“We can‚’t give them our daughters as wives, since we Israelites have taken this oath: ‘Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to a Benjamite.’ But look, there is the annual festival of the LORD in Shiloh, to the north of Bethel, and east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, and to the south of Lebonah.”
So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, “Go and hide in the vineyards and watch. When the girls of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing, then rush from the vineyards and each of you seize a wife from the girls of Shiloh and go to the land of Benjamin. When their fathers or brothers complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Do us a kindness by helping them, because we did not get wives for them during the war, and you are innocent, since you did not give your daughters to them.’””
(Judg 21:18-22 NIV)
So they made and oath in their rage and then had to figure out a way to trick God and get out of it, because they couldn’t bear the consequences of their oath.
The book of Judges is so crazy. The last verse is a good thesis statement for the whole book:
In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.
(Judges 21:25 NIV)
I just read today about Vice-President Dick Cheney’s daughter having a baby. She is a lesbian and has a partner of 15 years and at 37 has had a baby and all kinds of people are in an uproar about it. I think she herself said the best thing about it the whole thing,
‘This is a baby. This is a blessing from God. It is not a political statement. It is not a prop to be used in a debate by people on either side of an issue. It is my child.’
I think that is a great statement, but that statement itself is REALLY political! Anyway, as I read the critics and fans talk about how a child can be raised with two mommies as well as he can be raised by a mommy and a daddy, I just think, what a bummer.
What a bummer that the world doesn’t see that the Church has better, stronger, more life in its families than the world. Bummer that the world doesn’t see that a family full of God isn’t any better than a family with two moms or dads.
What does this have to do with the Benjamites and their wives?
In ancient Israel, they had no king. Everyone did whatever they wanted. It really is the same today. Whatever is deep inside of you is going to come out, and as it comes out and is shown to the world, people seem to dress it up with whatever ideology that matches it.
What if the issue for this lady wasn’t being gay or having a baby with two mommies or anything else?
What if the issue was Jesus?
What if the issue wasn’t whether people were living together when they weren’t married?
What if the issue was Jesus?
What if the issue wasn’t how do we keep this oath that we made before God and still have wives for the Benjamites?
What if the issue was Jesus?
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.
(Romans 14:13 NIV)
How can this lady take her child to church when The Church has said a million times in a million ways that she shouldn’t live like this and shouldn’t have this baby?
I have a bad feeling that in the Muslim world, the Gay world, and a couple other areas, the church is going to find itself stuck looking back on the things it said and have trouble finding a bride for Christ among the tribes.