Levite and his concubine
(Judges 19)
“And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold. 28And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. 29And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.” Judges 19: 27-29
It had not spared my then- solitary-single blessedness life to a domestic married bliss in front of our joint purchased 75cm Flat TV, birthed into a comforting hub of my creative and reflective juices from flipping pages of my fave books to a complex cable fueled receptive technology by just sitting next to a bowl of popcorn.
One squinting sunny morning as I tucked my 7 months old son in snugly to a pillow that saved my numbing arm. I hurried and somehow teleported to a our makeshift-loft in front of this life-sized TV but it wasnt visible enough as I found myself enthralled in my daily Bible devotion specifically anchored my neck onto Judge 19 passage. Time flew by so swiftly as I little did I know I was re-awakened by my son’s crying. He was just an inch away from the edge of the bed, resembling my astonishment and frozen wonderment finding my self slipped off from the couch seconds before I rushed to my son’s impending accident. It churned my stomach from the aforementioned passage’s billowing dark and unsettling content, structure and disturbing texture. Why this even in the Bible? though it has some parallel nuances with Genesis 19 about Sodom and Gomorrah but unlike the former, this at least “LORD” was uttered, “Two angels gave warning” and eventually “salvation” granted to the households of Abraham minus Lot’s wife who turned into a pilar of salt. It started off very grim already, v.1 “In those days Israel had no king….”; and the chapter finished provoking further chaos and billowing war among tribes.
I overcame and eventually endured few phobias in my life(i.e., bloods, heights, bulgary, snakes and drowning) by simply exposing myself into, though as you undoubtedly agreed, it’s not a straight forward one and required a significant dose of bravery and courage. But trust me, you only realize after that “exposure” that your nemesis was yourself all along. As I cringed to the flashes of endless names and faces of nefariousness in this world, I tried to shush them away but instead the persisting tranced of scenes I’ve seen recently in Netflix (and if you haven’t watched the Netflix series Monster: the Jeffrey Dahmer Story, then my honest advice is, don
’t. I’m not saying that lightly. My tolerance threshold for disturbing viewing is high, and there is little in the way of guts and gore that upsets me. But hold off, buckle up: The accelerating, exhilarating, and redemptive ride of Joseph’s journey suddenly slammed the brakes on Genesis 38, the side story of Judah and Tamar. Again another dark display of broken promises, deception, immorality, and incest!
History and time also telling us that the same single spark of sin germinates into a grotesque monster gluttonously devouring flesh alive. The world had indelibly scarred by: Holocaust, deliberately murdered over 6 million Jews. Isn’t it our Holy Scripture’s all-veritas! the unshakeable TRUTH speaking to us in a megaphone and verily it hurts and puking. Behold, Its authority and inspiration book is no Little Mermaid tale!!!
Its geographical and historical perspective of Judges’ book clearly telling us and even re-echoed at the last verse of that chapter: “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Judges 21:25. Indeed, we need a leader, a Shepherd in the context of a lost and selfish flocks. Believing in our self, is such a deceiving intent that will lead us into the snare of the lies brought by our enemy. This would too enlightened us of Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
LEVITE
However, underneath its blatant portrayal of dripping blood of concubine is the truth: the vast mural of human depravity. We hate but we are the exact manifestation and reflection of a present Levites who’s overly conscious before society’s eyes and self-centeredness: prestige, reputation, possessions and the likes. 
I have finished all the episodes of the aforementioned Netflix series, in one sitting. Yes it started off with the nauseating images of unspeakable evilness and madness of a depraved being is capable of but at the last episode a piercing reflection….literally a reflection as I turned off now the television, a silhouetted figure of a man…myself on the blank screen:
(spoiler)
THE OLD MAN
The Netflix adaptation’s (in my actor’s eyes) is applaudable. More so, it left a question to the viewers from the narrative-cerebral witness of the protaganist’s next door neighbor, Glenda Cleveland (self professed Christian, black woman in a predominated white american residents in Milwaukee, Wisconsin). She had fought most of her life since the cremation of the corpse; advocating and campaigning justice mainly to the victims. Jeffrey had repented and eventually baptized proclaiming his surrendered life to JESUS, but shortly afterwards was brutally murdered by his fellow inmate. Glenda’s good intentions and dedications resembles Old man’s (owner of the house) concern and sympathy but turned out to be the most villain of the story as he seized levite’s concubine and brough her out..[v.25] I caught myself wincing and the blank black screen of the TV and silhoute of a figure resurfaced. The reality of sin is so real that we humans trying to avoid and neutralizing it with priciplaities, political correctness and certain good “law”. We sometimes are quick to judge especially in this times that social and crooked moral tensions pressed against God’s word. We may see it even in our personal level the madness and wickedness brought by this deceiving world but through it all we see the grace of God. Despite how widespread our depravity could reach, abundance of God’s mercy conquers it all. Think of Peter, he denies Jesus not just once but three times. Levites who supposed to be the spiritual representaion, throw out in the pitch black pit his very own concubine.
Romans 5:20 says, “God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.)
Who are we to judge and question God’s sovereignty. “Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’
Does your work say, ‘The potter has no hands’? Woe to the one who says to a father,
‘What have you begotten?’ or to a mother, ‘What have you brought to birth?’ Isaiah 45:9-10
THE CONCUBINE
Now enough of this remote control at your couch and “figures” reflected on the screen. Let’s shut our eyes and ears even for just a snippet
of time. Who is this concubine? : Raped. Naked, blood all over, inching her remaining signs of life with her fingers into your door step. Can’t we see the poignant resemblance of Jesus’ reputation and suffering: unnamed (until His 30 years), carpenter’s son, vulnerable, stripped off, mocked, spat on, smitten, lashed off, pierced on the sides…and crucified… killed and died! The story of concubine ended up slicing every piece of her (into twelve) for revenge and war. But three days on, Jesus’s tomb was empty, the stone was moved, …He resurrected. He’s alive for you and for me. Salvation granted. Amen.
“For God so loved the world that he send His only Son, Lord Jesus Christ that whosoever believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
AMEN.
