There they stopped to spend the night. They went and sat in the city square, but no one took them in for the night. – Judges 19:15

Today's Scripture Reading (April 18, 2025): Judges 19

Growing up, it seemed that we drove everywhere. If it were a long-distance trip, we would stop at various motels or hotels with a vacancy. My maternal grandparents liked to camp. I remember Grandpa and Grandma traveling while pulling a trailer behind them. At the time, you didn't have to reserve a space ahead of time. You could drive during the day and then look for a vacancy at night. I don't remember there ever being a problem finding a spot to stay the night and then resume the journey the next day.

I remember one story that my grandpa liked to tell. It concerned a trip my grandparents took late in the camping season. This trip was so late that on the way home, they ran into a problem with finding campgrounds that were still open. One night, their search was utterly unsuccessful. But Grandpa had a solution. He pulled into a closed campground and set up camp on the front lawn of the campground office. It was late, so Grandma and Grandpa ate a quick meal and then got into the trailer for a night's sleep. When Grandpa told the story, there was another aspect about this night: a police car came through the campground about once an hour to check on the place, and, with each pass, the officer would honk his horn. Grandpa's interpretation of the hourly car honk was that the officer was telling him that he was safe because someone was watching over him and his property. 

I wasn't with my grandparents on this trip, but I have always wondered about a different interpretation of the hourly honk. In my mind, the officer was reminding my grandparents that they weren't supposed to be there. After all, the campground was closed. The honk was a gentle reminder that Grandpa wasn't supposed to be parked there, and maybe it was time to move along. But I have no idea. It is just a guess.

The idea of hotels and campgrounds placed almost everywhere you might want to travel is a relatively recent development in history. For most of history, places to stay were rare, and the biggest asset of a traveler was the hospitality of others, a willingness to invite a stranger into a home to spend the night and maybe share a meal. 

As this Levite and his concubine come to Gibeah, they go straight for the town square. There, they sit and wait for an invitation. But there is no invitation. Apparently, this town is closed to visitors. This lack of an invitation is not a good sign in a culture where hospitality is stressed. It doesn't bode well for the town and is the beginning of one of the worst stories of the entire Bible.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Judges 20