Judges 20-21

 CHAPTER 20:
           Verses 1-7:  The phrase “…from Dan even to Beer-sheba…” indicates that all the men of Israel – except for those of Benjamin – answer the summons of the Levite, gathering in Mizpeh. (v.1) Dan is located in the northernmost territory, and Beer-sheba is the southernmost city. (Joshua 15:20-21, 28, Judges 18:29) Mizpeh is located in Gilead, in roughly the center of the promised land, thus making it an ideal location for all the tribal representatives to meet. It had previously played a prominent role in the saga of Jephthah. (Judges 11:11)
           Once everyone is present, the elders demand of the Levite his reason for summoning them. (v.3) He obeys, concluding his account with one of the greatest references of irony ever found in scripture when he refers to the actions of the sodomites: “…they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.” (v.6) A Levitical priest who has violated the law of Moses by marrying a sexually immoral woman now points a judgmental finger at a group of homosexuals and condemns them for sin! Even amidst all of the apostasy, idolatry, child sacrifice, sexual immorality, and a host of other sins currently being committed daily by the Israelites, the tribal elders somehow still consider homosexuality a particularly disgusting and vile wickedness that is worthy of the death sentence. Apparently the practice was fine with them until the sodomites committed murder as a result of their perversion. Only then does it become a matter worthy of their attention!
           
            Verses 8-17: The elders of the tribes agree with the Levite, and they summon from each tribe men of war to go confront the Benjamites of Gibeah. (v.8-11) The Benjamites, however, refuse to give up the sodomites residing in Gibeah! (v.12-13) Instead, they summon their own soldiers, a total of 26,700 men, 700 of whom are left handed and very skillful with a slingshot. (v.15-16) The total number of the Israelite army is 400,000. (v.17)
            The refusal of the elders of Benjamin to surrender the sodomites for their just punishment according to God’s law shows, again, the level of wickedness and apostasy to which Israel has fallen.
 
            Verses 18-29: The elders of Israel now turn to the LORD for guidance. This section of the narrative reinforces one of the central themes of this book. God uses the actions and choices of wicked, disobedient men to punish Israel for their sin. Even though the rest of Israel rightfully seeks justice for this heinous crime, God still uses the sinful, apostate soldiers of Benjamin to punish Israel for their sin! This is clearly seen in the two major victories given to Benjamin in this passage. (v.21, 25) Even though God tells Israel to go to war against Benjamin, He still gives the victory to Benjamin twice, costing Israel a total of 40,000 men of war!
            After the second defeat, the men of Israel come once again to the tent at Shiloh, offering up sacrifices and burnt offerings, and fasting all day until sundown. They weep in the presence of the LORD, and inquire of Him whether or not they should go to battle a third time. (v.26-28) Once again, God tells them to go, confirming this time, “…I will deliver them into thine hand.” (v.28)
            Thus the men of Israel, acting on faith, plan an ambush outside of Gibeah for the soldiers of Benjamin. (v.29)
 
            Verses 30-48: As with the inhabitants of Ai, the soldiers of Benjamin were lured into a false sense of security and overconfidence at the start of their third battle against their brethren. (Joshua 8:3-4) (v.31-32) The strategy employed by the other tribes successfully lures the Benjamites out of Gibeah into the highways and hedges surrounding the city. (v.33) Israel pretends to be overwhelmed yet again by sending forth only a small portion of their army – ten thousand soldiers – against the soldiers of Benjamin. (v.34) But at the appointed time, when enough of the Benjamites had been lured out of the city, God gives the victory to Israel just as He had promised. (v.35) A total of 25,100 Benjamites are slain.
            At a prearranged time, and with a signal from the first wave of the army of Israel, those soldiers that had hidden themselves for the purpose of the ambush now attack Gibeah, setting it aflame. (v.37-38) This causes the Benjamites to turn back, taken by surprise, and the remainder of the battle is devastating to the tribe of Benjamin. In both the city as well as the fields and forests around it, all but six hundred men are hunted down and slain. (v.42-47)
            But Israel doesn’t stop with just Gibeah. They attack all the cities of Benjamin, setting them on fire and slaughtering every man, woman, child, and beast. (v.48) The actions of a few sodomites in one city and the refusal of the tribal elders to surrender them for righteous judgment and punishment results in the near extinction of the entire tribe of Benjamin!

CHAPTER 21:
         Verse 1-7, 16-18: At the first gathering at Mizpeh, at the beginning of the previous chapter, the tribal elders had vowed before God that they would not give any of their daughters to the sons of Benjamin because of the actions of the sodomites at Gibeah. (v.1) Under the Mosaic Law, a vow to God was a serious matter and not something that could be taken lightly or easily dismissed. (Numbers 30:2) But now, in the wake of the final battle against Benjamin, the elders realize they have a serious problem. Only six hundred men of Benjamin are left alive. None of their women or children survived the raids of the Israelite army that swept through that tribe’s land. And since the tribal elders had already vowed to never give their daughters unto the men of Benjamin, that tribe will soon be extinct from the nation of Israel. (v.6-7, 16-18)
            The men of Israel gather at Bethel, at the house of God (v.2) and, with great lament, inquire of the Lord.
 
            Verses 8-15: A solution is found when the elders discover that no one from the city of Jabesh-gilead sent a delegation to the initial gathering at Mizpeh. (v.8-9) Because of the serious nature of the Levite’s summons, signified by the pieces of the corpse of his dead wife that were sent out to all the tribes, the men at Mizpeh had vowed a death sentence upon any who refused that summons. (v.5) Now, when they take a census and discover that no one from Jabesh-gilead responded to that initial gathering, they dispatch 12,000 soldiers to Jabesh-gilead with orders to slay everyone except the female virgins. All other men, women, and children are to be executed. (v.10-11)
            The result of this attack yields 400 young virgins. (v.12) The 600 Benjamites are willing to take those women for wives, but that still leaves 200 men without any prospects. Notice that, for the first time since the initial conquering and settlement of the promised land under Joshua, neither the men of Benjamin nor the elders of Israel suggest marriage to any of the daughters of the Canaanites. This generation, for the first time in a long time, is adhering to God’s commandment regarding national purity.
 
            Verses 19-24: A final solution is found when the men of Israel consider the upcoming annual feast at the temple in Shiloh. (v.19) They decide to allow the 200 men of Benjamin to “kidnap” the young virgins that go out to dance among the vineyards and fields that surround the temple. (v.20-21) When the fathers of those women come to the elders to demand justice and retribution, the elders will tell them to let the matter drop out of mercy for the Benjamites, their Israelite brethren. The fathers will not be violating their vow to God because their daughters were taken without their knowledge and against their will.
            All of this takes place exactly as planned, and the 600 men of Benjamin return to their own land with new wives to repopulate their tribe and rebuild their cities. (v.23) The other eleven tribal elders also return to their respective lands and homes. (v.24) This highly unorthodox solution seems to have worked since scripture has no mention later on of the tribe of Benjamin not being present in any of the lists of genealogies or familial lines of Israel.
 
            Verse 25: The book of Judges closes with the sad, familiar refrain that opened chapter 17. It also perfectly sums up this entire era following the death of Joshua. Even after this disastrous civil war and the elders of Israel returning briefly to God, they quickly go back to life as normal once the crisis is over, forgetting God once more, each man doing whatever is “…right in his own eyes.” Together with Joshua, Judges provides an account of the transition period between the conquering and settlement of the promised land and the advent of the era of the kings that begins with the final judge, Samuel, and the coronation of Saul.