Daily Devotion Friday | February 20, 2026
Happy Friday! One of the most disturbing stories in the Bible is found in Judges 19-20. It reveals a nation in crisis, as Judges ends with this statement: “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” In today’s daily devotion, Israel needed a righteous King.
A Levite’s Concubine
In Judges 19, a Levite travels to reclaim his concubine, who’d cheated on him and then returned to her father’s house. Right away, there are problems in the story because Levites shouldn’t have concubines, and wives shouldn’t cheat. As a host, her father is friendly, cajoling the Levite to stay longer than he’d planned. Finally, the Levite takes his daughter, and they leave. In your daily devotion, notice the warning signs of an unhealthy relationship.
Trip to Benjamin
The Levite decides to spend the night in Gibeah, a city in Benjamin, where an old man invites them into his home. While there, the men of the city surround the house, demanding he send out the Levite so they may sexually abuse him. The old man refuses, instead offering his daughter and the Levite’s concubine. They reject this, becoming more adamant. Then the Levite gives them his concubine. They abuse her all night, and at daybreak, she falls dead at the door. In this daily devotion, realize that no one cares for your soul more than God.
Time for War
Rather than checking for a pulse or making sure she’s good, he says, “Up, and let us be going.” When she doesn’t move, he throws her across his donkey and rides off. When he arrives home, he cuts her body into twelve parts and sends each tribe of Israel a part. This act is meant to stir up war against the Benjamites. Saul had once incited a war by sending parts of an animal throughout Israel.
The Levite’s plan worked because the congregation gathered ready to fight, but the Levite’s story is a little off, saying that the men “thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead,” not mentioning he threw her to the wolves. In today’s daily devotion, a man’s ways are right in his own eyes, but God judges men’s hearts.
Tribe Cut Down
Verse 11 says, “So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city.” They demand that the men responsible for her death be brought out, but the men of Gibeah refuse. A civil war begins, and Benjamin, which started with 100,000 fighting men, now has 600. Feeling guilty for cutting down a tribe of Israel, the men allowed wives to be given to the men left so they could rebuild Benjamin. In your daily devotion, God’s mercy is great even in the midst of crisis. In this daily devotion, God allows punishment, then builds up that which remains.
Restoration Needed
The Levite lacked godly character. His treatment of his concubine may be telling of why she sought another, then returned to her father’s house. He ate and drank with his concubine’s father, giving the impression he’d take care of her, as her father was hesitant to let her go. Maybe he sensed trouble. Thousands of men died after he manipulated his story to seem innocent.
The True King
In Friday’s daily devotion, soon Israel would ask for a king, but only the true and righteous King can bring them out of darkness. At Calvary, He would suffer for their sins, giving His life for all. The concubine’s name isn’t given, but God knew it and yours before creation.
