Such is the case in our text. I doubt that anywhere in the scriptures we could read a more disturbing passage than we have in this text. Let me show you what I mean. First, we read about...
I. THE CONCUBINE
WHAT IS A CONCUBINE?
She was a secondary wife. In the Bible, most tribal chiefs, kings, and other wealthy men had concubines.
For example:
• Abraham and Nahor had concubines. (Gen. 22:23-24; 25:6; I Chron. 1:32)
• Gideon had a concubine. (Judges 8:31)
• Saul had a concubine named Rizpah. (II Sam. 3:7)
• King David had many concubines. (II Sam. 5:13)
• Solomon had 300 concubines, in addition to his 700 royal wives. (I Kings 11:3)
In Judges 19, we are told of a Levite who had a concubine. At that time Israel had no king. The people did what they wanted to do, and there was no one to stop them. (Look at Judges 19:1)
But the Levite’s concubine became unfaithful to him.
Look at verse 2. We read, “And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father's house to Bethlehemjudah, and was there four whole months.”
This text reveals something many of us already know. That is, some men have a difficult time making wise choices when it comes to women. This Levite was such a man. However, he must have really loved this woman. He spent the next four months trying to get her to come back home with him. Evidently she was not thrilled with his being there. However, her father seemed to be thrilled that he had come to get her.
Look at verses 3-4. We read, “And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father's house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. And his father in law, the damsel's father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there.”
In fact, the Levite’s father-in-law took such a liking to him, that when the fourth day came around, he talked him into staying longer.
Look at verses 5-6. We read, “And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arose early in the morning, that he rose up to depart: and the damsel's father said unto his son in law, Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way. And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them together: for the damsel's father had said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry.”
He liked him so much, he talked him into staying yet another day.
Look at verses 7-8. We read, ‘’ And when the man rose up to depart, his father in law urged him: therefore he lodged there again. And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart: and the damsel's father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them.”
And then the father-in-law tried to talk the Levite into staying another night, but he felt it was time to pack up and leave.
Look at verses 9-10. We read, “And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel's father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home. BUT THE MAN WOULD NOT TARRY THAT NIGHT, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him.”
While they were at Jebus (Jerusalem), something very evil happened.
Look at the next nine verses (11-20). We read, “And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah. And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah. And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin. And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging. And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites. And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou? And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehemjudah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house. Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing. And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street.”
The kind old man took the Levite and his concubine home with him, and gave them lodging. But look what happened at this wicked place.
Look at verses 21-24. We read, “So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink. Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, (These were homosexuals) beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him. And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly. Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing.”
But, the homosexuals persisted.
Look at verses 25-26. We read, “But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go. Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was light.” The next morning when the man woke up he found his concubine who had been gang-raped by these perverts!
Look what happened. We read in verses 27-28, what he did. “And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold. And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place.”
The men of the city had gang-raped the concubine, and put her through such trauma that it killed her.
Look what the owner of that concubine did. In verse 29, we read, “And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.”
He cut her into twelve pieces and sent them to the twelve tribes of Israel.
Look at verse 30. We read, “And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.”
This is one of the worst things that many have ever heard of; SHE WAS CUT TO PIECES!
Now if you continue to read the next two chapters, you will find that each of the tribes of Israel received a piece of her body, and they were shocked!
WHY DID THE LEVITE DO SUCH A THING?
Because he knew that to get some people’s attention, it would take something shocking!
The same is true today. In America, the most prosperous country in the world, most people do not care what this Bible teaches.
Illus: In almost every poll that has been taken in 1999, the results show almost 70% of the American people have said:
• We do not care what happens in the White House.
• We do not care that homosexuality is legalized.
• We do not care that Marijuana is legalized.
• We do not care that abortion on demand has become the law of the land.
• We do not care if partial-birth abortion is performed. (This is when the child is partially delivered, but while the head is still in the mother’s womb the child’s brains are sucked out by a machine!)
• We do not care if espionage is being carried out against our country by our own citizens, and that top military secrets are being sold to communist China.
The only thing most Americans care about, is that the economy is doing good.
It took the horrible act of the Levite to wake up those living in that wicked age. SHE WAS CUT TO PIECES! THEY WERE SHOCKED! THEY TOOK ACTION AGAINST THE SINFUL PEOPLE OF GIBEAH.
But I want to tell you something. Not only was that CONCUBINE CUT TO PIECES, we live in a country today that is also CUT TO PIECES.
II. THIS COUNTRY
The concubine was CUT TO PIECES PHYSICALLY, but THIS COUNTRY IS CUT TO PIECES MORALLY! It is shocking what is taking place in this country morally. This country is CUT TO PIECES.
For years, sensible and godly men have been warning that our public schools are like TIME BOMBS that are set to explode.
