Judges 21

Last week on Saviors that fail: There was no king in Israel, and each man did what was right in his own eyes. Chapter 19 shows us a Levite who had abandoned his duties and “acquired” a concubine. We follow the man and his concubine out of Bethlehem and into darkness. They avoid a foreign city (Jerusalem!) to enter a Benjamite city, Gibeah. Only an outsider gives them a place to sleep. In the dark, a mob of men demand to rape the Levite. The host offers his own daughter and the prostitute, but in a moment the Levite throw his prostitute to the dogs. Her rape, abuse, and murder display how Israel was corrupt to the core—worse than the pagan Canaanites they failed to conquer. The villian Levite does what no Holy Spirit powered judge ever did: unite the tribes of Israel. This anti-savior destroyed one of the tribes, Benjamin. God answers three terrible prayers in chapter 20. The fate of the concubine spread to other women. The tribe of Benjamin is destroyed down to 600 men in hiding. This week on Saviors that fail: The other nations were no longer a threat, because Israel had become like the other nations—and worse! God would no longer save Israel from its enemies, but from itself. Application →When society decays, do not give in to moral relativism. Cling to God and his leadership. .... And will someone finally tell Spain about the Light of the world??? All the Benjaminites who died that day were twentyfive thousand armed men; all were warriors. 47 But six hundred men escaped into the wilderness to Rimmon Rock and stayed there four months. 48 The men of Israel turned back against the other Benjaminites and killed them with their swords—the entire city, the animals, and everything that remained. They also burned all the cities that remained. 46 Judges 21 (CSB) 21 The men of Israel had All the Benjamites who died After defending the mob of sworn an oath at Mizpah: rapists in Gibeah, where the “None of us will give his Levites’ concubine suffered, daughter to a Benjaminite in the tribe of Benjamin was marriage.” 2 So the people went almost destroyed. Only 600 to Bethel and sat there before men were left hiding in caves. God until evening. They wept Rape and murder are terrible . loudly and bitterly, 3 and cried . . let’s hope that part of the out, “Why, LORD God of Israel, story is over . . . has it occurred that one tribe is missing in Israel today?” 4 The next day the people got up early, built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. 5 The Israelites asked, “Who of all the tribes of Israel didn’t come to the LORD with the assembly?” For a great oath had been taken that anyone who had not come to the LORD at Mizpah would certainly be put to death. 6 But the Israelites had compassion on their brothers, the Benjaminites, and said, “Today a tribe has been cut off from Israel. 7 What should we do about wives for the survivors? We’ve sworn to the LORD not to give them any of our daughters as wives.” 8 They asked, “Which city among the tribes of Israel didn’t come to the LORD at Mizpah?” It turned out that no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp and the assembly. 9 For when the roll was called, no men were there from the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead. 10 The congregation sent twelve thousand brave warriors there and commanded them: “Go and kill the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the sword, including women and dependents. 11 This is what you should do: Completely destroy every male, as well as every woman who has gone to bed with a man.” 12 They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, who had not gone to bed with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan. Oaths Jephthah’s daughter died because of a stupid oath. Many more will die this time. Americans don’t take oaths much (military and some gov jobs require oaths). Do we make promises or codes that hurt others? 13 The whole congregation sent a message of peace to the Benjaminites who were at Rimmon Rock. 14 Benjamin returned at that time, and Israel gave them the women they had kept alive from Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough for them. 15 The people had compassion on Benjamin, because the LORD had made this gap in the tribes of Israel. 16 The elders of the congregation said, “What Jabesh-gilead should we do about wives for The people of this river valley west those who are left, since the of the Jordan didn’t come to wage women of Benjamin have been war against the Benjamites. Were destroyed?” 17 They said, Is it better to keep a vow, or to murder a few towns and enslave the girls? The author doesn’t have to explain it. The behavior is shocking. They no longer care for rules of the Torah. Israel remembered God but forgot what he is like. they against it? Were they scared? Were they lazy? Did they even get the invitation in time? We don’t know. The author focuses on their fate, not their guilt. The region would be inhabited by Gentiles who ally with Saul against David. “There must be heirs for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out. 18 But we can’t give them our daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn, “Anyone who gives a wife to a Benjaminite is cursed.” 19 They also said, “Look, there’s an annual festival to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.” 20 Then “had compassion . . . because the Lord had made this gap” This sounds noble. God did make a gap . . . but he did not authorize full destruction. They choose to protect the “honor” of their vow over the lives of their daughters. Their treatment of women displays their view of God. Rejecting the law of God, they cannot even keep their own oath without using a technicality. Their moral relativism spelled disaster for their own families. they commanded the Benjaminites: “Go and hide in the vineyards. 21 Watch, and when you see the young women of Shiloh come out to perform the dances, each of you leave the vineyards and catch a wife for yourself from the young women of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 22 When their fathers or brothers come to us and protest, we will tell them, ‘Show favor to them, since we did not get enough wives for each of them in the battle. You didn’t actually give the women to them, so you are not guilty of breaking your oath.’” 23 The Benjaminites did this and took the number of women they needed from the dancers they caught. They went back to their own inheritance, rebuilt their cities, and lived in them. 24 At that time, each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and family. Each returned from there to his own inheritance. 25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him.