Right in Their Own Eyes

Good morning.

My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church,

and it's my joy to bring God's Word to you today.

A special welcome if you're new or visiting with us.

We're glad that you're here, and we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats,

but because we're following Jesus together as one community.

And as we follow Jesus together, we've become convinced that there's no one so good,

they don't need God's grace, and no one so bad that they can't have it,

which is why we come back week after week to hear what God has to say to us in His Word.

We're continuing our study in the book of Judges.

In fact, we're coming near to the very end of it.

We just have a few Sundays left in this book,

and you'll remember that the book of Judges is about a number of things.

It's about the need for constant renewal and revival among God's people.

It's about the need for a faithful and true king,

a king who can do what no human can do,

which is to change the hearts of men.

It's about the power of Spirit-filled leadership,

and it's about God's mercy to hard-hearted people,

people like you and me.

Last week, we finished chapter 18,

and in finishing that chapter, we finished the story of Micah.

You'll remember that his story did not end well.

The people of Dan came,

and they stole the idols that he had spent so much money and energy on.

And not only did they steal his idols,

they also hired away the Levite that he was so proud to have in his house.

And so we saw that in the end,

idols can't save,

they can't deliver,

they can't protect.

In the end,

idols will always break your heart.

That was a story for Micah,

the story for us as well,

that the worship of the true God

is the only safe worship.

We turn now to Judges chapter 19,

Judges 19 · chapter mention

which continues the downward spiral

that we've been in for some time.

And this chapter is arguably the most tragic,

the most violent,

the most gruesome story in the entire Bible.

There are 66 chapters in the Bible,

39 in the Old Testament,

27 in the New Testament,

and there are nearly 1,200 chapters in the Bible.

And I would submit to you this morning

that this chapter,

of almost 1,200 chapters,

is in fact the worst of all.

And that's what we're told at the very end.

The last verse,

verse 30 of chapter 19,

says this,

such a thing has never happened

or been seen

from the day that the people of Israel

came up out of the land of Egypt

until this day.

And so as we come to

what is a tragic and gruesome story,

it's important to recognize

that perhaps for many of us

it may stir up all sorts of things

inside of us.

Things that we've seen

or experienced

or heard about.

And it may be difficult

to listen to

for a variety of reasons

that have nothing to do

with the passage itself.

And so I just want to remind us

as we come together,

as maybe things are stirred up

inside of you,

that God is still with you

in that moment.

That His word is good.

That we can trust

that He'll use it.

We can trust

that His grace

is enough.

So we come now

to a sober story

that reminds us,

shows us,

warns us

about what happens

when everyone does

what's right

in their own eyes.

And so with that,

I invite you to turn with me

to Judges chapter 19.

Judges 19 · chapter mention

You can turn in your Bible,

you can turn on your phone,

you can turn in your worship guide.

No matter where you turn,

remember that this is God's word.

And God tells us

that His word

is more precious than gold,

even the finest gold,

and it's sweeter than honey,

even honey that comes straight

from the honeycomb.

And so that's why we read now

Judges chapter 19,

Judges 19 · chapter mention

starting in verse 1.

In those days,

when there was no king

in Israel,

a certain Levite

was sojourning

in the remote parts

of the hill country

of Ephraim,

who took to himself

a concubine

from Bethlehem

in Judah.

And his concubine

was unfaithful to him,

and she went away

from him

to her father's house

at Bethlehem

in Judah,

and was there

for some four months.

Then her husband arose

and went after her

to speak kindly to her

and bring her back.

He had with him

his servant

and a couple of donkeys,

and she brought him

into her father's house.

And when the girl's father

saw him,

he came with joy

to meet him.

And his father-in-law,

the girl's father,

made him stay,

and he remained

with him three days.

So they ate and drank

and spent the night there.

And on the fourth day,

they arose early

in the morning,

and he prepared to go.

But the girl's father

said to his son-in-law,

Strengthen your heart

with a morsel of bread,

and after that,

you may go.

Verse 6.

So the two of them

sat and ate

and drank together.

And the girl's father

said to the man,

Be pleased to spend the night

and let your heart

be merry.

