THE LEVITE AND HIS CONCUBINE Ifhe episode of the two carved and molded images of Micah, reveals the blindness of the insight that dwelt upon the people, not just on the individual level, but upon that of the whole congregation, who assumed that they bring pleasure to God by setting ephods, Teraphims, and having priests, even those who belong to the tribe of Levi, and even if that is done by force and stealing; …….. The present episode of a Levite and his concubine, with whom his brethren, (the sons of Belial) committed evil all the night long until dawn, and she came to fall down dead at the door of her master; reveals the horror of the ethical corruption that dwelt upon them at that time. 1- A traveler Levite and his concubine 1 - 10 2- The Levite turns aside to lodge in Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin 11 – 30 1- A TRAVELER LEVITE AND HIS CONCUBINE: The concubine was counted as a legitimate wife, even though in a lesser level than the regular one; for she was most probably a slave bought with a price, or a captivate of war. https://coptic-treasures.com/ “ And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. But his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him to her father’s house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there four whole months. Then her husband arose and went after her, to speak kindly to her and bring her back, having his servant and a couple of donkeys with him. So she brought him into her father’s house; and when the father of the young woman saw him, he was glad to meet him. Now his father-in-law, the young woman’s father, detained him; and he stayed with him three days. So they ate and drank and lodged there. Then it came to pass on the fourth day that they arose early in the morning, and he stood to depart; but the young woman’s father said to his son-in-law, ‘Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way’. So they sat down, and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the young woman’s father said to the man, ‘Please be content to stay all night, and let your heart be merry’ And when the man stood to depart, his father-inlaw urged him; so he lodged there again. Then he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart, https://coptic-treasures.com/ but the young woman’s father said, ‘Please refresh your heart’. So they delayed until afternoon; and both of them ate. And when the man stood to depart—he and his concubine and his servant—his father-in-law, the young woman’s father, said to him, ’“Look, the day is now drawing toward evening; please spend the night. See, the day is coming to an end; lodge here, that your heart may be merry. Tomorrow go your way early, so that you may get home’.” (1 – 9). 2- THE LEVITE TURNS ASIDE TO LODGE IN GIBEAH WHICH BELONGS TO BENJAMIN: “However, the man was not willing to spend that night; so he rose and departed, and came opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). With him were the two saddled donkeys; his concubine was also with him. They were near Jebus, and the day was far spent; and the servant said to his master, ‘Come, please, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites and lodge in it’. But his master said to him, ‘We will not turn aside here into a city of foreigners, who are not of the children of Israel; we will go on to https://coptic-treasures.com/ Gibeah’. So he said to his servant’ ‘Come, let us draw near to one of these places, and spend the night in Gibeah or in Ramah’. And they passed by and went their way; and the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. They turned aside there to go in to lodge in Gibeah. And when he went in, he sat down in the open square of the city, for no one would take them into his house to spend the night.. Just then an old man came in from his work in the field at evening, who also was from the mountains of Ephraim; he was staying in Gibeah, whereas the men of the place were Benjamites.. And when he raised his eyes, he saw the traveler in the open square of the city; and the old man said, ‘Where are you going, and where do you come from?’ So he said to him, ‘We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah toward the remote mountains of Ephraim; I am from there. I went to Bethlehem in Judah; now I am going to the house of the LORD. But there is no one who will take me into his house, although we have both straw and fodder for our donkeys, and bread and wine for myself, for your female servant, and for the young man who is with your servant; there is no lack of anything’ , And the old man said, ‘Peace be with you! However, let all your needs be my responsibility; only do not spend the night in the open square.’ So he brought him into his house, and gave fodder https://coptic-treasures.com/ to the donkeys. And they washed their feet, and ate and drank.. The crime of the people of Gibeah: As they were enjoying themselves, suddenly certain men of the city, perverted men, surrounded the house and beat on the door. They spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, ‘Bring out the man who came to your house, that we may know him carnally!’. But the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, ‘No, my brethren! I beg you, do not act so wickedly! Seeing this man has come into my house, do not commit this outrage. Look, here is my virgin daughter and the man’s] concubine; let me bring them out now. Humble them, and do with them as you please; but to this man do not do such a vile thing!’ But the men would not heed him. So the man took his concubine and brought her out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until morning; and when the day began to break, they let her go. Then the woman came as the day was dawning, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her master was, till it was light. When her master arose in the https://coptic-treasures.com/ morning, and opened the doors of the house and went out to go his way, there was his concubine, fallen at the door of the house with her hands on the threshold. And he said to her, ‘Get up and let us be going’. But there was no answer. So the man lifted her onto the donkey; and the man got up and went to his place” (10 – 28) If the concubine previously committed evil by her own will, for the sake of her own body pleasure, Now she dies because of the same sin; her evil desire became for her the sting of death. Having her hands stretched on the threshold, was a sign of crying out to her man, who, in cowardice, brought her out to the perverted men to abuse her all night long, so that he, himself, would sleep in peace inside the house. ………... She was as though addresses his human conscience, in a way that would never go away from his memory all the days of his life. “When he entered his house he took a knife, laid hold of his concubine, and divided her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel” (29). . His great anger made him commit such a horrible act, to stir up all Israel; ……… .. “And so it was that all who saw it said, ‘No such a deed has been done or seen from the day that the children of Israel came up from the land of Egypt until this day; consider it, confer, and speak up” (30) https://coptic-treasures.com/ It was indeed a bitter episode that reveals the extent of horror and violence that dwelt upon the people at that time. In a newsletter to the bishops, writing about the bitterness that dwelt upon the church because of the Arian heresy, Pope St. Athansius the apostolic, found no other analogy to the sufferings through which the church was going through, but to say that the church’s suffering is greater than that of the Levite concerning his wife; for the later was harmed in one person – his wife; whereas what Arius has done harmed the faith of the whole church.
Welcome