There was a group of worthless men living in Gibeah who focused their energy on gratifying their sexual passions. They had no regard for the Law. So why wouldn’t the leaders of Gibeah bring them to justice? I don’t understand the reasoning behind the protection and military defense of those who were guilty of sexual assault and murder. It sound like all of the elders of the tribe of Benjamin stood behind these worthless men because they were of Benjamin. Tribal pride is the only answer I can see. Benjamin forsook the unity of Israel in order to “preserve” the unity of their family. That pride cost Israel dearly. Not only did Benjamin loose most of their people but the rest of Israel suffered a terrible loss of life. I think a lesson from this is the focus of our allegiances. It is natural to protect those closest to us; even to the point of excusing their immoral behavior in favor of close ties. But God has called his people to a higher standard. We are each responsible to be right with God first. If we stubbornly refuse to live godly lives we may be jeopardizing our lives and our eternal relationship with God.
It took me 19 minutes to read this sad passage of Israel’s history.
Stuart
No comments:
Post a Comment