Judges 19-21

When evil isn’t dealt with properly, it has a tendency to grow. Sin in the city of Gibeah eventually infected the tribe of Benjamin and led to war in the land of Israel.

Judges 19:1–3 CSB

1 In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a Levite staying in a remote part of the hill country of Ephraim acquired a woman from Bethlehem in Judah as his concubine. 2 But she was unfaithful to him and left him for her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah. She was there for four months. 3 Then her husband got up and followed her to speak kindly to her and bring her back. He had his servant with him and a pair of donkeys. So she brought him to her father’s house, and when the girl’s father saw him, he gladly welcomed him.

A concubine was a lawful wife who was guaranteed only food, clothing, and marital privileges (Ex. 21:7–11; Deut. 21:10–14). Any children she bore would be considered legitimate; but because of her second-class status, they wouldn’t necessarily share in the family inheritance (Gen. 25:1–6). If a man’s wife was barren, he sometimes took a concubine so he could establish a family. Though the law controlled concubinage the Lord did not approve or encourage it; yet you will find several Old Testament men who had concubines, including Abraham, Jacob, Gideon, Saul, David, and Solomon.

This particular concubine was unfaithful to her husband and fled to her father’s house in Bethlehem for protection (Lev. 20:10). The longer she was gone, the more her husband missed her; so he traveled to Bethlehem, forgave her, and was reconciled. He and his father-in-law discovered they enjoyed each other’s company and spent five days eating, drinking, and making merry. Little did the Levite realize that he really had nothing to be happy about because tragedy was stalking his marriage.

The second story tells of a Levite whose concubine left him for her father’s house at Bethlehem. The Levite convinced her to return, and together they journeyed toward Ephraim. Along the way they looked for lodging and chose Gibeah (the home of the future king, Saul) rather than the Jebusite city of Jerusalem because Gibeah was inhabited by Israelites. There they expected treatment as brothers (19:12–14).

At Gibeah, however, no one offered them hospitality, except an old man from Ephraim who had migrated to Gibeah. That evening the men of Gibeah came to the old man’s house to have sexual relations with the Levite (19:15–22).

The old man was so embarrassed by this breach of hospitality that he offered his virgin daughter and the Levite’s concubine. The men refused and pressed against the door, so the Levite pushed his concubine outside. The men ravaged her for their sport and left her for dead.

Judges 19:26–30 CSB

26 Early that morning, the woman made her way back, and as it was getting light, she collapsed at the doorway of the man’s house where her master was. 27 When her master got up in the morning, opened the doors of the house, and went out to leave on his journey, there was the woman, his concubine, collapsed near the doorway of the house with her hands on the threshold. 28 “Get up,” he told her. “Let’s go.” But there was no response. So the man put her on his donkey and set out for home. 29 When he entered his house, he picked up a knife, took hold of his concubine, cut her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and then sent her throughout the territory of Israel. 30 Everyone who saw it said, “Nothing like this has ever happened or has been seen since the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt until now. Think it over, discuss it, and speak up!”

Out of revenge the Levite carved up her body into twelve pieces and sent them to the tribes of Israel (19:23–30).

The purpose of such actions was clear: to mobilize the troops by creating shock and evoking fear.

Judges 20:3–10 CSB

3 The Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah. The Israelites asked, “Tell us, how did this evil act happen?” 4 The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered, “I went to Gibeah in Benjamin with my concubine to spend the night. 5 Citizens of Gibeah came to attack me and surrounded the house at night. They intended to kill me, but they raped my concubine, and she died. 6 Then I took my concubine and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout Israel’s territory, because they have committed a wicked outrage in Israel. 7 Look, all of you are Israelites. Give your judgment and verdict here and now.” 8 Then all the people stood united and said, “None of us will go to his tent or return to his house. 9 Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will attack it. By lot 10 we will take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and one hundred out of every thousand, and one thousand out of every ten thousand to get provisions for the troops when they go to Gibeah in Benjamin to punish them for all the outrage they committed in Israel.”

Covenant law required the tribes to punish anyone guilty among them or they would become the object of God’s wrath too. Israel learned this in the days of Joshua at Ai (Josh 7–8). Because Benjamin refused to give up the offenders, all Israel agreed to march against their kindred tribe Benjamin (20:1–17).

The eleven tribes had agreed “as one man” to attack Gibeah, but first they sent representatives throughout the tribe of Benjamin, calling for the people to confess their wickedness and hand over the guilty men. REMEMBER: the Levite had willingly given his concubine to the men of Gibeah

The tribe of Benjamin declared war on the rest of the tribes of Israel!

The eleven tribes had 400,000 men in their army (Jdg. 20:2), while the Benjamites had only 26,000 swordsmen and 700 “chosen men” who were experts with slings (vv. 15–16). But in spite of the terrible odds, it was brother fighting against brother!

each time the Israelites suffered numerous casualties. This was God’s way of punishing Israel for its immorality to bring out repentance and true worship.

In the third battle God gave them victory.

At the first census after the exodus from Egypt, there were 35,400 men of war in Benjamin (Num. 1:37), and this increased to 45,600 by the time of the second census (Num. 26:41). During this three-day war, the Benjamites were left with only 600 men stranded on the rock of Rimmon, a fortresslike rock formation near Gibeah. What a price the tribe of Benjamin paid for refusing to obey the Law of the Lord!

Judges 21:6–9 CSB

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 Jabesh-gilead.

Once their anger cooled off, the eleven tribes realized that they had just about eliminated a tribe from the nation of Israel; and this made them weep (vv. 2, 15). They offered sacrifices to the Lord, but there’s no record that the people humbled themselves, confessed their sin, and sought the help of the Lord.

The Israelites began to revitalize the tribe they had to find wives for the six hundred survivors (21:1, 5, 17–18). Previously, the Lord had revealed His will to them (20:18, 23, 28); but there’s no evidence that they received His Word after the battle was over.

Instead of getting directions from the Lord, the eleven tribes depended on their own wisdom to solve the problem (James 3:13–18). The 600 men who were left from Benjamin would need wives if they were going to reestablish their tribe, but the eleven tribes had sworn not to give them wives. Where would these wives come from?

The Israelites solved the problem by killing more of their own people! Nobody had come to the war from Jabesh-gilead, which meant two things: They hadn’t participated in the oath, and the city deserved to be punished. It’s possible that when the twelve parts of the concubine’s body were sent throughout Israel, a warning was issued that any tribe or city that didn’t respond and help fight Benjamin would be treated the same way.

Thus, the 600 men got their brides, the eleven tribes kept their vow, the citizens of Gibeah were punished, the tribe of Benjamin was taught a lesson, and the twelve tribes of Israel were saved. The 600 men of Benjamin, with their brides, returned to their inheritance, cleaned up the debris, repaired the cities, and started life all over again.

But all of this carnage and destruction happened because one Levite didn’t have the courage to stand up for what was right and treat his wife honorably.

Judges 21:25 CSB

25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him.

For the fourth time (17:6; 18:1; 19:1), the writer tells us that “there was no king in Israel”; and for the second time (17:6), he adds that “every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Today, there is no king in Israel because the nation chose Barabbas instead of Jesus (Luke 23:13–25). They said, “We will not have this man to reign over us” (Luke 19:14). Because there’s no king in Israel, people are rebelling against God and doing whatever pleases them; and it will be that way until the King returns and takes His throne on earth.

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