ROOTED - Friday, February 27, 2026
Judges 20:1, 2
1 Then all the people of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled as one man to the Lord at Mizpah. 2 And the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 men on foot that drew the sword.
Reflection: Two Cities: Gibeah and Bethlehem, Part 1
Written By: Pastor Jesse Caro
These are some of the saddest chapters in Israel’s history. They are hard to read, but I encourage you over the next three devotionals to pay attention to a larger story, in which two cities (Gibeah and Bethlehem) are introduced and contrasted.
This gruesome story unfolds in chapter 19. A Levite takes a concubine/wife from Bethlehem. On a journey back home to the hill country of Ephraim, they stop in the city of Gibeah… a city among the Tribe of Benjamin (one of the 12 Tribes of Israel). A nice, older man invites the travelers to stay at his house. During the evening, some wicked men of Gibeah go to the home and make demands of the homeowner. “The man that is staying with you as a guest, bring him to us so that we may rape him” (I am paraphrasing). The homeowner says, “No. He is my guest. Take my virgin daughters instead to rape, but you are not taking my guest.” The wicked men, intent on evil, take the Levite’s concubine/wife and abuse her through the night. In the morning the Levite sees his wife at the homeowner’s front door, dead. The Levite then puts the dead body on his donkey and returns home to Ephraim, where he cuts his wife’s body into 12 pieces and sends the pieces to the 12 Tribes. Gruesome!
When the Tribes are made aware of the body, and the crime that took place in Gibeah, they are, understandably, outraged. The leaders of the eleven Tribes (minus Benjamin) convene and decide that the wickedness was so great that they must declare war against the Tribe of Benjamin and remove it from the people of Israel. Civil War!!! The people of Benjamin rally behind the city of Gibeah and a war begins. Nearly 50,000 people die and the Tribe of Benjamin is wiped out, minus 600 men… a near annihilation. [It is horrific, by the way, how they give these 600 survivors the option for choosing wives in chapter 21]
As far as stories go, this one ranks up there with one of the top-five most disturbing in all the Bible. It causes a civil war. These men of Gibeah do an unthinkable act of evil. However, this story’s importance will make sense over the next few days. I trust that you might be convinced of the value of 1) reading large portions of the Bible at once, and of 2) reading straight through from Genesis to Revelation.
Prayer
Lord, help us to see important connections and themes in the Bible as we continue to read through from beginning to end. Open our eyes to new things as we read and follow along.