Friday, November 16, 2018

(11/16/2018) An Account of Lawlessness



A depiction of the Levite whose concubine was attacked at Gibeah by men from the tribe of Benjamin.



Today, points are shared on topics that include accountability, covenant law, priesthood, reconciliation, and sacrifice within marriage. Divine justice and the sacred process of judgment are ongoing, and do not depend upon human institutions, politics, or secular knowledge among men. Early Israel was not organized as a kingdom, and neither law enforcement nor judgment were administered by a centralized government, or by one who was anointed to be chief and ruler. Their struggle continued to complete driving from the Promised Land the original nations that were in covenant with GOD. The voices of those serving as Levites, priests and deliverers (judges) were often contested. A fighter in the “Yahoo! Answers” public forum on Religion and Spirituality, who uses the ID “Pat C.” (Level 7 with 49,625 points, a member since December 10, 2011) posted the following:



What's the moral of the story of the Levite and his concubine? It's ok to send a girl out to be raped all night then cut her into 12 pieces?



THE GOLDEN ARROW: And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehemjudah. And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her fathers house to Bethlehemjudah, and was there four whole months. 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 fathers house to Bethlehem Judah, and was there four whole months. (Judges 19: 1-3, King James Version, KJV)



THE DOUBLE DAGGER: That GOD Is Judge (11/01/2018); Divine Law Is Demanding (04/10/2018); A Lawless, Violent GOD? (11/16/2017); Making and Keeping Justice? (05/25/2017); No Excuses For Judgment (07/26/2016); To Study the Book of Judges (09/09/2015); The Bible and Genealogy (09/10/2013); Why GOD Does Not Tell All (09/11/2013)



Pat C.”, here are some points of consideration shared among Christian believers that provide divine correction and proper understanding for the account you refer to from the Book of Judges that resulted in civil war, and the near destruction of a single tribe:

1. The framework of divine law is provided to permit choice guided by consciousness and self-will, rather than appetite, sensation, emotion, and mind. In the language of the holy writings, the hosting of sin within the heart and pursuing the operations of sin appearing as desire are iniquity, lawlessness, and wickedness. It is because of sin that divine instruction and law have been proclaimed for created beings and living creatures.

2. While an entire generation of those from Egypt heard the voice of GOD proclaiming covenant law for their affiliation with divinity and for themselves to continue in association with mankind as a full nation rather than a family or collection of tribes, a single figure (monarch) or mechanism to enforce the sanctions within the law was not established.

3. The pattern for government provided by Moses centered in collective worship with the daily and routine resolution of conflicts and the settlement of disputes being performed through the system of captains and judges over units that increased in size (10s, 20s, 50s, 100s, etc.). Every member within the camp was to respond with self-government displayed as commitment, conscience, faith, and obedience to the law.

4. The pattern for holy matrimony in the Scriptures is that of offering and sacrifice wherein a woman leaves her mother and father; is joined to her husband to be one flesh before GOD through operations performed by the Spirit; comes under the authority and law of her husband; and continues in shared, unselfish commitment.

5. Outrage, transgression and violations of the covenant law were to be published and reported throughout the entire covenant community as admonition, correction, guidance, and rebuke.

6. The wife who left her husband and returned to her fathers house (we say, returned home) is characterized as having “played the whore” (i.e., offered herself as a sex object and romantic partner to men outside the marriage relationship for gifts, goods, favor, payments, etc.).

7. The 27,000 men of Benjamin refused to be held accountable, or take responsibility to investigate and punish the crime that had been committed among themselves; and the tribe determined to withstand the condemnation of the more than 400,000 fighters with the collected elders and spokespersons of the covenant.

There is far more that should be said, correctly examined, and spiritually apprehended. (For example, 8. During the course of warfare, the combined tribes pronounced a curse on Benjamin, and swore to never intermarry with that tribe; however, when only 600 men from Benjamin survived the armed conflict, a solution through marriage was chosen to continue their divine inheritance, and repopulate their lands.) Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according to your faith.

THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

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