CIVIL WAR (judges 20:1-48)
INTRODUCTION:
Last week we looked at society’s moral breakdown or what biblical scholars call the Canaanization of Israel. Israel became like the foreigners around them that they had been instructed to destroy so that they would not be lured into becoming like them. It began with worshipping the idols that they worshipped and doing evil in the eyes of the LORD, abandoning Him as their king and turning their back on His covenant with them. Once they had done this there was no standard of truth, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes and the result was moral chaos. In the end a Levite thrusts his concubine into the hands of some worthless men who rape and abuse her through the night then discard her in the morning where she dies on the doorstep of the house where her husband was staying. He picks her up puts her on a donkey and takes her home where he takes a knife and cuts her body into twelve pieces and sends a piece to each of the tribes of Israel. As we come into chapter 20, we find the response of the tribes to this gruesome call to arms issued at the end of chapter 19. Can it get any worse? Let’s pray and then get into our passage.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles to Judges 20. This is a longer chapter, but I am going to try and get all the way through it. Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
Judges 20:1-48,
“Then all the sons of Israel from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, came out, and the congregation assembled as one man to the Lord at Mizpah. The chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, took their stand in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 foot soldiers who drew the sword. (Now the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the sons of Israel said, ‘Tell us, how did this wickedness take place?’ So the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, ‘I came with my concubine to spend the night at Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin. But the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house at night because of me. They intended to kill me; instead, they ravished my concubine so that she died. And I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance; for they have committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel. Behold, all you sons of Israel, give your advice and counsel here.’ Then all the people arose as one man, saying, ‘Not one of us will go to his tent, nor will any of us return to his house. But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up against it by lot. And we will take 10 men out of 100 throughout the tribes of Israel, and 100 out of 1,000, and 1,000 out of 10,000 to supply food for the people, that when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, they may punish them for all the disgraceful acts that they have committed in Israel.’ Thus all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, united as one man. Then the tribes of Israel sent men through the entire tribe of Benjamin, saying, ‘What is this wickedness that has taken place among you? Now then, deliver up the men, the worthless fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and remove this wickedness from Israel.’ But the sons of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel. The sons of Benjamin gathered from the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the sons of Israel. From the cities on that day the sons of Benjamin were numbered, 26,000 men who draw the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah who were numbered, 700 choice men. Out of all these people 700 choice men were left-handed; each one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. Then the men of Israel besides Benjamin were numbered, 400,000 men who draw the sword; all these were men of war. Now the sons of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God and said, ‘Who shall go up first for us to battle against the sons of Benjamin?’ Then the Lord said, ‘Judah shall go up first.’ So the sons of Israel arose in the morning and camped against Gibeah. The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel arrayed for battle against them at Gibeah. Then the sons of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and felled to the ground on that day 22,000 men of Israel. But the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and arrayed for battle again in the place where they had arrayed themselves the first day. The sons of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall we again draw near for battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin?’ And the Lord said, ‘Go up against him.’ Then the sons of Israel came against the sons of Benjamin the second day. Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah the second day and felled to the ground again 18,000 men of the sons of Israel; all these drew the sword. Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel and wept; thus they remained there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening. And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. The sons of Israel inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, Aaron’s son, stood before it to minister in those days), saying, ‘Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?’ And the Lord said, ‘Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.’ So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah. The sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as at other times. The sons of Benjamin went out against the people and were drawn away from the city, and they began to strike and kill some of the people as at other times, on the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, and in the field, about thirty men of Israel. The sons of Benjamin said, ‘They are struck down before us, as at the first.’ But the sons of Israel said, ‘Let us flee that we may draw them away from the city to the highways.’ Then all the men of Israel arose from their place and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar; and the men of Israel in ambush broke out of their place, even out of Maareh-geba. When ten thousand choice men from all Israel came against Gibeah, the battle became fierce; but Benjamin did not know that disaster was close to them. 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. So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were defeated. When the men of Israel gave ground to Benjamin because they relied on the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah, the men in ambush hurried and rushed against Gibeah; the men in ambush also deployed and struck all the city with the edge of the sword. Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise from the city. Then the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel, for they said, ‘Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.’ But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, Benjamin looked behind them; and behold, the whole city was going up in smoke to heaven. Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified; for they saw that disaster was close to them. Therefore, they turned their backs before the men of Israel toward the direction of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them while those who came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst of them. They surrounded Benjamin, pursued them without rest and trod them down opposite Gibeah toward the east. Thus 18,000 men of Benjamin fell; all these were valiant warriors. The rest turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, but they caught 5,000 of them on the highways and overtook them at Gidom and killed 2,000 of them. So all of Benjamin who fell that day were 25,000 men who draw the sword; all these were valiant warriors. But 600 men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they remained at the rock of Rimmon four months. The men of Israel then turned back against the sons of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city with the cattle and all that they found; they also set on fire all the cities which they found.” (Judges 20:1–48, NASB95)[1]
CALL TO ARMS (Judges 20:1-7)
I cannot imagine what kind of response the Levite was hoping to receive as he dismembered his concubine and sent her parts out to the twelve tribes of Israel, but I am sure that he never imagined the response he received. Verse one tells us that the sons of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and those from the land of Gilead gathered. In other words, from the most northern city, Dan to the most southern city, Beersheba and Gilead which referred to the tribes on the eastern side of the Jordan river. The author is telling that all of Israel showed up, someone from every tribe, almost. We learn that Benjamin heard that they were assembling at Mizpah, but they did not join them. Later on in chapter 21 we will learn that no one from the clan of Jabesh-Gilead came to the assembly. This was a clan from the tribe of Gad or the half-tribe of Manasseh that was on the eastside of the Jordan. But besides that clan and the tribe of Benjamin, representatives from the other 11 tribes assembled at Mizpah and they brought out their military with them, which numbered 400,000 foot soldiers, who drew the sword. Mizpah was on the border of Ephraim and Benjamin, just a few miles away from Gibeah. It is interesting how the author describes this assembly, saying the “congregation assembled as one man to the LORD at Mizpah;” and “even all the tribes of Israel, took their stand in the assembly of the people of God.” This is how Israel is described in the book of Joshua, as a military camp preparing to fight a holy war. These descriptions sound promising, does this mean the other 11 tribes have come to their senses, have they acknowledged the LORD as their covenant God? We will see as we move along, they have not convened to worship, they have gathered for war, to fight against their own people.
Viewed within the context of this book as a whole, this nameless Levite from an obscure place in Ephraim has been able to accomplish something that none of the judges raised up by the LORD and empowered by His Spirit had been able to do. Not even Deborah and Barak had been able to get the support and mobilize the military resources of the nation to the extent that we see this Levite doing in this passage. This gathering gives the Levite a huge audience to play to, which is possibly what he wanted by using such a shocking means to call out the people. We have seen this man’s actions in the last chapter, but it is still difficult to know for sure what his motives are in all of this. We learned a little of that from his actions, but his words in the chapter are even more revealing of his motives. Those assembled want to hear from this man’s lips how this evil happened. “So the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, ‘I came with my concubine to spend the night at Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin. But the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house at night because of me. They intended to kill me; instead, they ravished my concubine so that she died. And I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance; for they have committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel. Behold, all you sons of Israel, give your advice and counsel here.’” (Judges 20:4–7, NASB95)[2]
In the mind of our nameless Levite, he has convinced himself that he himself is the principal victim. He wants revenge on the people of Gibeah and plans to use his fellow-Israelites to get it. So, in telling what happened, he has tailored the event to his advantage, the facts are very distorted, his retelling of the event is quite different then what the author recorded for us in chapter 19. The author in chapter 19 told us that it was a bunch of worthless fellows that surrounded the house, in the Levite’s version he says it was the men of Gibeah, the word translated men is a word that can be translated “lord” or “chief.” In other words, the Levite claimed it was the leaders of Gibeah. The author in chapter 19 said the men wanted to have sexual relations with the Levite, he says that they intended to kill him. The author in 19 said that the Levite grabbed his concubine and made her go out to the men. Here he only says that they ravished his concubine and that she died. In his retelling of the event, he portrays himself as the victim and lays all the blame for the “abomination and outrage” that has taken place completely on the leading men of Gibeah. He has taken the high moral ground, but to do so he has distorted the facts, so that he gets the revenge that he wants. This Levite, who should have been a man of integrity as a spiritual leader in Israel is not a truth-teller, but instead a truth-manipulator, and he manipulates Israel as a whole with his deception. His closing words to the assembly of, “give your advice and counsel here” is his call to Israel to side with him against the men of Gibeah and take vengeance on them on his behalf. But because of the Levite’s manipulation of the truth, the action that follows will be compromised from the beginning. It will not be complete or true justice because it is not based on the whole truth. The corruption of justice is a terrible thing, and that is what this Levite, for all his assumed moral outrage is guilty of here. The result is horrible.
