Civil War With Benjamin
Judges 20-21
Judges chapter 19 is one of the saddest chapters in the Bible.
There is no happy ending to this terrible story (19:27-30), and this wicked sin sets the stage for the remaining two chapters of the book of Judges (cf. Judges 21:25).
Civil War is Declared
Judges 19:29 and 30 gives us the response to the horrible crime that took place in Gibeah. By sending those cut-up pieces of human flesh to the twelve tribes of Israel, the Levite was saying that they could expect more crimes like this (and perhaps even worse) unless action were taken.
Action did result. Four hundred thousand men assembled at Mizpeh, which was located in the area belonging to Benjamin (20:1-7).
The men were ready to act, and they said they would not return to their homes without taking decisive action (20:8). They chose their soldiers “by lot” (20:9). In other words, they chose an army out of 400,000 assembled at Mizpeh.
They also decided that one-tenth of the population would be asked to supply food for the army (20:10).
This story also reminds us that there are consequences to sin. The horrible sin at Gibeah resulted in a bloody civil war with high casualties on both sides.
First, messengers were sent to the tribe of Benjamin to ask that those responsible for the crime be delivered to be punished by death (20:12, 13). This terrible crime certainly called for the death penalty (cf. Genesis 9:6; Deuteronomy 22:25).
The Benjaminites should have turned the rapist over, but instead they decided to go to battle (20:13, 14). Being loyal to your fellow tribesmen is good. But not in a case like this where they were protecting violent criminals and perverts.
But that’s often the way it is when sinners are confronted. Rather than get things right, they go looking for a fight.
Sin must be exposed, confessed, and punished. Otherwise it pollutes and corrupts and defiles. Nine times in the book of Deuteronomy, God told the people of Israel to “put away evil out of the land.”
The Tribe of Benjamin Is Defeated
The men of Benjamin quickly assembled an army of 26,000 men, besides 700 men from Gibeah (20:15). Among this number were 700 left-handed men who were skillful with the slingshot (20:16).
The other tribes put together an army of 400,000 men (20:17). They outnumbered Benjamin, and they were clearly in the right, but nevertheless they wisely sought God’s counsel (20:18, 19).
The battle was joined at Gibeah, the scene of the crime (20:20). Apparently the Benjaminites led the attack and won a decisive victory. Verse 21 tells us that 22,000 Israelites were killed in battle.
Undaunted, the Israelites prepared to attack a second time, but first they went to God in prayer. This time they wept (20:22-24).
Again, they were defeated, this time losing 18,000 men (20:25).
After their two defeats, the eleven tribes again sought the Lord in prayers and weeping, this time with fasting and sacrifices (20:26). Perhaps they were now more humble and contrite.
This time the Lord assured them they would win (20:27, 28).
Over-confident after two days of victories, the Benjaminites were drawn away from the city of Gibeah and caught in an ambush (20:29-35).
Gibeah was taken, its inhabitants (including women and children – cf. 21:16) were all slain, and the city was burned to the ground. Along the way, the Israelites wiped out several other Benjaminite cities in a mopping-up operation (20:36-44).
According to Numbers 26:41, there were 45,600 men of war in the tribe of Benjamin at that time. Now less than 50 years later, they were left with only 600 men stranded on the rock of Rimmon (20:45-48).
Wives Provided for Benjamin
Once the battle was over, the Israelites realized that they had had just about eliminated one of the twelve tribes of Israel. There was a feeling of sadness and 21:2 tells us they “lifted up their voices, and wept sore” (cf. 21:15).
Earlier they had made a careless vow (21:1, 7, 18). Now there was no possibility of children being born. They realized they had gone too far in their zeal to defeat the Benjaminites (21:3, 6).
Their first solution was to take wives for the men of Benjamin from Jabesh-gilead (21:4-12). Jabesh-gilead was located east of the Jordan River.
The 400 virgins were not enough for the 600 remaining Benjaminites, so they had to come up with another idea (21:12-14).
A plan was suggested whereby the men of Benjamin would go to Shiloh and seize some of the women as they danced at their annual feast (21:15-21).
It was explained that if the girls’ fathers or brothers came to complain, the Israelite leaders would defend the Benjaminites (21:22-25).
Both these ways of procuring wives for Benjamin were unscriptural (21:25).
Note that the Bible says they prayed and offered sacrifices to God (21:3, 4), but nowhere does it say that the Lord instructed them in either scheme.
There is no evidence of genuine repentance and brokenness over their sin. Also, there is no indication that the men of Benjamin ever repented over their grievous sins.
The second plan was not violent like the first, but it still was not right to go and kidnap women at a feast and then force marriage on them (without their parents’ consent – 21:22).