2; Hosea 4:6; Hosea 4:12; Hosea 8:1; Hosea 9:8-9; Hosea 9:16

[orthodoxydaily]

SAINTS&READING: SUNDAY. SEPTEMBER 15, 2024

september 2_september 15

TRANSLATION OF THE RELICS OF PRINCE PETER (1228) AND PRINCESS FEBRONIA (tonsured David and Euphrosyne), WONDERWORKERDS OF MUROM

Holy Prince Peter (David in monasticism) and Holy Princess Febronia (Euphrosyne - Euphrosynē - in monasticism), Wonderworkers of Murom. Prince Peter was the second son of the Murom prince Yuri Vladimirovich. He entered upon the throne of Murom in the year 1203. Several years before this Saint Peter had fallen ill with leprosy, from which no one was able to heal him. In a vision it was revealed to the prince that the daughter of a bee-keeper would be able to heal him: the pious maiden Febronia, a peasant of Laskova village in Ryazan gubernia. Saint Peter sent his emissaries to this village.

When the prince saw Saint Febronia, he fell in love with her because of her piety, wisdom and virtue, and vowed to marry her after being healed. Saint Febronia healed the prince and became his wife. The holy couple loved each other through all their ordeals. The haughty boyars did not wish to have a princess of common origin, and they urged that the prince leave her. Saint Peter refused, and so they banished the couple. They sailed off on a boat from their native city along the River Oka, and Saint Febronia continued to console Saint Peter. Soon the wrath of God fell upon the city of Murom, and the people begged the prince return together with Saint Febronia.

The holy couple was famous for their piety and charity. They died on the same day and hour, June 25, 1228, having received the monastic tonsure with the names David and Evphrosyne. The bodies of the saints were put in the same grave.

Sts Peter and Febronia showed themselves exemplary models of Christian marriage, and are considered as the patron saints of newly-weds.

Sourcec: Orthodox Church in America_OCA

RIGHTEOUS ALEAZAR AND PHINEAS, THE GRANDSON OF AARON AND SECOND HIGH PRIEST OF ISRAEL (c. 1500 B.C.)

Eleazar was Aaron's third son by his wife Elisheba. Eleazar became a priest along with his father and three brothers. He married a daughter of Putiel who bore him a son, Phinehas. After his two older brothers, Nadab and Abihu, were killed for making an unholy offering to God, and during his fathers lifetime, "he was supervisor over those who had charge of the sanctuary" (Num. 3:32). "Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, is to have charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular grain offering and the anointing oil. He is to be in charge of the entire tabernacle and everything in it, including its holy furnishings and articles" (Num. 4:16).

When Aaron died at Mount Hor, Eleazar became the high priest. Before Moses died, the Lord instructed Moses to appoint Joshua as his successor, and to "stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation" (Num. 27:19). Eleazar served as the high priest through the rest of Moses' life and throughout Joshua's leadership in taking over Canaan.

He helped in the allotment of Canaan among the twelve tribes of Israel (Joshua 14:1-2). Eleazar was buried at Gibeah, a town belonging to Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim. Phinehas succeeded him as high priest. In King David's day, 16 of the 24 priestly houses were descended from Eleazar, including the family of the high priest Zadok.Righteous Phinehas (Feast Day - September 2 & March 12)

Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, was a grandson of Aaron. He was a zealous priest. During the desert wandering, Phinehas killed Zimri, an Israelite, and Cozri, a Midianite woman, whom Zimri had brought into the camp (Numbers 25).

This act ended a plague by which God had judged Israel for allowing Midianite women to corrupt Israel with idolatry and harlotry. For such zeal Phinehas and his descendants were promised a permanent priesthood. “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned My anger away from the Israelites. Since he was as zealous for My honor among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in My zeal. Therefore tell him I am making My covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites” (Num. 25:11-13).

Phinehas became the third high priest of Israel, serving for 19 years. In other events in Phinehas' life, he accompanied an army of 12,000 in a war against Midian, in which the Israelites won decisively. He averted a war between the 10 tribes west of the Jordan, with the tribes east of the Jordan, when he learned that the altar built by the east tribes was only a reminder "that the Lord is God", and that it was not an act of idolatry.

He also conveyed the Lord's order to the Israelites to attack the tribe of Benjamin in retaliation for the rape and murder of a woman traveling through the land. In the battle, 25,100 Benjamite warriers died.

Phinehas's strong defense of the Lord's law made him a model to zealots of later generations. His descendants were among those returning from exile in Babylon.

