The Dangers of Deception

Sermon on Judges 20:1-17

Introduction
On 15th Apr 1989, 96 Liverpool fans were physically crushed to death at Hillsborough stadium during the FA Cup semi-finals between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. The Hillsborough Disaster remains the deadliest stadium-related disaster in British history and one of the worst in international football.

Jon-Paul Gilhooley, ten years old, was the youngest of those who never came home from Sheffield that day. Steven Gerrard was only nine years old when Hillsborough happened and he knew Jon-Paul. He was his cousin. In his autobiography, Gerrard described Jon-Paul, as “a boy whose life was snatched away just as it was starting. Crushed to death in a stand unfit for human beings.”

On the Wednesday following the disaster, Kelvin MacKenzie, then editor of The Sun, a British tabloid newspaper used the front page headline "THE TRUTH", with three sub-headlines: "Some fans picked pockets of victims"; "Some fans urinated on the brave cops"; "Some fans beat up PC giving kiss of life". Imagine the emotions surrounding the people then.

However, it was a story based on falsehood. MacKensize had based his report on false testimony given by the Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield who gave the order to open the gates that allowed hundreds of fans to flood on to the already crowded terraces at the Sheffield Wednesday stadium. Prosecutor Alun Jones then stated that minutes after the disaster, [Duckenfield] "deceitfully and dishonestly" told senior FA officials that the supporters had forced the gate open themselves. Duckenfield admitted that he had lied about certain statements regarding the causes of the disaster. Several other officers, including Norman Bettison, were accused of manipulating evidence. The story was a cover-up.

The prosecution was abandoned when Duckenfield's doctor declared him unfit to stand trial due to illness. Duckenfield took medical retirement on a full police pension.

These allegations contradicted the reported behaviour of many Liverpool fans, who actively helped the security personnel to stretcher away a large number of victims and gave first aid to many injured. The Sun issued an apology "without reservation" in a full page opinion piece on 7 July 2004, saying that it had "committed the most terrible mistake in its history". Since then, Liverpudians have boycotted The Sun till today.

Who was responsible?
Even though an investigation (the Taylor Report) has confirmed certain problems with the stadium design and poor police control, no one was made responsible for their deaths. As a result of the report, fences surrounding the pitch were removed and many of the top stadiums were converted to become all-seated.

Twenty long years have passed since the death of 96 Liverpool fans – and still no justice. The truth of what actually happened never came to full light. What was reported in The Sun was based on lies and deception, to protect certain people from blame.

Many are still grieving for their loss. Many are still asking. Where is Truth? Where is “Justice for the 96”? The victims were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Today’s passage is also about seeking truth and justice. It is a continuation from Judges 19. Pastor Siow Hwee reminds us about the ills of dehumanization. The murdered girl was treated as only an object, a possession of the Levite. She was also a victim at the wrong place at a wrong time. I would add that she has also married the wrong man. Where is Truth? Where is Justice?

This was the same question asked by the Israelites when they bear witness to the most atrocious event in their history. They earn full score for their heightened sense of justice, but zero in their attempt to seek the truth. Sadly, they had based their judgment on only one side of the story, from the Levite man himself. Was the story presented by the Levite truthful? Was it based on facts or fiction? Let’s find out.

1. Fact or fiction? - The Lies of the Levite (v. 4-7)
In Judges 19:22, the text shows that “some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house” where the Levite and his concubine were staying. But in the passage today, in v. 5, the Levite recounts that it was the men of Gibeah who came for them. The men of Gibeah refers to the lords (or noblemen) of Gibeah rather than the less significant group of “perverse men of the city” (19:22). Also, the Levite claims that the men “intended to kill me” (20:5), while the actual intent was to have sex with him (19:22). What’s worse is that the Levite fails to mention that he was the one who “seized his concubine” and threw her out to the mob (19:25) in the first place, just to protect himself.

Moreover, he claims that “they raped my concubine, and she died,” (20:5) implying that her death was a result of the gang-rape. The crude translation would read, “they raped my concubine until she died”. This is again another distortion of facts. It is true that her ordeal of abuse lasted throughout the entire night, but these wicked men had let her go at dawn. She was still alive and went back to the house where her master was staying. She “fell at the door and lay there until daylight” (19:26). Was she already dead when her husband found her in the morning?

Who killed the concubine? This is an important question when evaluating the Levite’s statements. Although the text is silent, The LXX (Greek translation of the Bible) implicitly assumed that the concubine was DOA (dead on arrival). It adds to Judges 19:28 an additional phrase, that “there was no answer from her for she was dead.”

The Levite claims that she is murdered (20:4) and has pinned the responsibility of her death on the men of Gibeah. Indeed, it was murder. But who was the murderer? The actual narrative never makes it clear who actually killed her. It could have been the result of rape, as she bled to her death at the doorway. But it is quite different to suggest that they rape her until she died. Just as The Sun editor MacKenzie had based his report on false testimonies, the Israelites had also based their sense of justice on falsified information.

