TUESDAY, MARCH 10
Scripture: Judges 19:16-18

Verses 16-18 says, “Just then an old man came in from his work in the field at evening, who also was from the mountains of Ephraim; he was staying in Gibeah, whereas the men of the place were Benjamites. And when he raised his eyes, he saw the traveler in the open square of the city; and the old man said, ‘Where are you going, and where do you come from?’ So he said to him, ‘We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah toward the remote mountains of Ephraim; I am from there. I went to Bethlehem in Judah; now I am going to the house of the Lord. But there is no one who will take me into his house,…’” The city is Gibeah, the city of the Benjamites. A travelling Levite wanders through their city and comes to the center square in the town. One of the local inhabitants saw the stranger. And as was the common requirement in Israel in those days, verse 18 says, “We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah toward the remote mountains of Ephraim; I am from there. I went to Bethlehem in Judah; now I am going to the house of the Lord. But there is no one who will take me into his house,…” The stranger is looking for covenant hospitality, which Israel was commanded to show. So far, the traveler had found none. Covenant hospitality is still practiced in places like Afghanistan.