Today I read Judges 21 where the tribe of Benjamin is suffering for a lack of women due to the war they just had with the rest of Israel. So what the Israelites decide to do about this, because they don't want to give the tribe of Benjamin any of their own daughters to wife because of how Benjamin acted, they go to war and take all the virgins to give to Benjamin. Later, some men of Benjamin lie in wait while some women are dancing and rush out and take the one they want so they can have a wife! I don't know about you but in our day and age we call that kidnapping!
It is just amazing to me how different the cultures are compared to our own. I mean, could you even imagine today the outrage that would follow if something like this were to happen? It happens on occasion unfortunately and the rage the country has over just one poor girl kidnapped and forced into a wife like relationship is palpable, I could not imagine what it would be like if this happened to multiple women at the same time. But in that day and age it appears they did not think anything of it. I suppose that is because the marriages were arranged back then and not for love.
I just personally can't even fathom living in such a culture. It is so completely foreign to me that I cannot even wrap my mind around it. I am glad that I live in this time period where we respect women and if one is kidnapped we don't just throw up our hands and let it happen. Such an idea is really crazy to me. Life was very crazy back then to my way of thinking and very barbaric in my opinion. Thankfully things are a little better now in some regards, and a lot better in others. Until tomorrow.
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