
About this episode
This episode discusses the moral decline in Israel as depicted in Judges 19-21, highlighting the absence of the Lord and the betrayal of a Levite.
At this point in the narrative of Judges, the Lord is noticeably absent from the life of Israel. It seems like nobody knows how any of this covenant stuff works, even in the slightest. It becomes so bad that a Levite is involved in a scenario almost identical to that of Sodom & Gomorrah, only this time, those who are intent on sexually assaulting the town’s visitors are successful because the Levite betrays his concubine. Though he is not supposed to touch a dead body, he then mutilates her corpse just to make a point. Time and again the author captures this darkness by stating that there was “no king in Israel” for Israel had rejected their Lord.
People in this episode
Host: John Ross
Topics covered
- Judges
- Israel's covenant
- absence of the Lord
- moral decline
- sexual assault
- betrayal
- darkness in Israel
Keywords
- Judges
- Israel
- covenant
- Levite
- concubine
- Sodom & Gomorrah
- betrayal
- darkness
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Judges
Places: Israel
More episodes of Commuter Bible OT
- 2 Samuel 13-14, Psalm 101 · June 12, 2026 · 20 min
- 2 Samuel 11-12, 1 Chronicles 20, Psalm 100 · June 11, 2026 · 19 min
- 2 Samuel 8-10, 1 Chronicles 18-19, Psalm 99 · June 10, 2026 · 22 min
- 2 Samuel 6-7, 1 Chronicles 17, Psalm 98 · June 9, 2026 · 20 min
- 1 Chronicles 13-16 · June 8, 2026 · 19 min
- 1 Chronicles 11-12, 2 Samuel 5 · June 5, 2026 · 20 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Commuter Bible OT podcast page.