Exodus 5:21 (KJV) And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes...

Judges 20 describes a brutal civil war between the tribe of Benjamin and the remaining tribes of Israel. The conflict erupts after a horrifying crime: a Levite’s concubine is raped and murdered by men from Gibeah, a city within Benjamin’s territory (Judges 19). In a shocking and symbolic act, the Levite dismembers her body and sends the pieces to all twelve tribes, calling for justice. 

In Revelation 2:1-7, the apostle John records the first of seven letters addressed to the churches in Asia Minor. This particular letter is directed at the church in Ephesus and offers a mix of praise, correction, and warning, with a powerful invitation to return to a deeper, more passionate relationship with Christ.