The Righteous Phineas, grandson of the High Priest Aaron (also commemorated today) and son of the High Priest Eleazar, was also a priest and zealous in his service.

When the Israelites, after the holy Prophet Moses (September 4) led them out of Egypt, were already near the Promised Land, their neighbors the Moabites and Midianites were overcome by fear and envy. Not trusting in their own strength, they summoned the magician Balaam to put a curse on the Israelites. The Lord revealed His will to Balaam, and Balaam refused to curse the People of God, seeing that God was pleased to bless them (Num. 24:1).

Then the Moabites drew the Israelites into the worship of Baal-Peor. God punished the Jews for their apostasy, and they died by the thousands from a plague. Many, beholding the wrath of God, came to their senses and repented.

At this time a certain man named Zimri, of the tribe of the Simeon, “brought to his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, and they wept at the door of the tabernacle of witness” (Num. 25:6). Phineas, filled with wrath, went into Zimri’s tent and killed both him and the Midianite woman with a spear.

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Phineas... has caused My wrath against the children of Israel to cease, when I was exceedingly jealous among them.... Behold, I give him a covenant of peace, and he and his descendants shall have a perpetual covenant of priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel’” (Num. 25:10-13).

After this, at the command of God, Phineas went at the head of the Israelite army against the Moabites and brought chastisement upon them for their impiety and treachery. After the death of the High Priest Eleazar, Saint Phineas was unanimously chosen as High Priest. The high priesthood, in accord with God’s promise, continued also with his posterity. Saint Phineas died at an advanced age around 1500 B.C.

SOURCE: Orthodox Christianity Then and NOW and Orthodox Chruch in America_OCA

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you-unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Luke 6:17-23

17 And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, 18 as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. 19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all. 20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh. 22 Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man's sake. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

[scripture-pictures]

[kdmiller55]

The Beginning of the End

1 Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel, 2 Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent. 3 Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at…

[thomastanker02]

The book of Judges is a very dark and disturbing read. Almost every story is filled with the consequences of Israel’s disobedience, and the havoc this wrecks across the land.

And its last story, about a man and his concubine, is arguably the most horrible and gut wrenching of them all.

In this story, a Levite man (who is unnamed) is returning home with his concubine. They travel through the Benjamite land of Gibeah, where they are then assaulted by an angry mob.

Desperate to getaway, the takes his concubine over to the crowd, who do things to her that I’m not willing to type out.

After the atrocity, the woman collapses dead at her master’s doorstep. When the man discovers her body, he takes her inside, cuts her up into 12 pieces, and sends each one to a different tribe of Israel. This event is what eventually leads to the Benjamite war, leading to even more death and violence in what was supposed to be God’s land of peace.

This story is a horrific and disgusting end to a horrific and disgusting book. It sends its readers into a sense of uneasiness and hopelessness. It makes us wonder, how can God bring the world back into oneness with him with such atrocities going on among his people? How can he still work if this is all he has to work with?

Well, that’s where the next book comes into play.

The book of Ruth takes place at the same time as the book of Judges, but it is vastly different in both tone and subject matter.

While Judges was about the failures and tragedies of Israel, Ruth is about the hope that God gives the world through an outsider. This being Ruth, and the fact that shes a Moabite, an enemy of Israel.

This book focuses on the love story between Ruth, and the farmer she meets, Boaz. And it’s through their loyalty to both each other and to those around them (Naomi in Ruth’s case and Ruth in Boaz’s) that God is able to bring Obed into this world (the grandfather of king David).

These two books being places right next to each other is far from a coincidence. While it does make sense that they should be paired due to them taking place at the same time, I’m taking about something much deeper here.

Throughout the Biblical story, we constantly see examples of human sinfulness contrasting with God’s grace and faithfulness.

Israel rebelled in the wilderness, but God still provided bread and water for them.

In Judges, Israel constantly cries out to God to save them from their oppressors, and God constantly delivered them.

Hagar was all alone in wilderness, on top of being pregnant, due to Abraham and Sarah wanting a child through their own means. And yet, God lead her back home.

This contrast is a driving force throughout the Biblical narrative, as it both highlights our need for Jesus, to save us from our sins, as well as highlight God’s righteous character to an unrighteousness world.

To display this contrast is why I think I these books are paired with each other.

Judges is all about human sinfulness and horrifying results it brings. Ruth is about the hope that God gives to those who feel overlooked, and how, through tragedy, the Lord still brings hope to those who trust in him, as well as to the whole world.