When the Levite cut up her body parts and sent to different tribes of Israel, and told of the atrocity that has befallen them, he asked the Israelites for a verdict. He asked for justice. The stage has been well-set for emotional blackmail. Imagine the smell and the sight when they received her body parts! "Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt” (19:30). With the stage set, it was easy to manipulate these men to do his bid. The Levite wanted revenge, but he does not want to get his own hands dirty. Instead, he has single-handedly turned a local crime against an individual into a nation-wide civil war. Once he has presented his case for revenge, his task is done. The self-appointed leader-deliverer disappears from the rest of the story.

Still in shock, the Israelites came up with a plan for revenge in no time. First they made a vow, “None of us will go home. No, not one of us will return to his house.” Not knowing that this vow would later caused them a greater problem when they almost wipe out the entire tribe of Benjamin. Then they decided to draw lots to gather an army to confront the men of Gibeah. It is interesting to see their solidarity in adversity.

2. The Call of One Man… (v. 8-17)
In v. 1, the author wrote that all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba “came out as one man”, but yet failed to mention that the tribe of Benjamin was not with them. Then in v. 8, it was also mentioned that “all the people rose as one man.” While v. 11, tells us that “all the men of Israel got together and united as one man against the city.” They came out as one man, rose as one man, and united as one man. Unbelievable!

What an irony! By manipulating the Israelites to avenge the injustice on his behalf, the Levite was able to unite them. He did what no previous judge could accomplish. The Israelites, not counting the tribe of Benjamin, were united for the first time in the entire book of judges. Even though he was not a judge, he performed the role of a judge uniting the Israelites. This was no easy feat. But sadly, they were united for a cause that was based on lies and deception.

After gathering their men, they confronted the Benjamites, who refused to listen to their threats, just as the “sons of Belial” of Gibeah would not listen to the old man in Judges 19.25a. Maybe they knew that their accusations were not entirely truthful. Maybe it was pride that prevented the Benjamites to act justly. They would rather protect the wicked men than to give in to the demands of their brothers. Whatever the reason for their refusal to “surrender those wicked men of Gibeah”, it eventually led to the biggest civil war in the period of the Judges.

They prepared for battle by summoning troops from all the towns of Benjamin. Only 26,000 swordsmen plus 700 “chosen” men from Gibeah were called to fight against 400,000 fighting men of Israel. Yet, as if this was not enough to show their superiority against the Israelites, the narrator further notes that these 700 chosen were elite left-handed marksmen, who can “sling a stone at a hair and not miss” (v. 16). These left-handed warriors would later inflict even greater death on their fellow Israelites.

Conclusion
What can we learn from today’s passage? On the surface, we see deceit and deception at work. How dark is the heart of man seeking revenge? Today’s passage tells of a cruel and heartless man who manipulated his countrymen into taking revenge against his enemies, for an act of violence which he has indirectly caused. But if we look deeper into the story, we realize that the Levite not only deceived his fellow countrymen, he has also deceived himself of all responsibility for the death of his concubine. He hides the truth of him throwing her out to the wolves, instead blames the noblemen of Gibeah entirely for her death.

17th century German poet and novelist, Goethe, once wrote, “We are never deceived; we deceive ourselves.” American writer Richard Bach believes that, “the worst lies are the lies we tell ourselves.”

How have we been deceiving others? How have we been deceiving ourselves?

Dutch humanist and theologian, Erasmus, believes that, “Man's mind is so formed that it is far more susceptible to falsehood than to truth.” Really? Is it easier for us to believe in lies than in truths? Are we so easily deceived? So much so, that we deceive even ourselves?

In the movie Slumdog Millionaire, the gangster Maman would blind the eyes of a small child with acid if he or she was discovered to be a talented singer, as this would generate more income when the child sings and begs on the street. In the name of national security, George Bush Jr. used the threat of Weapons of Mass Destruction to convince the Americans to invade Iraq. A claim based on lies and deceit. Journalists and reporters of the news struggle between truth and fiction every day in their line of work. When stories are presented before us, it is important to separate facts from fiction. It is our responsibility to enquire deeper into the story as much as we can.

Seeking the truth is never easy. Often caught in the middle of arguments between two friends, I learn not to take sides. But sometimes, no matter how neutral you try to be, you will always be accused of takes sides with the other. Learn to be partial in our judgment and be vigilant in facts finding.

I think if there is one thing I learn from the passage today is that it is easy to fall into the trap of deceit when our emotions are stirred. Tell a tale of injustice, mix in a little spice of lies, and we have a potent concoction for disaster. What is truth? What is justice? Sometimes in our pursuit of justice, truth is compromised. Sometimes it is a hard struggle between what we believe in our hearts to be right and what we see as truth before our eyes. Sometimes, knowing the truth hurts, but it is almost always better than any distorted lies. It’s a very fine line between the two sometimes. As followers of Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, we must be a community of Truth seekers.

31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)

Amen.