Needing God’s Leadership

Up until the Levite sent pieces of his wife to all the different tripes demanding action, Israel had not taken the declining moral and ethical standards seriously.  They were shocked to realize one city, Gibeah, had become a center of sexual perversion, even to point of open homosexuality, rape and murder.  They Had a public meeting to find out what had happened and decide what their response should be, in Judges 19:30-20:7.  “And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.  Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh.  And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.  (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness?

And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.  And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead.  And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.  Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.”

Sickened by what had happened, the Israelites decided they could not afford to ignore such evil in their country, in Judges 20:8-11.  “And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house.  But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it; And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.  So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.”

The entire city of Gibeah was involved or complicit in the activities described, and the Old Testament law required specific penalties for each of these sins. Deuteronomy 22:25-27 commanded that a rapist be killed.  “But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die: But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter: For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.”  Leviticus specified the death penalty for homosexuality, in Leviticus 20:13.  “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”  The command in Leviticus 24:17 predated even the law.  “And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death.”  Clearly, if they were going to obey God, they had no choice but to execute the guilty parties. 

With that in mind, the nation requested that the tribe of Benjamin arrest the men involved, in Judges 20:12-13a.  “And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you?  Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel…”

The tribe of Benjamin refused to enforce the law, deciding instead to provide sanctuary and protect the criminals, in Judges 20:13b-16, even though they were vastly outnumbered.  “…But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel: But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.  And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men.  Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.  And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.”

Knowing  from the scriptures that God had commanded them to execute the criminals, Israel prayed about who should lead and went into battle, losing twenty two thousand men the first day.  Shocked, they asked God if he wanted them to attack Benjamin again, and were reassured that was his orders.  When they lost another eighteen thousand men they were really upset.   Though they were doing he right thing, up until this time they had been doing it in the flesh, depending on their superior numbers to win the battle.  Finally, in Judges 20:26-35, they got themselves right with God and sought his advice. 

“Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.  And the children 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, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.

And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.  And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.  And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.  And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first.

But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways.  And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar: and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah.  And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that evil was near them.  And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.”

When they put their faith in the Lord, instead of their own moral and numerical superiority, Israel easily defeated the Benjamites, killing all but seven hundred.  Even being right and having a lot of support does not ensure victory without God’s leadership.  God’s power is far more important than any amount of support, because as Jonathan said in I Samuel 14:6, “…there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.”