Bible Connect (Week 15 day 5)
� Reading 5 - Judges 19-21
19 - Our reading closes this week with the second appendix, the story of another civil war. These chap- ters recount one tribe’s terrible immorality and the aftermath. Judges 19 starts the story with a man los- ing his concubine (a kind of secondary wife) and finding her again (verses 1-3). All seems well until they end up in a city that doesn’t extend hospitality to strangers (verse 13), a terrible violation of the custom of hospitality. In a day without hotels this simply was not done. Verses 22-30 show how this town is the sec- ond coming of Genesis 19 and Sodom and Gomorrah! The man’s callousness in verse 28 is sickening.
20 - Chapter 20 shows things going from bad to worse. Benjamin defends the evil men instead of giving them up (verse 13) and full-fledged civil war erupts. As we read the accounts of the three battles (verses 19-35) the obvious question is why didn’t they immediately prevail over Benjamin since their cause was just? But notice the presumption in what they are doing. First, they only ask “who will go?” not “should we go” (verse 18). They do ask counsel in verse 23 but only after already setting the battle line again (verse 22). Finally they ask if they should go (verse 28) and it is clear the defeats have driven them to humility and the Lord.
21 - Chapter 21 ends the story and the book with Israel realizing they have gone further in the slaugh- ter then perhaps they intended (verse 3). What follows is some chicanery to get around a rash oath and save the tribe of Benjamin that looks like an Old Testament version of Sadie Hawkins day (verses 16-24)! Verse 25 is the last word in Judges and it leaves the reader hungering for some leadership that can bring these people back to the Lord.
2 - This is one of the most important chapters in the Bible. Note the key role the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures play in “birthing” the church. People get confused in verse 1 and fail to realize that “they” refers to the apostles (1:26). The apostles are the only ones who receive this special baptism, not the entire 120 as- sembled. Confusion reigns again in verse 4, where some try to make this ecstatic utterances. It is clearly foreign languages, as the people assembled can understand what is said (verse 11). Peter begins his sermon at nine o’clock in the morning (verse 15) and it is full of Scriptural references. Verse 34 again brings Psalm 110 to the fore to point out Jesus’ superiority to David. Jesus is King and Messiah (verse 36b).
Applications from This Week’s Readings
We have witnessed, via Luke’s inspired pen, the most important events in human history: Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection three days later. The first question is “Do you believe what Luke wrote here?” It is credible and authentic history. So, the second question is even more important: “Will you follow Jesus?”