The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 19:11-12,
"When they were near Jebus [Jerusalem] and the day was almost gone,
the servant said to his master, 'Come, let's stop at this city of the
Jebusites and spend the night.' His master replied, 'No. We won't go
into an alien city, whose people are not Israelites.'"
The master in this account was a Levite who had an unfaithful
concubine that deserted him and went to her father's house, where he
went to retrieve her after four months. The apparent joy of this
father is evident to me with the way he regaled the Levite when he
arrived, extending his stay almost a week. I can't help but think this
conveys how excited this concubine's father was that the Levite came
to take her away, out of his home. I could be wrong about that... just
musing here.
The father lived in Bethlehem and on the trip back to the Levite's
home in a "remote area in the hill country of Ephraim" is where this
suggestion by the Levite's servant took place.
This Levite rejected the suggestion of the servant. He was not going
to spend the night in the non-Israelite city of Jerusalem. (This
episode took place prior to Israel taking Jerusalem and was inhabited
by the Jebusites.) Far better to take their chances of getting to a
Jewish town, a town with "God's people" than spend the night in a town
of non-Jews!
After arriving in the Benjamite town of Gibeah, what did they find
there? A town filled with inhospitable people who refused to take them
in for the night, save one old man. This town of Benjamin was filled
with "wicked men", predatory homosexuals that demanded the old man
send the Levite out so they could have their way with them. Apparently
these men missed the memo that homosexuality is a perfectly legitimate
and normal lifestyle that doesn't harm anyone... In any event, these
wonderful specimens of humanity raped the Levite's concubine all
night, murdering her.
The story does not place the Levite and the old man in much better
light either. They offered up the concubine and the old man's virgin
daughter all too willingly in an effort to save their own skins.
As I think of the servant's suggestion that they spend the night in
non-Jewish Jerusalem, possibly the Levite should have listened to him.
Instead, he opted for the comfort and safety of his own people, "God's
people."
Do you ever wonder why it is that the people of the world at times
seem more inviting, more comforting, more "safe" to be around than
those who claim to be God's people? I don't know about you, but it
seems the biggest challenges I have faced in my life have been with
those who would represent themselves as "God's people". In every case,
and it seems there have been many, there has always been a common
theme - a lack of love.
Just because some think of themselves as God's people, it doesn't
necessarily make it so. The one determining factor of whether or not a
people really are God's is love, "This is how we know who the children
of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not
do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not
love his brother." 1 John 3:10. It is just that simple.
I have been around those who are truly God's people and there is no
better place to be. One of the many wonderful blessings God provides
us are sisters and brothers who emulate the qualities of Jesus Christ
himself. These are the ones who truly love. These are the ones who are
a joy and blessing to be around. Better than the people of this world
and better than those who claim to be God's yet lack the
authenticating love that evidences such, the true people of God - the
ones who truly love are wonderful.
Why are they so wonderful? Filled with God's Holy Spirit, they begin
to manifest God's very nature, exposing the beauty of God with their
own lives. They don't make themselves wonderful, God makes them
wonderful. I am reminded of Paul's comment, "For those God foreknew he
also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he
might be the firstborn among many brothers." Romans 8:29. God himself
conforms us to the beauty of Jesus' own character and nature. No
wonder God's people are such a joy to be around!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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