Judges Chapter 19
Judges chapter 19 describes a traveler who is staying overnight in a stranger's home. Wicked men of the town pound on the door and demand they be given the visiting man so they can have sex with him. Eventually they send out the visitor's concubine who is raped and killed.
What kind of story is this to have in the Bible?
First we need to get a broad overview of this book. The first two chapters of the Book of Judges are introductory. Starting in chapter three we see a pattern that is repeated throughout the book. The Israelites turn from God and start "doing what was right in their own eyes". Things get bad. The Israelites finally turn back to God and plead for Him to save them. God then raises up a righteous judge (a "judge" was a ruler) who leads Israel back to righteousness again.
This pattern is repeated a number of times, continuing through chapter 16. Each time Israel turns away from God they sink deeper into sin and evil.
Starting in chapter 17 the book of Judges stops the chronological telling of the history of Israel and presents two stories that illustrate how far Israel has fallen.
The first shows how deep Israel has gone into idolatry, when a Levi, who is only supposed to serve in the Temple, becomes the personal priest for a man who is worshiping idols. Although in our culture today we can not feel the shock of this, chapters 17 and 18 present the story of a tremendous spiritual evil.
Starting in chapter 19 we read about an unbelievable moral evil. This story is included as an illustration of how far Israel has fallen.
Why does the man send out the concubine? Because in the culture of the people surrounding Israel, a culture Israel had adopted, women essentially had no value. Women existed simply to serve men, and be used and abused as men saw fit. Please note, THIS IS NOT BIBLICAL. This is the way pagans live, and it is typical of pagan cultures around the world. The reason why this particular story is included in the Bible is because it illustrates how the man, on the surface is appearing very Godly--for example he won't stay overnight in a non-Israelite city. Yet, at heart is he has completely accepted and is participating in the pagan culture, even to the point of the death of someone who is made in the image of God, and who thus is precious and loved by God.
Notice the last line of the book of Judges: "In those days Israel had no king, everyone did as he saw fit."
Labels: Fall Of America, morality
posted by BrickBalloon -- Love, Christianity, Jesus & Salvation Archive
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2 Comments:
I would like you to show me the facts about paganism that shows that the woman is nothing. Surely you've heard about the Celtic druids that had Priestesses not priests. That's a woman priest for those who don't know. Do you think those women where "nothing"? You Christians just lie to suit yourselves and the propaganda you're spreading at the time. I've only met a handful of true "Christians". The rest, unfortunately are Sunday Christians.
Hello Johnny Jello, thank you for your comment and question.
I assume you understand that a "druid" was one of three levels in Celtic religion. It is a job description, not a religion in itself. There were also the ovates and the bards.
The Druids had the duties of being a seer, priest, poet, philosopher, historian, scholar, teacher, doctor, astronomer and astrologer. Within the Druids were Druid priests and priestesses. They acted as mediums through which spirits could be summoned and heard.
I assume you are also aware that there are no written Druid records prior to when the Celts become Christians, so Druid history is in a large part based on myth. Yes, there is some archeology, but there are many unknowns.
The main references, in literature writer by others, to Druid women of great power is as sorcereresses. This aspect is also what we see dominating today.
Given all of this, ancient Celtic culture was one in which women engaged in many of the same activities as men, including warfare. But if you read history, and not the novels that romantisize Celtic history, you'll see that the Celtic culture was a patriarchal culture in which men had the power, controling both politics and the home.
Yes, there have been women who have been priestesses (most offen serving as prostitutes). There have been women rulers (queens) and emperesses. But did that change the role of the average woman? No.
It has only been through the civilizing of humanity through Christianity that women and men have been seen as equal... as both being created in God's image. As both being equally valuable to God, and equally loved by God.
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