This second story also takes place when there was no king in Israel (v1). It also involves a Levite and the town of Bethlehem, as did the previous story. The Levite took a concubine, a fact that is presented without moral judgment. At the time, taking a “lesser wife” (as some call it) was not full of stigma as it would be today in the Body of Christ. However, it should be noted that it was contrary to the account of the creation of Adam and Eve in Gen. 2. But it had become so common that even in the Law of Moses there were some protections for concubines (Ex. 21:7; Deut. 21:10-14). We can say, for the Levite, that he did show good character when he went to retrieve his adulterous concubine, speaking kindly to her, as it says.
What most people would find shocking, concerning the Levite, is his treatment of the woman when they were under threat from the men of Gibeah. To many people this is unbelievable. But I would suggest the reason you find it so shocking is that you do not understand how the “mystery of iniquity” (forces of evil) work in a society. Remember that this is not the first such situation; Lot was ready to do the same thing in Sodom in Gen. 19:8.
While you think about that, let me add this about both the old man and the Levite. They both had good thoughts about how they should live in their society. The old man knew that hospitality to strangers was a good thing; it was a tradition that was vanishing from Gibeonite society. The Levite thought that staying in an Israelite city should be better than staying in the city of pagans. But the Gibeonites had lost their identity as the treasured and chosen people of YAHWEH, becoming like the pagans.
In the end, both the old man and the Levite were ready to sacrifice the women for their own safety; and they did! Again, that might seem shocking. But I would submit to you that it was not only the place to which pagan society had come; it is the place that Western societies are headed.
In the USA we have the same mixed up mess of values that were evident in the two men in the story. On the one hand, we are ready to pounce on those guilty of rape and abuse of women. On the other hand, we protect the pornographers who belittle (abuse) women with their pictures; and protect the right of women to denigrate themselves by dressing in a manner that invites the attention of men for evil purposes. We cry out for women to have equal rights, equal pay, and the authority over their own bodies (i.e. the right to take the life in the womb). At the same time, we belittle women who are full-time moms, and who submit to and honor their husbands.
We are not making a political statement here; ultimately, our laws reflect our morals. This is a moral and spiritual issue. With all the emphasis on the rights of women in the last hundred years plus, are women safer or more valued than before? I would say, no! We have sacrificed what the Creator had in mind for men and women; we should not be shocked when the weaker sex is shoved out the door to face a perverse society, a society where everyone does what is right in his own eyes.
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