How does this event compare to Genesis 19:4-5 in Sodom and Gomorrah? Scripture Passages “Before they had gone to bed, all the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house. They called out to Lot, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have relations with them!’ ” “While they were enjoying themselves, some wicked men of the city, sons of Belial, surrounded the house, pounded on the door, and shouted to the old man who owned the house, ‘Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have relations with him!’ … So the Levite seized his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night until morning. At daybreak they let her go.” Key Parallels • Mob mentality: an entire male populace converges on a house, demanding sexual access to the guest (Genesis 19:4; Judges 19:22). • Rejection of hospitality: both accounts invert the ancient Near-Eastern duty to protect strangers (cf. Hebrews 13:2). • Perversion of sexuality: hostile, coercive desires replace covenantal intimacy (cf. Romans 1:26-27; Jude 7). • Description of moral bankruptcy: Sodom’s men are “all…young and old,” while Gibeah’s are “sons of Belial”—total community corruption (cf. Ezekiel 16:49-50; Hosea 9:9). • Protective offer by the host: Lot proposes his daughters (Genesis 19:8); the Ephraimite and then the Levite yield the concubine (Judges 19:24-25). In both cases, women are treated as expendable shields against male aggression. Key Contrasts • Divine presence vs. human visitors – Sodom’s targets are angels (Genesis 19:1); Gibeah’s target is a Levite. – Because angels are present, immediate divine intervention occurs in Sodom (blinding; Genesis 19:11). In Gibeah, no miraculous rescue takes place; human justice must follow. • Outcome – Sodom: fire and brimstone, wiping out the cities (Genesis 19:24-25). – Gibeah: civil war within Israel, nearly annihilating Benjamin (Judges 20). • Covenant setting – Sodom is pagan; Gibeah belongs to the covenant community. Israel’s sin therefore represents internal collapse, fulfilling Deuteronomy 32:5. • Victims – Sodom’s women are untouched, proposed but refused (Genesis 19:9). – Gibeah’s woman is brutally violated and murdered, highlighting Israel’s deep moral descent (Judges 19:26-28). Theological Takeaways • Sin’s universality: whether in a pagan city or among God’s people, unrestrained lust leads to societal ruin (Romans 3:9-18). • Greater accountability for covenant people: Gibeah’s atrocity prompts God-sanctioned war; judgment begins “with the household of God” (1 Peter 4:17). • God’s consistent standard: He condemns sexual violence and communal complicity everywhere, demonstrating His unchanging holiness (Malachi 3:6). • Echoes of Genesis 19 remind Israel—and us—that unchecked sin, especially against the vulnerable, invites catastrophic judgment (Psalm 94:20-23). Applications for Today • Guard hospitality: welcome strangers while safeguarding righteousness (1 Peter 4:9). • Confront communal sin: silence or passivity equals participation (Ephesians 5:11). • Uphold God’s design for sexuality: affirm covenant marriage and oppose exploitative practices (Hebrews 13:4). • Remember mercy and justice: while Sodom and Gibeah show divine wrath, Christ offers grace to repentant sinners (John 3:16-18). |
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