Judges 20:2-13 – And the chiefs of all the people, of all the
tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God,
400,000 men on foot that drew the sword. (Now the people of
Benjamin heard that the people of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the people
of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this evil happen?” And the Levite, the
husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “I came to Gibeah that belongs to
Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night. And the leaders of
Gibeah rose against me and surrounded the house against me by night. They meant
to kill me, and they violated my concubine, and she is dead. So I took hold of my
concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the
inheritance of Israel, for they have committed abomination and outrage in
Israel. Behold, you people of Israel, all of
you, give your advice and counsel here.”
And all the people arose as one man, saying, “None of us will go to his tent,
and none of us will return to his house. But now
this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot, and we will take ten
men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a
thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand, to bring provisions for the people,
that when they come they may repay Gibeah of Benjamin, for all the outrage that
they have committed in Israel.” So all the men of
Israel gathered against the city, united as one man. And the tribes of
Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What evil is this
that has taken place among you? Now therefore give up
the men, the
worthless fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and purge evil from Israel.” But the
Benjaminites would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the people of
Israel.
Application:
- · Casting lots was a common method of determining the will of God.
- · The demand of Israel was not unreasonable.
- · They wanted to punish only those directly involved in the crime.
- · The sin of the men of Gibeah called for the death penalty, and Israel had to punish the sin if she was to avoid guilt herself.
All Scripture verses taken from ESV
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