CIVIL WAR (Judges 20:8-46)
The response to the Levite’s plea is described as the people arising as one man, they are overwhelmingly on the Levite’s side and what will the outcome of this response be? Civil war on a scale never before seen in Israel. They immediately begin to prepare for war, but first send a delegation to Benjamin to demand that they hand over the men in Gibeah who are responsible for this lewd and disgraceful act so that they can be put to death and purge Israel of this evil. The people of Benjamin refuse to hand them over and instead muster their troops out of all their cities and go to Gibeah to protect and fight for it. We are told that Benjamin was able to muster 26000 soldiers, who draw the sword with an additional 700 soldiers from Gibeah. We are also informed that 700 of the soldiers are left-handed like the Benjamite judge, Ehud. These left-handed soldiers used slings and they were top marksmen they could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. After describing the fighting force of Benjamin, we are told that all Israel, without Benjamin mustered a force of 400,000 soldiers, men who draw the sword, all of them men of war. Benjamin is very outnumbered by the sons of Israel, and all this should be over quickly.
Before going up to attack Gibeah, something is done that seems to offer some hope. Verse 18 says, “Now the sons of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God and said, ‘Who shall go up first for us to battle against the sons of Benjamin?’ Then the Lord said, ‘Judah shall go up first.’” (Judges 20:18, NASB95)[3] This is the first of three times that the Israelites will approach the LORD to inquire of Him. The inquiries and God’s responses are very significant because it shows us what is happening in the minds of the Israelites and between them and the LORD as the war progresses. With this first inquiry the Israelites are confident that what they are about to do is right and will end in purging the land of evil. So, this first time is not about should they go, but who should lead them into battle. The answer from the LORD is that Judah should lead them, this is fitting as the concubine who was murdered was from Bethlehem in Judah and this is not the first time Judah has led the people into battle. This is the same question that Israel asked in chapter one of this book, and they receive a similar response because Judah was to take a leadership role in the nation. But when the inquiry was made in chapter one Israel was united, here they are divided. There they were fighting Canaanites, here they are fighting one another. There they were acting on orders given to them by the LORD through Joshua, here they are acting on the manipulating words of one man. And it should be noted that here they are not promised victory, but in chapter 1, verse 2, “The Lord said, ‘Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.’” (Judges 1:2, NASB95)[4] Here they are simply told that Judah shall go up first and what follows is a terrible rout in which 22,000 Israelite soldiers are killed by the Benjamites, and the defeated Israelites return to Bethel weeping before the LORD.
The Israelites are devastated. So, they go to God again before taking the matter further. They pray, “’Shall we again draw near for battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin?’” (Judges 20:23b, NASB95)[5] The phrase “my brother” is new and suggests the Israelites are beginning to doubt the rightness of their cause. They could be even hoping that God will tell them to cease and return home. “‘And the Lord said, ‘Go up against him.’” (Judges 20:23c, NASB95)[6] I am sure the Israelites were wondering what God was doing? Wondering what would happen if they repeated what happened on the first day of battle. God had left them no option, He was clear they were to go up, and to their credit they obey Him. But the influence of the Levite and their confidence of the day before was beginning to wane, notice that we hear no more about the Levite in the events of the war. This should give us some hope that some good may yet come of all this pain. That is not to happen yet, as Israel is defeated again on the second day of battle and another 18,000 Israelites lay dead on the battlefield.
The people of Israel are now desperate. “Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel and wept; thus they remained there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening. And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. The sons of Israel inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, Aaron’s son, stood before it to minister in those days), saying, ‘Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?’” (Judges 20:26–28a, NASB95)[7] The people are broken, they are at an end of themselves. They want out of this terrible mess that they have gotten themselves into, they want an end to the torment and healing of the wounds that only God can give them. Here they are at Bethel again, weeping and offering sacrifices, seeking God’s mercy. It is almost the same scene as in chapter two. There it was clear what had gone wrong, they had broken God’s covenant and disobeyed what He had told them to do. They angel of the LORD appeared to them there to explain it to them. Here the reason is still hidden, haven’t they done their best to right a terrible wrong? How were they to know the Levite had misled them. If they had consulted the LORD at the very beginning rather than at the end maybe this would have turned out differently, but it is too late for that now. So, they continue forward, hoping that God will have mercy on them and that all will finally become clear. This seems to be the closest we get to repentance and restoration. At last, the LORD assures them that the nightmare will be over soon. “And the Lord said, ‘Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.’” (Judges 20:28, NASB95)[8] Finally they receive the word they have been longing for. Just one more battle, one more painful struggle, and victory will be theirs.