Entertaining sinful pleasures, such as having concubines and being sexually immoral, lead to sin and death. Love, as well as loyalty to God and to those who display his character, leads to life and hope.

God bless, Jesus loves you ✝️❤️

[solidrockistand]

Praise of God's Law pt 20

153. Look upon my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten your law. (Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest i sleep the sleep of death. Psalms 13:3 ESV)

(For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted. Psalms 9:12 ESV)

(How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and destroy you from the earth. 2nd Samuel 4:11 ESV)

154. Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to your promises. (Their redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is his name. He will surely plead their cause, that he may give rest to the earth, but unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon. Jeremiah 50:34 ESV)

(Therefor say to the Israelites I am the Lord and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians I will free you from being slaves to them and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with might acts of judgement. Exodus 6:6 NIV)

(And I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of the land to a food and broad land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites. Exodus 3:8 ESV)

155. Salvation is far from the wicked for they do not seek out your decrees. (Save me, for I am yours; I have sought out your precepts. Psalms 119:94 ESV)

(O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might. Psalms 54:1 ESV)

(Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh on the hill of Hachilah, which is South of Jeshimon? 1st Samuel 23:19 ESV)

156. Your compassion is great, O Lord; preserve my life according to your laws. (There for you gave them unto the hand of the enemies, who made then suffer. And in the time of their suffering, they cried out to you, and you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies Nehemiah 9:27 ESV)

(Harass the Midianites and strike them down. Numbers 25:7 ESV)

(But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. Exodus 23:22 ESV)

157. Many are the foes who persecute me, but I have not turned from your statutes. (O Lord my God, in you I do take refuge; save me from all pursuers and deliver me Psalms 7:1 ESV)

(O Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy. Habakkuk 3:2 ESV)

158. I look on the faithfulness with loathing, for they do not obey your word. (I gain understanding from your precepts; therefor I hate every wrong path. Psalms 119:104 NIV)

(The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever. Psalms 111:10 ESV)

(Therefor I am terrified at his presence; when I consider, I am in dread of him. Job 23:15 ESV)

159. See how I love your precepts; preserve my life O Lord, according to your love. (I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word. Psalms 119:25 NIV)

(For our soul is bowed down to the dust, our belly clings to the ground. Psalms 44:25 ESV)

160. All your words are true; all your righteous laws are ETERNAL. (Your word O Lord, IS ETERNAL it stands firm in the heavens. Psalms 119:89 NIV)

(Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. Psalms 119:111 NIV)

(I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil. Psalms 119:162 NIV)

Spoil- plunder, loot, or goods taken from a defeated enemy

Psalms 119:153-160 NIV

[marysittingathisfeet]

Woman Change History

Whenever a woman is highlighted in the Old Testament, the woman has an impact on Israel. From Deborah who led her people to victory, Hannah who dedicated her son who anointed the first two kings of Israel. to Jael who killed Sisera the Canaanite general who had escaped from the Israeli army. Rizpah is no different. She was originally a concubine of Saul. She is scattered in the Old Testament.

Rizpah's name means coal or hot stones. In the Bible hot often designates spiritual zeal and passionate commitment to God as opposed to being lukewarm or cold. Stones often designate strength and memorial stones. Jesus is known as the corner stone. When Rizpah was born, her mother wanted her daughter committed zealous servant of the Lord.

Rizpah gave birth to two sons of Saul- Armoni and Mephibosheth. After Saul was killed, his son Ish-Bosheth ruled all but the tribe of Judah for two years. During that time there was a war between David and Ish-Bosheth. Rizpah of course is now widowed. As a former concubine of a king, she can only marry a king. She cannot marry her stepson as this is against Israeli law. Abner, Saul's general, is accused by Ish-Bosheth of sleeping with Rizpah. Why did this upset Ish-Bosheth? Taking a former king's concubine was seen as a claim to the throne. As mentioned Rizpah can only marry a king. If Abner marries her he is declaring himself king especially since he would become the stepfather of the former king's sons. Abner is eventually killed by Joab, so the marriage between Rizpah and Abner never occurred. Once more she is left widowed and powerless.

Hebraic tradition teaches that David did marry Rizpah.

The Gideonites were a people that had originally made a covenant with Joshua. Fearful of the invading Israelis, the Gibeonites sent emissaries who were purposefully dressed in worn out clothing and moldy bread. The idea was to make it look like they had travelled many miles to meet Joshua.