OUR HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE CAMPUSES ARE CUT TO PIECES MORALLY!
You can go into almost any public school and be shocked at...
• The way the students are dressed
• The way the students talk to teach other
• The way the students talk to the teachers
• The way the students use vulgarity
• The way the male students have their hands all over the female students
• The way the students behave toward each other
• The way the students behave toward their parents
This country is CUT TO PIECES when it comes to public education, and it seems to be getting worse every year. We not only see it is CUT TO PIECES in our public schools, we also see this in our public offices.
This country is CUT TO PIECES when it comes to its attitude toward God, and God’s people. The attitude that lost people have toward Christians, is that they are the FAR RIGHT!
Illus: In June of 1994, Attorney General, Janet Reno, was interviewed on the television program called, “60 Minutes.”
She defined a cultist, and stated that the government should keep their eyes on these people. “A cultist is one who has a strong belief in the Bible and the Second Coming of Christ; who frequently attends Bible studies; who has a high level of financial giving to a Christian cause; who home schools the children; who has accumulated survival foods and has a strong belief in the Second Amendment; and who distrusts big government. Any of these may qualify a person as a cultist, but certainly more than one of these would cause us to look at this person as a threat, and his family as being a risk situation that qualified for government interference.”
CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES MADE SUCH AN IDIOTIC STATEMENT?
I tell you, this country is CUT TO PIECES! We should feel like the people of the Old Testament in verse 30 of our text. We read, “And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day...”
But, as horrible as it is that our schools and the politicians of this nation are CUT TO PIECES, it is even worse when it comes to...
III. THE CHURCH
• The concubine was CUT TO PIECES PHYSICALLY.
• The country is CUT TO PIECES MORALLY.
But, sad to say, the CHURCH is CUT TO PIECES SPIRITUALLY.
For example, you can go to professing Christians and show them that some of the liberal translations they call Bibles...
• Leave out the virgin birth in Matthew 1:25.
• Leave out repentance in Matthew 9:13.
• Leave out God in Matthew 6:33.
• Leave out the name of Jesus in Matthew 8:29.
• Leave out many verses altogether, such as: Matt. 17:21, Matt. 23:14, Matt. 18:11, Mark 9:46, Mark 11:26, Mark 15:28, Luke 17:36, Luke 23:17, John 5:4, Acts 8:37, Acts 15:34, Acts 24:7, Acts 28:29, Romans 16:24, and I John 5:8.
Yes, liberalism has swept into almost every church in America. In order to get the crowds, liberal churches today will do almost anything. That is, they will do almost anything except PREACH THE WORD OF GOD!
The reason they will not do that is because they know the last thing many of those attending want to hear, is a sermon on how they should live the Christian life. Why? Because they want to live the Christian life according to their definition of how it should be lived, and their definition of how it should be lived does not line up with the Word of God! The church today is CUT TO PIECES!
We looked at the CONCUBINE, the COUNTRY, and our CHURCHES, but let us look at...
IV. THE CURE
It is found in the book of Nehemiah. We read about Nehemiah, who was in captivity and heard that the walls of the holy city of Jerusalem had been torn down. When Nehemiah heard this news, he was shocked and saddened.
Look at Nehemiah 1:4. We read, “And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven.”
Notice, the news was so devastating that it drove him to do five things:
(1) HE SAT DOWN. Now it is not hard to get people to do that. But, he did not sit down because he was lazy. He sat down because the news of the walls being torn down almost caused him to faint.
(2) HE WEPT. If you ask people if they care about the COUNTRY and the CHURCH being cut to pieces, they will say, “Sure I care!” But when was the last time you saw someone crying because of what is happening in this COUNTRY, and in our CHURCHES? But notice, the news was so shocking that the Bible tells us...
(3) HE MOURNED CERTAIN DAYS. This was very devastating news. His country had been CUT TO PIECES, and now his HEART WAS CUT TO PIECES!
(4) HE FASTED. You can tell when a godly person is concerned about something. That thing becomes more important to him than food itself. NEHEMIAH FASTED!
(5) HE PRAYED BEFORE GOD. Last of all, the Bible tells us that HE PRAYED BEFORE GOD. He did the most POSITIVE thing that we Christians can do. HE PRAYED BEFORE GOD.
I believe if we had been privileged to hear those prayers, we would have heard a man of God crying, and pouring his heart out before God. Because he did these FIVE things, God used him to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
If Christians across this nation will quit compromising with this ungodly society in which we live, and do these five things, we will also see the “spiritual walls” that once surrounded our country rebuilt.
Conclusion:
I. THE CONCUBINE
II. THIS COUNTRY
III. THE CHURCH
IV. THE CURE
Note: You can hear Dr. Odell Belger preach on Youtube. Go to Youtube and type in the word Lykesland