Energized by what they have just heard and with a new battle strategy they go up again to attack Gibeah. This time they set an ambush and then act as if they are attacking in the same way as the first two attacks to draw the Benjamites away from Gibeah leaving it unguarded. They begin to fall away as before and Benjamin thinks this will be another rout as some, about 30 Israelites begin to fall by the sword. At a certain point fresh troops arise to help in the battle and the troops in ambush arise and enter the city and put it to the sword. The Israelites had agreed that the troops who ambushed the city would send up a great cloud of smoke to show that the city was taken and then Israel turned, and the LORD struck Benjamin before Israel, so that the sons of Israel destroyed the army of Benjamin. Seeing the smoke Benjamin panicked and tried to flee but Israel pursued them and cut down 18,000 opposite Gibeah. The rest fled toward the wilderness trying to reach the rock of Rimmon and another 5,000 were killed on the highways and they fled and they pursued them as far as Gidom and struck down another 2000. 600 escaped and made it to the Rock of Rimmon which is an area full of caves where they were able to hide themselves. In all more than 25,000 fighting men were destroyed that day, some must have been killed in the two earlier battles because only the 600 who got to the rock of Rimmon were left. With the day beginning to fade, the Israelites turn back from pursuing the 600. They leave them there for now.
CULMINATION (Judges 20:47-48)
Is this the end of it. No, as the Israelites return to Mizpah they go on a rampage, killing everything and everyone left in the land of Benjamin. Every living person, all the cattle and livestock leaving nothing alive, and they burn down all the towns and cities.
So justice has finally been done, or has it? There are huge moral issues here. The concubine’s death has been avenged. Retribution has been visited on the rapists and on those who protected them. But at what cost? More than 65,000 fighting men have died on both sides, plus the civilians; men, women, and children; who were caught up in the conflict. Can this truly be justice? And was it necessary to destroy the rest of Benjamin’s cities and towns and all living things? Is this justifiable action or unjustifiable overreaction? Can a bloodbath like this ever be right? Is this the restoration of moral order or a travesty of all that Israel was called to be and do?
CONCLUSION:
As we come to the end of this chapter the question that looms in my mind is what are we to make of God’s involvement in all of this? Why did the LORD send the Israelites up twice to be defeated? Why did He promise victory the third time they went up? Not only did He promise victory, but verse 35 says, “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.” (Judges 20:35, NASB95)[9] Did this act by God mean that He finally approved of Israel’s actions? Let me offer some possible answers to these questions. I believe the LORD allowed the sons of Israel to be defeated to bring to the point that they were at the third time they came to Him at Bethel. They saw the sin in Benjamin but did not acknowledge their own sin. When the war began, they were still doing what was right in their own eyes, the third time they came to Bethel they saw that what was right in their own eyes was not working. Do we have perfect repentance and restoration the third time? Not perfect, but progress was made as they sought the LORD’s mercy on their behalf. The LORD showed mercy by giving them victory, but again they did what was right in their own eyes and almost completely wiped out the tribe of Benjamin, leaving only 600 men still alive. One thing is certain, Israel has turned on itself, and a huge rift has been made in the national life of Israel. Next week we will look at what is to be done with the 600 Benjamites hiding in the mountains. Can Israel ever recover from this and become the united twelve-tribe nation it once was? The moral outrage committed in Gibeah has had terrible consequences. We have entered a very dark place, where Israel seems to have been given over to the full consequences of “everyone doing what was right in his own eyes.” What can we take away from this chapter? Even in the midst of the moral chaos taking place in Israel, God was still there. This should give us great comfort, even in the midst of the moral chaos we find in our nation, even in some of our churches, God is still here and is still working in human hearts, is still pouring out His mercy and grace and will continue to do so until He returns to take us home to be with Him.
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.