! Content Warning !

“‘Each man was doing what was right in his own eyes.’ Who, in this context, is ‘each man’? He is Israelite man, covenant man. Those who have been called to be a people for Yahweh [but] who… will not have this God to rule over them.”[i]

Dr. Dale Ralph Davis

On Monday 1 June 2026 – the same day this article is published – a sitting UK politician will present to Westminster colleagues the findings of a crowd-funded inquiry into child sexual exploitation[ii], primarily implicating Muslim men. In part one of this blog, I highlighted the dire consequences of fatherlessness, when men abdicate their God-ordained and historic roles as protectors, nourishers or upholders of all that is right. In Judges, a man’s failure to protect a vulnerable woman leads to her brutal sexual exploitation. There is nothing new under the sun.

Whilst we observe understandable concern about the demonstrable evidence for the depraved and unhinged sexual proclivities of disproportionately high numbers of Muslim men, I also ask myself: “Where are the fathers?” It is easy to blame legal or illegal immigration, a barbaric religion which has little to no respect for women, children or non-adherents, but I often do wonder where the men are, who should be protecting their wives and daughters, in these circumstances? They appear to be asleep on the most important job they will ever have.

The Destructive Consequences of Kinglessness

Let’s remind ourselves of some themes we touched on in part one. The people of Israel reach their intended destination and God, by contrast to every preceding generation, does not install a leader. He wants to be their leader but the people do not want God. This results in three recurring references, which underpin the story of Judges. There is no king (17:6, 18:1, 19:1 and 21:25), in the first and last of these references it says everyone did what was right in their own eyes (17:6 and 21:25) and, thus, they become worthless fellows (9:4, 11:3 and 19:22).

This was all foretold in a sobering passage in Deuteronomy 12, where the people are ordered to destroy the liturgies of former nations (v.2-3), warned against “doing whatever is right in their own eyes”[iii] (v.8) and commanded to avoid being “ensnared” by the people and “their gods” (v.30). The last reference to “worthless fellows” in Judges (19:22) uses the same Hebrew word in reference to “worthless fellows” in Deuteronomy (13:13). That word is belîya‘al – God’s nemesis. The curses for disobedience in Deuteronomy bite back hard in Judges.

Adopting the Role of Deliverer

What is clear is that, if our allegiance is not to God, then we literally transfer unto the leadership and oversight of the enemy. We trade the blessings of obedience for the curses of disobedience. What we initially tolerate, we inevitably come to venerate, in relation to idolatrous and inhumane cultures and this leads to Judges 19. The cry of distressed Israel (2:15) caused God to raise up deliverers (2:16) but, in this most brutal depiction of unfaithfulness, we see the failure of man to act as protective deliverers toward an exposed and vulnerable woman.

Judges 19 begins with that kingless reference, implying that where there is a leadership vacuum, there is a moral vacuum. In short, we need leaders. This is further emphasised by pointing to unfaithfulness in the life of the Levite’s concubine. Where men do not effectively lead, unfaithfulness runs amok. Then, over the course of around 10 verses, the concubine’s father convinces them to remain at his home. This mirrors the behaviour of Laban in Genesis, whose delays were self-seeking. In Judges, these delays imperil the safety of his daughter. 

Welcome to the New SodomBottom of Form

The second section of Judges 19 highlights the Levite’s instinct to press on to Gibeah rather than stay among foreigners. Was this because he believed he could rely upon his own people for hospitality and security? Upon arriving in Gibeah, verse 15 says they sit in the open square because “… no one took them into his house to spend the night.” Rather than being taken in by anyone in Gibeah, an elderly Ephraimite did. Despite being a true model of hospitality, the “worthless fellows” arrive, bang on the door and start making outrageous demands.

A reading of Judges 19:22-30 conjures up images of Sodom and Gomorrah but there are differences. Firstly, the Levite remind us of his representative status before God. Secondly, the author refers to one of the most heinous destinations of sin to depict how far God’s covenanted people have fallen. Thirdly, unlike Lot’s protectors in Genesis 19:10, this Levite thrusts his concubine out, rather than protecting her. There is a “seizure” in both instances (Genesis 19:16 and Judges 19:25), but for two completely different purposes – protection and exploitation.          

How Would God Have Acted?

As a Levite, God’s representative fails to act as God would. The concubine is brutally violated throughout the night and the Levite shows a dire lack of compassion the morning after, when he says: “Get up, let us be going.” (v.28) Upon the discovery she is dead, he then does a curious thing – he dismembers her and sends 12 pieces to different parts of Israel. Whatever the motivation for this might be, it appears to point us back to Genesis 15 when God enacts His covenant with Abram. Contracts of this kind were routine in Israel at that time.

The Genesis Commentary (1989: 114-115)[iv] says: “The cutting of animals is a form of self-imprecation in which the potential violator invokes their fate upon himself.” The two covenanting parties would walk together through the sacrifice as an agreement that whoever violates the commitment by unfaithfulness would themselves be cut to pieces. The fact God does this alone, in Genesis 15 while Abram is in a deep sleep, shows the nature of a true deliverer, who is willing to be destroyed for the adultery of his wife, in this case, for Israel.

Pointing to the Forthcoming Deliverer

Herein lies the good news. Judges is devastating on many levels, but chapter 19 ends in verse 30 with the words: “… consider it, take counsel, and speak.” We are being told that we cannot afford to ignore this kind of text. Why? When we spurn God’s leadership in our lives, reject his counsel concerning how we should act, choose instead to do as we see fit and transfer our allegiance over to the enemy, we no longer reside under God’s blessing and everything unravels. In the days of Judges, and even now, it always leads to exploitation of the weak.

The weak are precisely the ones in need of a deliverer and who those in Judges were to defend. They failed, just as the first Adam failed in his earlier mission. This is why we need the willing sacrifice of Jesus, enacted first in Genesis 15, for He is a true deliverer who stands in the way and absorbs the violence. He was cut to pieces for an unfaithful bride and His commission to her now is to “go” (Matthew 28:19), as Abram was commanded (Genesis 12:1), into our world and spread abroad that deliverance to an exploited, oppressed, weak and groaning creation.

Ewan Gurr Sr. | 31/05/2026

---

[i] Davis, D.R. (2000) Judges: Such a Great Salvation. Scotland, UK: Christian Focus Publications.

[ii] Crowdfunder. (2026) The Rape Gang Inquiry. Available at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-rape-gang-inquiry-1 (Accessed: 31/05/2026)

[iii] All Biblical citations are from The Bible: English Standard Version (2025).

[iv] Sarna, N. M. (1989) Genesis Commentary. Philadelphia, USA: The Jewish Publication Society.