Judges 19:1-30

Read Judges 19:1-30

Helpful Background Information: 

• Judges 19 is one of the darkest and most disturbing stories in the Bible. It happens during the period of the judges, when Israel had no king and “everyone did whatever seemed right to him” (Judges 21:25). This chapter shows just how far Israel had fallen. God had called His people to be holy, different from the nations around them. But by this point in the story, Israel looks shockingly similar to Sodom and Gomorrah. The people who were supposed to represent God’s character had become morally bankrupt. Ruth 1 begins “during the time of the judges,” and this chapter reminds us that those were desperate, dark days. 
  

Reflection Questions: 

• Judges 19 shows what life looked like when “everyone did whatever seemed right to him.” Where do you see that same mindset in our world today? Are there areas in your life where you are tempted to do what seems right to you instead of submitting to what God says is right?

• How does Judges 19 help us understand the kind of world Ruth 1:1-5 takes place in?

• This passage should make us long for righteous leadership. How does it point forward to our need for Jesus, the true and better King?