And when the man

rose up to go,

his father-in-law

pressed him

till he spent the night

there again.

And on the fifth day,

he arose early

in the morning

to depart.

And the girl's father

said,

Strengthen your heart

and wait

until the day declines.

So they ate

both of them.

And when the man

and his concubine

and his servant

rose up to depart

his father-in-law,

the girl's father

said to him,

Behold,

now the day

has waned

toward evening.

Please spend the night.

Behold,

the day draws

to its close.

Lodge here

and let your heart

be merry.

And tomorrow

you shall arise

early in the morning

for your journey

and go home.

Verse 10.

But the man

would not spend the night.

He rose up

and departed

and arrived

opposite Jebus,

that is Jerusalem.

He had with him

a couple of saddled donkeys

and his concubine

was with him.

When they were near Jebus,

the day was nearly over

and the servant

said to his master,

Come now,

let us turn aside

to the city

of the Jebusites

and spend the night

in it.

And his master

said to him,

We will not turn aside

into the city

of foreigners

who do not belong

to the people of Israel,

but we will pass on

to Gibeah.

And he said

to his young man,

Come and let us

draw near

to one of these places

and spend the night

at Gibeah

or at Ramah.

So they passed on

and went on their way.

And the sun

went down on them

near Gibeah

which belongs

to Benjamin.

And they turned aside

there to go in

and spend the night

at Gibeah.

And he went in

and sat down

in the open square

of the city

for no one

took them into his house

to spend the night.

Verse 16,

And behold,

an old man

was coming from his work

in the field

at evening.

The man was from

the hill country

of Ephraim

and he was sojourning

in Gibeah.

The men of the place

were Benjaminites.

And he lifted up

his eyes

and 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?

And he said to him,

We are passing

from Bethlehem

in Judah

to the remote parts

of the hill country

of Ephraim

from which I come.

I went to Bethlehem

in Judah

and I am going

to the house

of the Lord

but no one

has taken me

into his house.

We have straw

and feed

for our donkeys

with bread

and wine

for me

and your female servant

and the young man

with your servants.

There is no lack

of anything.

And the old man said,

Peace be to you.

I will care

for all your wants.

Only do not spend

the night

in the square.

So he brought him

into his house

and gave the donkeys

feed

and they washed

their feet

and ate

and drank.

Verse 22.

As they were making

their hearts merry,

behold the men

of the city,

worthless fellows,

surrounded the house

beating on the door

and they said

to the old man,

the master of the house,

bring out the man

who came into your house

that we may know him.

And the man,

the master of the house

went out to them

and said to them,

No, my brothers,

do not act so wickedly.

Since this man

has come into my house,

do not do this vile thing.

Behold,

here are my virgin daughter

and his concubine.

Let me bring them out now.

Now,

violate them

and do with them

what seems good to you.

But against this man

do not do this outrageous thing.

But the men

would not listen to him.

So the man seized his concubine

and made her go out to them.

And they knew her

and abused her

all night

until the morning.

And as the dawn began to break,

they let her go.

And as morning appeared,

the woman came

and fell down

at the door

of the man's house

where her master was

until it was light.

Verse 27.

And her master

rose up in the morning

and when he opened

the doors of the house

and went out

to go on his way,

behold,

there was his concubine

lying at the door

of the house

with her hands

on the threshold.

He said to her,

Get up,

let us be going.

But there was no answer.

Then he put her

on the donkey

and the man rose up

and went away

to his home.

And when he entered

his house,

he took a knife

and taking hold

of his concubine,

he divided her

limb by limb

into twelve pieces

and sent her

throughout all

the territory

of Israel.

And all who saw

it said,

Such a thing

has never happened

or been seen

from the day

that the people

of Israel

came up

out of the land

of Egypt

until this day.

Consider it,

take counsel,

and speak.

I invite you

to pray with me

as we come

to this portion

of God's word.

Our Father in heaven,

we do praise you

and thank you

that your word

is good

and good for us,

that it's for our good

and for your glory.

