No King in Israel

 

February 6, 2021

 

Judges 19:1-9

 

In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a certain Levite was sojourning in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, who took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.   And his concubine was unfaithful to him, and she went away from him to her father's house at Bethlehem in Judah and was there some four months.   Then her husband arose and went after her, to speak kindly to her and bring her back. He had with him his servant and a couple of donkeys. And she brought him into her father's house. And when the girl's father saw him, he came with joy to meet him.   And his father-in-law, the girl's father, made him stay, and he remained with him three days. So, they ate and drank and spent the night there.   And on the fourth day, they arose early in the morning, and he prepared to go, but the girl's father said to his son-in-law, “Strengthen your heart with a morsel of bread, and after that, you may go.”   So, the two of them sat and ate and drank together. And the girl's father said to the man, “Be pleased to spend the night, and let your heart be merry.”

 

 These verses brought up a question in my small mind; what is the difference between a wife and a concubine, so this is from Wikipedia, “Wives brought a dowry to a relationship, but concubines did not. ... The position of the concubine was generally inferior to that of the wife. Although a concubine could produce heirs, her children would be inferior in social status to a wife's children, although they were of higher status than illegitimate children.”

 

Webster dictionary, “one having a recognized social status in a household below that of a wife.”  More than likely the Levite had a wife back home, the girl from Bethlehem, who was not seen as a wife but of a lower social status.

 

It seems that the concubine was a daddy’s girl and ran back home to her dad and after a while, the young Levite missed her and wanted her back she seems happy to see him when he arrives at her dad’s home, and so did her dad.  This looks like a happy ending, but it soon becomes apparent dad does not want his little girl to leave and is trying everything to keep both of them at his home.  But after many days the Levite tells the dad, we are leaving, and they go, but only make it to Gibeah.  Tomorrow we will have the rest of the account of the young Levite and his concubine.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice