Day 10 of #16days - Two wrongs don't make a right

We've finally arrived at the end of Judges and unfortunately have one final horrific episode to confront before moving on. 

After the rape and murder of the unnamed concubine by the Benjaminites, the leaders of Israel went to war against them and killed all but 600 men. They also vowed to not allow the Benjaminite men to marry their own daughters. However they THEN decided that as God had instituted the twelve tribes of Israel,  they shouldn't allow the tribe of Benjamin to die out. So they hatched a plan to get them wives.

There was a town named Jabesh-Gilead whose inhabitants hadn't come out against Benjamin. So they attacked the town, murdering every man, married woman and child, leaving 400 virgins who they 'gave' to the Benjaminite men. This still wasn't enough wives so they then kidnapped 200 more women from the town of Shiloh during a feasting day, ambushing them at night, later gaslighting the Shiloh townspeople into not retaliating. 

At this point Israel is in absolute shambles, the chapter ending with the statement in verse 25: "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." 

Women have long been used as a weapon and 'spoil' of war. The kidnap of women and girls continues today and it often feels there is little international action to stop it happening. This is yet another text which appears to send confusing messages about the treatment of women in the bible and honestly I barely even know where to start so today I'm finding comfort in a God who is open to lament. It's thought that around half of the Psalms are lament and they are a form of worship. Leaning into God in the midst of pain is sometimes all we can do and sometimes that just has to be enough. 

I'd welcome any thoughts you have on how to make some sense of this text without justifying patriarchy?! I've read a few narratives and not a single one manages to do it without justifying the actions of the leaders with the continuance of the family lines. I guess the modern saying "sometimes it's ok to not be ok" is something to sit with here.

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