And we ask

that you would help us

this morning

as we come

to an especially

challenging passage,

that you remind us

of your presence

with us,

you encourage us

with your love

for what's right

and just,

you'd use this passage

to challenge us,

to encourage us.

Most of all,

you'd remind us

of Jesus,

that we would see him

for who he is.

We'd know his mercy

and his grace

and his love,

that we would not do

what's right

in our own eyes,

but that we would

follow him

and trust him

as our king.

We ask these things

in his mighty name.

Amen.

Amen.

You may notice

some similarities

from last week

as we start out

once again

with a story

about a Levite,

a different Levite

than the one we saw

in chapters 17 and 18.

And we find out

immediately

that this Levite

takes a concubine

to himself.

In verse 2,

we find out

that the concubine,

as we're told,

is unfaithful to him.

It's unclear,

however,

what exactly

that means.

It could mean

that she was

with another man.

It could simply mean

that she went away

from him.

That could be

what it means

for her to be unfaithful,

that she left

to go back

to her father's house.

Regardless of what's happening,

we see in verses 2 and 3,

there's a time

that elapsed

of four months

and then finally

this man decides,

hey,

it's time for me

to go and pursue

this woman

to bring her back

so she's no longer

at her father's house.

Then we counter

this moment,

verses 4 through 10,

there is this

arm-wrestling match

between the husband,

the Levite,

and his father-in-law

about how long

exactly he's going

to stay.

He's pressed

over and over again

just to stay

another day,

enjoy another meal

with us.

And I don't want you

to miss the details here.

In verse 4,

we're told that

this father-in-law

has great joy

that this Levite

has finally

come back to him.

We're not told

how the concubine

feels about the fact

that he's come back.

There's a deafening

silence there.

Verses 9 through 10

become significant

because in all of this

pressure and negotiation

about how long

he's going to stay

at their house,

when he finally

has to draw a boundary

and say,

you know what,

we have to move on,

it doesn't happen

until the evening.

It is less than ideal

that he's traveling

at this time.

It's going to end up

putting him

in a bad position

later on.

And so he

and his gang,

his troop,

decide to move out.

It's time to continue

towards their destination.

And it makes sense

for them,

especially since

it's so late

in the day,

to stop at this

city of Jebus,

which is going to later

become the city

of Jerusalem.

But the Levite says,

look, I don't want

to stay here.

This is the land

of foreigners.

Let's go on

a little bit further

so that we can be

with God's people.

Let's go to Gibeah

or Ramah.

Why?

Well, the assumption

here is that

if they go

and they stay

with Israelites,

they are going

to receive

the hospitality,

the welcome,

the safety

that's not going

to be available

in a Canaanite city.

Of course,

the Canaanites

are crazy, right?

That's where something

bad might happen.

Let's go to where

it's safe.

Let's travel

just a little bit more

so we can be

with our own people.

We can feel

a little bit

of a shiver here

with him

in verse 14.

They're arriving

at this city

as the sun

is going down.

Again,

there's a lack

of wisdom here.

It's not strategic.

The ideal situation

would be for them

to arrive

when the sun

is out, right?

They're going

to have plenty

of time

to settle

themselves,

find a place

of safety,

identify a good

host.

And it's here

in the next verse

that this story

takes an ominous

turn.

He doesn't go

to Jebus.

That's where

the Canaanites

live.

He goes to

Gibeah.

That's where

the Israelites

are.

And yet,

he went in

and sat down

in the open

square of the city

for no one

took them

into his house

to spend

the night.

So we know

something's off.

This is not

playing out

the way

that the Levite

had planned.

He tells the man

who comes up later

the same thing.

Verse 18,

no one has taken me

into his house.

And it's scandalous.

It's not just scandalous

that no one

has taken him in.

It's even worse

than that.

Verse 19,

he says,

look,

we even brought

our own food.

Why would someone

not want to take

them in?

Well,

maybe they're

concerned about

the expense,

right?

Maybe they're

concerned,

hey,

we don't actually

have the resources

to take care

of this guest.

And yet,

even that is

not a legitimate

objection.

No,

we brought

our own wine.

We brought

our own food.

