Do Good by Showing Hospitality!

Judges 19

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, March 9.

What are your expectations of other Christians?

Judges 19:11-13 sets up the final story of the book of Judges, with a Levite, his concubine, and his servant traveling home after she had visited with her father for four months:

When they were near Jebus, the day was almost gone; and the servant said to his master, “Please come, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites and spend the night in it.” However, his master said to him, “We will not turn aside into the city of foreigners who are not of the sons of Israel; but we will go on as far as Gibeah.” He said to his servant, “Come and let us approach one of these places; and we will spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.”

This is a story of great heart ache and pain. The Levite did not want to stay in or near Jebus, which was Jerusalem, because it was not yet under Israel control. The Levite did not like or trust the Jebusites and did not want to have to depend upon them for hospitality. Instead, they pushed on to a town of Israel, hoping God’s people would care for them by showing them hospitality. But, as Judges 19:1 foreshadowed about this sad story, “Now it came about in those days, when there was no king in Israel.”

When you read for yourself the horror of what happened in verses 14-30, your heart will break remembering that the last time there was such brutality of a guest was Sodom, which led to its destruction at God’s hand (Genesis 19:1-28). Hebrews 13:2 commands all believers, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

Seize the moment and do good by showing hospitality (1 Peter 4:9; Romans 12:13).

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