And the Lord struck Benjamin before Israel, so that the sons of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin that day, all who draw the sword.
Message: At War with Benjamin
Time: Judges covers about 250 years from death of Joshua to birth of Samuel (1360-1110 BC). The people of Israel largely divided with different local triable judges. It was a period of stirring interventions by the Lord and also great disobedience on the part of the Israelites. Without a king, everyone did right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25).
What the Lord is Saying: Chapter 19 was messy. It started with the Danites wanting their own land. Then idolatry and then a Levite and his concubine getting into problems with some unwholesome men. This resulted in the concubine's death and body parts distributed all over the land.
Chapter 20 begins with a a large group of people gathering as one to the lord at mitzpah. There are 400,000 men there, and the leaders are standing among them. They are in the land of Benjamin. The Israelites ask about the wickedness that has occurred and the Levite responds and explains the situation of his concubine being raped and then him cutting her up and sending her parts to 12 places. The people of Israel agree to go up against Gibeah. So the gathered of about 10% of the men to go against the people of Gibeah. They ask for the worthless man that came against a Levite, in order to put them to death and remove the wickedness from this area. But the people of Benjamin disagreed, and instead chose to wage war against the sons of Israel, though the odds were not in their favor.
3 times it mentions the people came together as one. The atrocity of sin mentioned in the last chapter stirred the sons of Israel to now come together - as one.
The sons of Israel, ask the Lord, who should battle in the Lord, says Judah. The sons of Israel go to battle, but after each day, they asked the Lord if they shall continue for their our losses of life. But each day the Lord says to continue, and then after the second day, he says they will now conquer. It took a while, but Israel set an ambush and eventually 25,000 of the tribe of Benjamin were slain.
It is unfortunate that the tribe of Benjamin has now turned completely against God.
Summary: The sin of Gibeah is addressed, but at a heavy cost and a loss of many men on both sides, but mostly in the tribe of Benjamin.
Promise: The Lord at times does drastic things to rid His people of sin.
Prayer: Lord, you will eradicate and deal with sin. Either you deal with sin with me personally or you do among your called ones, but you also do it among people at large. Sin is not tolerated. Sin is something people continue to choose. I do pray for Your mercy Lord and that it would continue and you would continue to pull your remnant close to You. Bring many to salvation, but it is hard that so many continue to abandon You and find solutions outside of You God.
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