A life without God can be cruel

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As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded the house, beating on the door. And they said to the old man, the master of the house, “Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may know him.” And the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not act so wickedly; since this man has come into my house, do not do this vile thing. Behold, here are my virgin daughter and his concubine. Let me bring them out now. Violate them and do with them what seems good to you, but against this man do not do this outrageous thing.” But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until the morning. And as the dawn began to break, they let her go. And as morning appeared, the woman came and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her master was, until it was light. And her master rose up in the morning, and when he opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, behold, there was his concubine lying at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold. He said to her, “Get up, let us be going.” But there was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey, and the man rose up and went away to his home. And when he entered his house, he took a knife, and taking hold of his concubine he divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel. And all who saw it said, “Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day that the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day; consider it, take counsel, and speak.”
Judges 19:20-30 (ESV)

We ask ourselves, why are such texts found in the Bible? Anyone who feels shocked by the text they read today is not alone in that feeling.


1. Brutality and cruelty

The text in chapter 19 of Richter reveals a brutality and cruelty that is almost unbearable. How could the man be so selfish as to sacrifice his wife to escape? How could the master of the house conceive such a cruel idea as handing over his virgin daughter? And what is wrong with the citizens of Gibeah that they would commit such a heinous atrocity? Indeed, today's text seems anything but edifying. Nevertheless, the question remains: what is this text trying to tell us?


2. Key to understanding


I think we can find a key to understanding this in chapter 19, verse 1. There we learn that at that time there was no king in Israel. The people were without leadership, without guidance, and therefore ultimately without God. This very tension is reflected in the Book of Judges. The people repeatedly turned away from God and distanced themselves from God's word.


3. Consult and reflect


The people went astray because they had no one to guide them. They were on the road to ruin. The man, too, was shocked by the cruelty. Therefore, he made a powerful appeal to the people of Israel: Now think about this, discuss it, and speak out! Such cruelty, then or now, cannot leave us unmoved. Human beings without God are not free but are at the mercy of demonic powers. Without God, sin and violence are given free rein. We must not simply close our eyes!

How do we deal with the cruelties of this world? Do we hide and hope for a better time? We are placed right in the middle of this world, and we know a cure! Jesus came into this world because he had, and still has, his heart set on humanity. He was filled with love. This world needs a king—Jesus! Only he can help, heal, and free people from the prison of cruelty!


4. Follow God's word


Can we accept others as they are, with their opinions, or do we perhaps reject them? If so, we cannot treat them as God's Word desires. Jesus wants us to love and accept one another as he loves us. Only then will something of his love become visible in this world and in this time. Let us pray for this today!

but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 1. John 2:5 (ESV) 

Author: Egon Waechter
Images: https://pixabay.com/de

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