All we need

is a safe

place to stay.

it's not

going to cost

you anything.

And yet,

there they are.

They're trapped

in the square

of the city.

Thankfully,

this old man

from the hill

country of Ephraim

is sojourning.

He comes along

and he says,

look,

you can stay

with me.

And here we hit

another ominous

warning.

Verse 20,

whatever you do,

don't stay

in the square.

You may have

thought you

were in

friendly territory.

Nothing could

be further

from the case,

the truth.

You may have

thought that

you were

being wise

by staying

away from

the Canaanites,

but in fact,

you have walked

into another

dangerous

situation.

What begins

as a couple

ominous warnings

turns into

complete disaster

for these

travelers.

In verses

22 and 23,

these worthless

men come

and what

they want

to do

is to

violate

this Levite

who has

come to

visit.

And instead,

there's this

offer made.

Hey,

let's compromise,

guys.

Verse 24,

here are my

virgin daughter

and his

concubine.

How about

we leave

the Levite

alone?

You can

take them

instead.

And don't

miss the

irony that's

going on

here.

As their

offer,

they act

as if

this is

completely

normal.

Verse 23,

you know,

we don't want

you to be

wicked.

Don't

do this

vile

thing.

Verse 24,

don't do

this outrageous

thing.

Let's not

do something

crazy,

right?

Don't

take the

leap.

Let's

do something

totally

normal,

okay?

How about

you just

take the

concubine

of my

daughter

instead?

Like,

that will

be a

reasonable

thing

for you

to do.

And this

is meant

to remind

us just

like how

ridiculous

things have

become

in Israel.

It sounds

like they're

not willing

to compromise

and so the

Levite decides

to take action

into his own

hands.

You guys

won't make

a deal

with me?

Well,

I'm just

going to

shove my

concubine

out the

door.

She can

be with

you.

We're

going to

be safe

inside.

We'll

figure this

out later.

What happens

later needs

no explanation

outside of the

verses themselves.

Verse 25,

they knew

her and

abused her

all night

until the

morning.

Verse 27,

she staggers

back with

her hands

on the

threshold.

So close,

so far.

You might

think at

this point

that things

couldn't get

worse,

but in

fact they

do.

We begin

to realize

why the

father-in-law

experienced

great joy

when the

Levite

returned

and the

concubine

did not.

And in

fact,

there's a

hint there.

If we read

between the

lines,

we begin

to understand

why it

is maybe

that she

ran away

from this

Levite.

Verses

27 and

28,

he walks

out,

sees her

at the

door,

acts as

if nothing's

happened,

and just

tells her,

hey, it's

time for

us to

get up.

And then

as if

she has

not been

violated

enough,

he

desecrates

her body

and cuts

her into

12 different

pieces.

And if

you're left

speechless,

that is the

point.

Verse 30

here sums

it up.

Such a

thing has

never happened

or been

seen from

the day

that the

people of

Israel

came up

out of

the land

of Egypt

until this

day.

God's

people are

worse than

the pagans.

Their

cities,

city of

Gibeah,

is more

dangerous than

Jebus.

There is

no longer

any distinction

between the

people that

God has

chosen and

the nations

around them.

And that

raises the

question for

us of what

do we do

with this

story?

Why is

such a

speechless

event in

the Bible?

Why is

Judges 21

chapters

instead of

18 chapters?

This story,

by the way,

is going to

continue in

chapters 19

and 20.

Some of it

is a recurring

theme that

we've seen

before in

previous weeks.

There is

something upside

down about

Israel.

This man

avoids a

pagan city

thinking Israel

is safe.

Instead,

he ends up

being warned

about how

dangerous the

public square

is.

Any Israelite

should receive

welcome and

hospitality.

In fact,

not even any

Israelite,

any sojourner,

any traveler

should be

welcomed in

for safety,

and yet the

man who

brings his

own food

can't even

find a place

to stay.

And men

should be

sacrificing

themselves for

women.

They should

not have

women

sacrificed

for men.

And so

the theme

of things

being turned

inside out

in the

book of

Judges

continues.

Here in

this chapter

though,

we take

another

step.

