OK, so I know I keep saying how the stories in Judges are wild. We have now come to the end of the book, and the very last story, which is a postscript to the account of the civil war between the tribe of Benjamin and the rest of Israel which we discussed briefly in the last post. Today's story is, again, bizarre to the ears of a modern reader. But again, I must remind myself that human history has been in general, as in the saying about nature, metal. Nature is metal. And history is metal. I'm currently reading a survey of medieval history which is not unlike the book of Judges in its steady flow of war, trickery, bloodshed, religious confusion, and, relevant to this project, abuse of women. But as we wrap up our study of women in Judges, I think there is an interesting pattern we can discern amidst the madness.
What we learn about women:
- The last episode in Judges displays the deep lack of power women held in Israel at this time, with the Israelite leaders treating them as hardly more than resources for reproduction.
- Throughout the book of Judges, men and women are juxtaposed, often to show the failings of men.
- This juxtaposition seems to apply to the wider world as well.
What I'm wondering:
- Is the apparent structure of the stories of women in Judges legitimate?
- If the patterns here reflect the world at large will we continue to see them in the Bible as we go along, or is this just one way of understanding some stories?
I'm frankly a bit exhausted in my capacity for shock at strange stories about wild behavior in the book of Judges. Perhaps that is the effect intended by the author. Chapter 21 recounts the fallout after Israel's civil war, when the eleven victorious tribes are saddened by the fact that the tribe of Benjamin has been so crushed that there is a risk that it will die out all together. Part of the problem is that there are no women who can be given as wives to the few men from Benjamin who have survived. The eleven tribes have vowed before God not to give any of their daughters in marriage to the Benjamites. But they find a convenient loophole in that they also have vowed to put to death anyone who was not there at Mizpah when that vow about their daughters was taken. The men from Jabesh Gilead are discovered to have been absent. Therefore, the Israelite army goes to destroy the entire town, with the exception of the young unmarried women. These women have not had any promises made about their marriages, and they can be given away to the Benjamites. Problem solved. Except, unfortunately, even after the women of Jabesh Gilead have been captured, there are still not enough women for the surviving Benjamites.
Another legal maneuver is devised. The Israelite leaders conclude that it is technically not "giving" anyone's daughter in marriage if the young woman is kidnapped and then taken as a wife. Thankfully the festival of Shiloh is about to take place near Bethel, and many young women will be out dancing. The bachelor Benjamites are instructed to hide in the vineyards nearby, and simply go and capture wives for themselves from among the dancers. If the fathers of the young women protest, the situation about the oath will be explained, and hopefully everyone will understand. This plan is carried out, and everyone returns home.
What else is their really to say than to conclude with "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit?"
Though Judges has been nothing short of a fascinating source of biblical material about women, I am quite looking forward to starting the logical, redemptive, moral story of Ruth which is coming up next. But first, I would like to pause and take a concluding look at the interesting literary pattern of male-female juxtaposition I've noticed in this book and try to summarize the evidence I see for it.
I observe that in the book of Judges, we consistently see male and female characters placed together, with the women serving either to show a contrasting higher standard of behavior or to bear in horrifying amplification the consequences of the men's bad behavior.
First, we have the very short story of Caleb's daughter Aksah asking her husband to negotiate about the land the couple has been given, but then slightly upstaging Caleb by actually doing the negotiation herself when she meets up with her father.
Then there is Deborah, who summarizes her relationship with the Barak, commander of the Israelite army called to lead Israel to victory against Sisera, when she says, "because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman." Jael, the deadly nurse-assassin is contrasted with both Sisera who she slays with a tent-peg, and Barak, who arrives too late in pursuit of Sisera only to find him dead.
Then we encounter Abimelek and and Jephthah, both illegitimate sons who struggle with their brothers. Both of their lives end in ruin, each time related to a woman: Abimelek is finally killed and defeated in battle when a woman drops a millstone on him in battle, Jephthah is "destroyed" emotionally when he fulfills a foolish vow to sacrifice his daughter after a military victory. These two exhibit both being shamed by a woman (Abimelek) and inflicting unjust suffering on a woman (Jephthah).
The story of Samson's mother's angelic message about his birth, which I can't help but see as comical, is next. She is contrasted with her husband who is very slow on the uptake of the genuine nature of the message she has received. After the stories of Samson's romantic partners, there is another story of a mother, who is herself slow on the uptake. This is Micah's mother, who rewards his return of money he stole from her with thanks to God and the gift of an idol to help him worship, rather than a rebuke. She is perhaps to be considered together with her son. Though she almost amplifies rather than contrasts with his lack of moral compass and theological understanding, she does set him on a course which he follows into idolatry, bringing the entire tribe of Dan along with him.
Samson's love interests make a nice contrasting pair themselves. They are two Philistine women, one his wife, and one his lover, both of whom he should not have been in league with in the first place, and both of whom who cause him a load of trouble and tragedy. The difference in the endings of their stories is noteworthy, one is horribly killed in the fallout of Samson's revenge on her kin, the other is the person who lures Samson to his capture and blinding at the hands of the same Philistine community. Again, one of these women is the victim of suffering which condemns the male perpetrators and one woman gets the best of her man and reveals his failings in that way.
The last story of the concubine from Bethlehem stands alone. She plays the role of victim as a contrast against the whole nation, showcasing the evil lurking within Israel itself, which is found to be just about as horrible as the pagan nations the book has been oriented against. In the very last episode discussed above, a footnote to the story of the concubine and the war, we have more evidence that Israel itself is foundering in its identity as a nation. There has been a civil war, and in order to try to restore the nation, everyone is agreeing to killing the inhabitants of another Israelite town, and kidnapping lots of young women. The women of Shiloh dancing happily at a festival make quite a contrast with defeated and shamed Benjamite warriors hiding in the bushes to carry them off.
As I write this out, I am struck, in addition to the contrasting men and women in Judges, by what seems to be a pairing of the stories of two warrior women, two women (side characters) who destroy warriors, two mothers, and two lovers. I'm not sure if that's a legitimate level of literary structure or not, but it's an interesting way to keep track of the women of Judges in our minds.
I never expected to find this quantity of perspective on women and the male-female dynamic in this book. Again, I don't know if the author of the book intended the women here to serve the functions they do, but as I think it over, it really rings true to life in general. I think just as men and women pair into couples for love and family, they also pair in their larger societal roles. These more and less powerful roles really seem to show in a symbolic way the result of inherent inequality in the world--in all its injustice, and also its potential beauty. When women, who are normally less powerful, are able to exhibit power and influence in an unexpected way, we take note and admire, and often give glory to God who makes the weak strong. When men, who in their strength and power ought to achieve and protect, either abdicate or oppress, the ugliness of injustice becomes unbearable to look at. Judges portrays everything going wrong in Israel while everyone does as they see fit. I think this plays out in a very illuminating way between men and women and I am really thankful, despite the horror and sadness we encounter here, for the insight it has provided.