“The Silent Sacrifice”

Judges: Right In Their Own Eyes
Written By Zach Pummill

Pastor Zach Pummill • Judges 19 • February 25, 2024

SERMON OVERVIEW

The Levite’s Concubine, the Reality of Evil, and the Unwillingness to Look

Why would a story like this even be in the Bible? What are to make of this obscure story that makes us recoil?

Judges 19–21 forces us to face the reality of evil, especially when it grows inside God’s people. A nameless woman is betrayed, abused, killed, and treated as an object. Israel responds to her suffering not with justice, but with escalating violence that destroys families and victimizes more women. The story shows where spiritual compromise leads: people begin to resemble the surrounding culture, excuse sin, protect wrongdoers, ignore victims, and even believe they are doing good while spreading harm. This warning applies to churches that protect reputations or institutions while silencing wounded people. This woman in her silent victimization represents so many silent sacrifices of this broken world.

Yet the woman’s story also points toward Jesus, the Silent Sacrifice. Like her, Christ was rejected, betrayed, handed over to sinners, abused, and silent before his attackers. Jesus identified with this woman and all silent sacrifices of this world. But in the resurrection we have hope, because it proved that evil will not have the final word. His scars show that he sees, remembers, and enters the suffering of victims. The cross also exposes the evil within each of us and calls us to repentance. God invites the church to become a community of restoration and renewal: a people who refuse to look away, listen to survivors, confront evil, carry others’ pain, and trust Christ to heal and restore what has been broken.

 

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