There is

a deeper

point.

There's a

greater heart

issue at

play here.

There's a

more sober

warning.

You may

remember all

the way back

in chapter

17,

we heard

this phrase

for the

first time,

in those

days there

was no

king in

Israel.

Everyone

did what

was right

in his

own

eyes.

And how

does this

chapter start

out?

Chapter 19,

verse 1,

in those

days when

there was

no king

in Israel.

Which is

meant to

call up for

us what

we've already

learned.

And the

author of

Judges is

telling us

this.

this is

what happens

when everyone

does what

is right

in their

own eyes.

You want

to know

what selfishness

creates?

You want

to know

what autonomy

leads to?

It doesn't

lead to a

little discomfort.

It doesn't

lead to a

few bad

moments.

No,

it leads

to the

worst

moments.

It doesn't

make society

a little

dysfunctional.

No,

it destroys

society.

It doesn't

make things

a little

twisted.

No,

it breaks

them.

This is

what happens,

Israelites,

when our

time and

our money

and our

sexuality

and our

politics

are all

about

us.

It may

not lead

to that

tomorrow.

It may

not lead

there next

week.

It will

lead there

one day.

There's an

unveiling

here.

Judges is

telling us,

look,

this is what

it really

looks like.

This is what

you're really

doing.

this is

where it

leads.

When

everything is

about me

and mine.

When people

do what is

right in their

own eyes,

when they

pursue their

own interests

above everything

else,

at the end

of the day,

people are

destroyed and

torn apart.

torn apart

and destroyed

in metaphorical

and psychological

ways.

They're

destroyed and

torn apart

in physical

ways.

Why is

there no

hospitality in

this story?

There's no

hospitality because

everyone is

doing what is

right in their

own eyes.

And what does

hospitality take?

it takes

sacrifice.

It takes

inconvenience.

It takes

resources.

Why do the

Levite and

his guest,

instead of

facing these

men head

on,

instead of

sacrificing

themselves,

why do they

offer the

women in

the story?

Because they're

going to do

what is right

in their own

eyes.

They're going

to do what's

best for

them,

which is to

maintain male

dignity above

everything else.

Why doesn't

the Levite

care about

what has

happened to

his concubine?

Because all

the Levite cares

about is what

is right in

his own

eyes.

It takes

work to

lay down

your interests

for the sake

of someone

else.

It can

hurt to

actually care

about what

happens to

people who

are close

to you.

Of course,

the narrative

hints but

never states

this is

exactly why

she ran

back to

her father's

house.

We can go

even further

back in the

book of

Judges.

This is not

the first

time we've

heard the

phrase of

doing what's

right in

our eyes.

Do you

remember where

we first

saw it?

The very

beginning of

the book

of Samson.

Remember,

he pursues a

pagan woman

despite his

parents'

warnings.

Why?

He tells

them,

get her for

me.

She is

right in

my eyes.

And of

course,

we're not

surprised then

the way

Samson's

story plays

out as he

uses and

abuses the

people around

him.

What happens

when people

do what's

right in

their own

eyes?

Well,

Judges

tells us,

shows us

who it

is that

gets to

pay the

bill.

It's the

most vulnerable

who are

most used

and abused.

Remember,

all the way

back to

Jethpah,

Jethpah

wasn't

sacrificed.

His

daughter was.

women pay

more than

men.

Children

pay more

than

adults.

That's

what's

happening in

our country

right now

in many

ways.

And

sojourners

and travelers

pay more

than permanent

residents and

citizens.

This is

where it

all ends.

This is

where human

selfishness

leads.

This is

what rebellion

against God

creates.

And Judges

wants us

to have

no

illusions.

This is

how sin

plays out

in the

world.

In fact,

the breakdown

of hospitality

and the

violence that

we see in

this passage

are two

sides

of the

same coin.

there's

a reason

these

things

go

together

because

they

actually

have

the

same

root

at

play.

You

cannot

have a

beautiful

community

and also

demand

what is

most

convenient

for you.

human

flourishing

and

autonomy

and

individualism

cannot

coexist.

exist.

