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There are many verses in Scripture that cause us to research the message so we can understand the text. One of these places is Judges, chapter nineteen. If you let the words settle in your mind, it is a gory, heartless scene full of the most cruel things one can do against another. In this story, to protect himself, a traveling Priest offers up his concubine for the sexual pleasure of evil men. Then, he cut up the woman when she died from the ravaging. He sent the flesh and bones to all twelve Israelite tribes. The point of this story is that all tribes were guilty in the killing of this woman. The woman is not human, she represents their belief in Almighty God, belief in the divine creator. This story is an analogy of the nation of Israel. God had called Israel to be his people. Israel was dead to God because the people rejected Him when they became enamored with other gods–of no importance. Israel lusted after them and burned incense in their memory: forgetting all the times God had led them out of slavery or protected them from murderous people. The God of Goodness could not let people misuse His goodness, so there was a penalty to be paid. This story is used as an example of human rape, murder, immorality and actions that were committed when Israel had no King. There simply was no authority of National importance to intervene. This grisly, dissecting of the woman is a picture of Israel as the prostitute. She gives herself to many other beliefs and false customs, rejecting the many times God has helped her. God created Israel, so all the world could see how His people should act. The thing we learn, just by living, is that faith is a very powerful commodity and it is by faith we see the actions of God and His response to us. People, the world over, have to learn that faithfulness is what needs to be accomplished. It is a proof that God needs to see as a witness to His reaction to us. If there is any divine belief in us we must be careful not to destroy it, We must be willing to tell it to others that they may believe.