"However, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,  they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. They put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the Israelites, “We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us.” Joshua 9: 4-6

They trick Joshua into signing a treaty with them.

"Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath." Judges 9: 15

When Joshua finds out he is angry, but he has to honor the treaty.

"but all the leaders answered, “We have given them our oath by the Lord, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. 20 This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that God’s wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them.” Joshua 9: 19, 20

But Saul when he was king, did not honor the treaty signed by Joshua. "Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them." 2 Samuel 21: 2B. The Gibeonites must have really suffered under Saul because they tell David, " As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel." Samuel 2: 5

Saul's actions resulted in the nation of Israel to suffer under a drought.

"During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the Lord. The Lord said, “It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death." 2 Samuel 1:21

"David asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How shall I make atonement so that you will bless the Lord’s inheritance?” 2 Samuel 21: 3

The Gibeonites request that " seven of his male descendants (Saul's) be given to us to be killed and their bodies exposed before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul—the Lord’s chosen one." 2 Samuel 21:6

Rizpah's two sons were 2 of the seven descendants of Saul chosen for retribution. The sons were impaled by the Gibeonites at the sanctuary Gibeah.

"Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds touch them by day or the wild animals by night. " 2 Samuel 21: 10.

From the first days of the barley harvest when the 7 men were killed until the rains is about 5 months. For 5 months, Rizpah was exposed to the elements- heat, cold, wind. The corpses probably smelled horrible. She endured bugs attracted to the dead bodies. She chased off not only birds, but animals. Wolves, bears, lions, and other predators were probably drawn to the smell of the rotting flesh. Her devotion cannot be compared. In her world and her culture she had no power.. But protecting her sons bodies, was something that she could do. She was determined to give her sons a dignified death and preserve their memory. Her actions caused David to account.

"When David was told what Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, Saul’s concubine, had done, he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead. (They had stolen their bodies from the public square at Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.) David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from there, and the bones of those who had been killed and exposed were gathered up.

They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land." 2 Samuel 21: 11-14

It is not until David buries the bodies, that the curse on the land is lifted. Rizpah's actions convicted David, who then responded as he should have done when the men were killed. Only then was the drought lifted. She didn't storm the palace, protest in the streets, or plot revenge. Instead Rizpah gently pointed the way through silence and devotion.

What does this teach us? Sometimes a gently response is more powerful than a violent one. A soft and kind response can bring about peace. Harsh angry responses can escalate tensions and enhance divisions.

[walkwithgod07]

23 Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and they rob the threshingfloors.

2 Therefore David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the Lord said unto David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.

3 And David's men said unto him, Behold, we be afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?

4 Then David enquired of the Lord yet again. And the Lord answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand.

5 So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

6 And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.

7 And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars.

8 And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.

9 And David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.

10 Then said David, O Lord God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.

11 Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Lord God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the Lord said, He will come down.

12 Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up.

13 Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth.

14 And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.

15 And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood.

16 And Jonathan Saul's son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God.

17 And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.

18 And they two made a covenant before the Lord: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house.

19 Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon?

20 Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king's hand.

21 And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the Lord; for ye have compassion on me.

22 Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who hath seen him there: for it is told me that he dealeth very subtilly.

23 See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah.

24 And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon.

25 Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told David; wherefore he came down into a rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.

26 And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them.

27 But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land.

28 Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Selahammahlekoth.

29 And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds at Engedi.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Civil War in Israel

18 The children of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and asked counsel of God. They asked, “Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin?”

Yahweh said, “Judah first.”

19 The children of Israel rose up in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. 20 The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah. 21 The children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day destroyed twenty-two thousand of the Israelite men down to the ground. 22 The people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day. 23 The children of Israel went up and wept before Yahweh until evening; and they asked of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I again draw near to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?”

Yahweh said, “Go up against him.”

24 The children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day. 25 Benjamin went out against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men. All these drew the sword.

26 Then all the children of Israel and all the people went up, and came to Bethel, and wept, and sat there before Yahweh, and fasted that day until evening; then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh. 27 The children of Israel asked Yahweh (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28 and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease?”

Yahweh said, “Go up; for tomorrow I will deliver him into your hand.” — Judges 20:18-28 | World English Bible (WEB) The World English Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Numbers 27:21; Joshua 7:6-7; Judges 7:9; Judges 19:16; Judges 21:2; 1 Samuel 11:4; Psalm 78:62; Jeremiah 36:9