I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

Judges 19. “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” (Verses 23-25). Ever wished you could skip over something in the bible and pretend it’s not there? If I could do that, this would be the chapter I would eliminate. But as horrid and terrifying as I find the words written here, it serves a purpose. Which is to remind us of what “Everyone did what was right in their own sight” looks like. It looks like the story in this chapter. It looks like the TV news we watch day in and day out, and then after wonder to ourselves, “How can people be this wicked?” This is life without God. This is what happens when people fill that longing with something other than God. The world today is no different from it was then, society lives by the “If it feels good, do it” rule. This chapter is a reminder of why those words are a lie.