Judges 21
Survival Tactics
Introduction:
Judges 21 concludes both the book of Judges and the story of the brutal gang rape and alleged murder of a Levite’s concubine by members of the Benjamite tribe. The Lord instructed Israel to attack Benjamin at Gibeah bringing judgment on that city for its heinous sins. Now arose another issue of extinct of Benjamin tribe. The Elders of Israel devised a plan to save the tribe of Benjamin from extinction. Like the rest of the book, this chapter addresses the flawed morality of the time where everyone did what they felt was right in their own eyes. They lived according to their own morality, not God’s morality. It details their ill-conceived plan to preserve the tribe, apparently without divine counsel.
Wedding of Benjaminites:
The mighty tribe of Benjamin was reduced to a mere 600 men after that dreadful war among the brothers. The Israelites who gathered for battle took an oath not give their daughters as wives to the Benjaminites. Benjamin needed wives. But marrying Canaanite women is not an option for them (Deuteronomy 7:1–5). They need to solve the missing-tribe problem. So, the leaders investigated to see if any clan did not send representation to aid in the civil war. They found that nobody from Jabesh-Gilead in Manasseh came to the war. The Leaders of Israel sent soldiers to kill every man, married woman, and child and spare unmarried young women to give to the Benjaminite men as wives. After Israel massacred Jabesh-Gilead, left alive were 400 young virgins.
Twisting of Oath for Convenience:
However, two hundred more wives were needed to restore the tribe (Judges 21:5–15). So the Leaders of Israel decided that women "taken" were not women "given." This kind of bizarre, torturous logic with regard to oaths was common in Ancient Near East. It is like finding the loopholes in our modern society in the legal system to escape from the punishment. Israelite leaders told the remaining unmarried men of Benjamin to catch each one young woman during their upcoming feast. So, target the ones who are actually worshipping the Lord and take them away to be wives for these rebellious Benjamites. The idea was that men of Shiloh were not guilty because they did not give voluntarily their daughters to the men of Benjamin. Rather, they were stolen. (Judges 21:16–22). They were looking at things from their own vantage point. What they should have been more concerned about was God's will. Thus, they should first have repented for making foolish vows and decisions. Then they should have returned to High priest and inquired of God about what to do. If they were truly seeking the Lord, He would have given them an answer.
Disloyal Tribes:
The Jews were normally obligated to fulfill their vows: “If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or takes an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.” (Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 23:21; Ecclesiastes 5:4; Psalm 66:13; 50:14). Thus, breaking a vow violated the Third Commandment (Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11). The penalty for breaking a vow before God was death (Leviticus 24:16). The entire chapter brings how all of them were worthy of death sentence. “Men are more zealous to support their own authority than that of God. They would have acted better if they had repented of their rash oaths, brought sin-offerings, and sought forgiveness in the appointed way, rather than attempt to avoid the guilt of perjury by actions quite as wrong. That men can advise others to acts of treachery or violence, out of a sense of duty, forms a strong proof of the blindness of the human mind when left to itself, and of the fatal effects of a conscience under ignorance and error.” (Matthew Henry).
The people were not following their Creator God, and the result has been death and misery (Judges 21:23–25). Although Jesus paid the price for breaking the Law. Yielding to temptations may cause pain to both personal and to the family.
Discussion: What three lessons you learned from the Judges?
(Ref: Bible ref; Explaining the Book - Judges; inspired scriptures; Mathew Henry).