You can

worship God

or you

can worship

yourself.

You can

do what

is right

in your

eyes

or you

can do

what is

right

in God's

eyes.

Remember

what we

talked about

with Micah,

Judges

Judges 17 · chapter mention

chapter 17

and 18.

The worship

of the

true God

is the

only

safe

worship.

you

cannot

have it

both

ways.

The

extremes

of this

story

reveal

something

for us

that is

also

true

about

the

normal

everyday

occurrences

of

selfishness

in

humanity.

This

is how

ugly

autonomy

is.

This

is how

gross

and

disgusting

it is

when we

insist on

our own

way above

all else.

This

is where

the human

heart

lives.

This

is how

degrading

and

dehumanizing

it all

is.

Not

just for

the world

out there

but for

the church

in here.

there is

a reason

that our

main

characters

the last

two

stories

have been

Levites.

And that

is to

remind us

even the

religious

leaders

were

corrupt.

God's

people

do not

get a

pass

as God

examines

the

selfishness

and the

self-centeredness

of this

world.

This

is not

something

where they

get to

show and

look at

the world

outside

and say

man

isn't

it

really

bad

out

there.

No

judges

is pushing

the reader

the Christian

reader to

say man

and it's

also bad

in here.

It may

not be the

same in

degree

it is the

same

in kind.

Now you

might say

wow that

sounds really

extreme.

Aren't you

exaggerating a

little bit

right?

This is an

extreme story

of course

this is not

what is

happening

in our

lives

our world

day to

day.

and I

would

submit to

you that

if that's

what you

think

your eyes

are not

open.

These

extremes

play out

in our

world

day after

day.

They play

out in

geopolitical

situations

that are

happening

right now.

They play

out day

by day

in a

sex

industry

that

pretends

that things

are legal

and consensual.

they play

out in

less extreme

ways

every day

in the

indignities

that we

impose on

others

and we

experience

ourselves

when we

insist

on what's

right for

us.

That our

convenience

is what

matters more

than anything

else.

Remember

Judges is

about the

need for

constant

renewal

and revival

among God's

people.

It's about

the need

for a

true

and faithful

king.

A king

who can

do what

no human

can do

which is

to change

the hearts

of men.

Look with

me on

page 10

of your

worship

guide.

It says

this,

from the

Garden of

Eden

humanity's

fundamental

rebellion

against God

has been

a rebellion

of autonomy.

Adam

and Eve

were given

a clear

law

and chose

to become

a law

unto

themselves.

The

history

of humanity

has followed

this

example.

And so

once again

Judges pushes

us,

reminds us,

shows us

how extreme

the problem

is so that

we understand

how powerful

the solution

must be.

There is

only

one

way

out.

There is

only one

solution

to the

selfishness

and self-centeredness

of the

world,

not only

the world

out there,

but the

world

in here.

The

opposite

of doing

what's

right in

your own

eyes

is

following

and trusting

and obeying

Jesus

as king.

remember,

there are

only

two

choices.

We talked

about this

in the

gospel of

Mark,

Mark chapter

Mark 8 · chapter mention

8.

Jesus

says,

who do

you say

that I

am?

Am I

the king

or not?

There are

two ways

that you

can take

this.

You can

follow

and obey

me.

You can

do what's

right in

your own

eyes.

One

will end

in joy,

the other

ends

in tragedy.

There's

only one

power

strong

enough

to save

the world

from itself.

We see

in Judges

Judges 19 · chapter mention

chapter 19

that the

powerful

sacrifice

the weak.

When

Jesus,

the true

king,

comes,

we see

the powerful

being sacrificed

for the

weak.

That's

the hope

of Israel

in this

passage.

Verse 1,

there was no

king in

Israel.

Things will

not change

until there's

the true

king in

Israel.

Things will

not change

until there

is one

strong enough

to save

the world

from itself.

So what

do we do?

We bow

before the

true king

who never

did what

was right

in his

own eyes.

We choose

him and

his ways

over our

own

individualism

and autonomy.

We trust

in him.

We wait

for him.

We hope

for him.

We've

never had

a communion

hymn