SUBNORMAL BEHAVIOR. Judges 20 The civil war described in this chapter occurred during the time when Phinehas was the high priest. He was serving as a priest while Joshua led the Israelites, and the fact that he was still officiating before the ark suggests this event happened early in the period of the judges. Phinehas lived in a community called Gibeah in the hill country of Ephraim, which indicates there were at least two places with that name.
Additionally, the tribe of Judah begins to take the lead as God’s chosen leadership for the nation, ultimately resulting in the kings of Israel coming from Judah. They first fought against the Canaanites, the enemy from outside, and in this instance, against Benjamin, the enemy from within. It is from this tribe that the Lion of the Tribe of Judah would come, defeat the enemy from below, and finally bring peace to God’s people.
One man out of touch with God and acting under the deception of the flesh can cause more damage and suffering to God's people than we could ever imagine. A Levite who should have been serving God was led astray by his own lust to take a woman who was not his wife. Because of his own self-centered cowardice, she suffered terrible abuse and was murdered. In his twisted sense of justice, he caused the deaths of over 60,000 of his countrymen. One questions how someone who is away from God can feel justified in creating chaos, bitterness, and tragedy among God's people. Is he truly a child of God? What happened to his mind and heart that made him believe his actions could possibly be right? One thing we know for certain: the Lord hates lies, even under oath, and anyone who sows discord among his brothers.
The Levite, in the self-righteousness of his own spiritual poverty, did what was "right in his own eyes," and appealed to Israel's collective identity to fulfill his desire for revenge. He did not admit his own failures and showed no remorse for his actions. Tribal differences did not prevent national unity when the outrageous violation of the covenant occurred. After Joshua's death, the Israelites operated as if they were laws unto themselves as individuals. The only early exception during this period of the judges, as mentioned in this account, was when all Israel gathered at Mizpeh, about eight miles from Gibeah.
It wasn't long before eleven of the tribes of Israel took matters into their own hands and did what was "right in their own eyes." One person, who is only concerned about himself and blind to his own guilt, involved others in this tragedy and soon had brothers united against one of their own tribes. This man misrepresented the facts by leaving out his selfishness and cowardice, and he added a religious spin to the event. Israel united to do what they wanted; not necessarily what God wanted. The people of Gibeah did not want to deal with the worthless "sons of Belial," and the tribe of Benjamin did not want to deal righteously with those of Gibeah.
A misguided sense of unity and poor judgment lead to consequences that go far beyond our expectations. Defending an unrighteous cause or person and being so confident that we don't seek God's guidance show that moral decline has infiltrated our community, family, or nation. Unless one side in a dispute is willing to forgive, revenge, once triggered, is never satisfied. When someone deviates from the standards of righteousness God set in His Word, spiritual discernment quickly diminishes. As a result, individuals become blind to their own guilt and look for others to blame for the moral decay that affects the entire society, and eventually, the whole nation.
The warriors of the nation, except for the Benjamites, united against the city of Gibeah to punish those responsible for the heinous crime of raping and killing the concubine of the cowardly Levite. The moral depravity of Gibeah had shocked the entire nation, leading to their unity in seeking justice, which, in this case, meant death for those involved. The whole city was considered guilty for allowing such an immoral act to occur within its walls.
A crisis often brings people together for a shared purpose to handle an issue that affects everyone or at least reflects on the group's character. During tough times, people can unite for a common cause or fight against a common enemy. However, this doesn't mean they will serve God in harmony during peaceful times. The urgency in a crisis is often absent when peace leads to complacency and apathy.
The tribe of Benjamin foolishly refused to punish the guilty but instead defended them because they did what was "right in their own eyes." The tribal loyalty of the people of Benjamin was stronger than their loyalty to the nation. They united as a tribe to protect the wicked men of Gibeah who had committed the crimes. In a short time, 26,000 men of Benjamin joined the 700 “able young men” of Gibeah who had come to support the morally corrupt individuals responsible for the problem.
The eleven tribes that declared they would fight until Gibeah was destroyed, and those who didn't join the battle would be killed - and also said that no Israelite woman would ever marry a Benjamite — did what was "right in their own eyes." It seems there’s no stopping the path of evil once we ignore the word of the Lord and start taking things into our own hands. Brethren turn against brethren, just as the Israelites turned against the tribe of Benjamin. In a civil war, no one really wins in the end. But during times of failure that lead to battles with serious casualties, tears flow, a sense of failure sets in, and we become aware of our need for God.
Casting lots was a method of seeking to discern the will of God and come to a consensus among themselves. There also had to be an organized way to provide support for such a large army of warriors. One out of ten was designated to provide food for the nine men who would be on the front lines. He would do that by getting whatever he could from people or the land around and gathering what was available to meet their needs.
The united Israelites intended only to punish the men directly involved in the crime, and their demand was reasonable. The law was clear that the guilty should be punished. The death penalty was on their heads, but like Jacob said years before, “Benjamin is like a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.”
When casualties on both sides began to increase and two battles were lost, the Israelites moved beyond mere religious rituals. Recognizing that more was involved than just doing justice, they focused on truly engaging with God. There needed to be genuine humility before God and an acknowledgment of His sovereign authority before true justice could take place. Fasting and sacrificing were not common during the time of the judges, but this time it happened at Bethel. The men of Israel had to learn that victory comes not “by might or by power but by My Spirit saith the Lord.”
When that moment came, one man in touch with God, Phinehas, was able to step in and bridge the gap between form and reality. Phinehas was tested and proven, and eventually listened to. Not only were the Benjamites spiritually and morally sick, but because they refused to properly address the evil among them, they were completely defeated. When we move past a complacent attitude toward God—through departure, decline, and then depravity—and return to the Lord, victory can follow. However, the fact that 38,000 from the united tribes and 25,100 Benjamites died shows that one self-centered man can cause chaos, bitterness, tragedy, and deep wounds that are nearly impossible to heal.
Open sin and secret sin are both known by God. When a brother turns against another or when sin is excused or overlooked, everyone suffers. When action is taken without the right attitude, the results are not at all what was expected. Before we go to deal with a “brother overtaken in a fault,” care must be taken to ensure that spiritual men are the ones to handle the matter. Those spiritual men will make sure their attitude and actions align with the mind and will of God and will not yield to the temptation to act wrongly or do what is wrong.
When people are humble before the Lord and genuinely repent for their own sins, then we can be trusted to do the work the Lord wants us to do. God works through sanctified people, not self-assured individuals or those who rely solely on numbers to overcome obstacles. Victory comes from God through those who recognize their need for Him. If we commit ourselves to living our lives as God intends according to Scripture, and if we serve Him in the way the Lord desires— with grace and truth— and if we allow brotherly love to be demonstrated among us, we will experience life and service for our Lord Jesus Christ in a way that pleases and glorifies Him.
It began long before the terrible crimes occurred. The Lord’s people had gone their own way and didn’t take sin seriously, not realizing there’s a cost to pay when we ignore the Lord and replace Him with idols. There were 65,100 deaths in three days caused by one man’s careless indifference to the word of the Lord. He was too proud to admit his own moral decline and was unwilling to face the consequences of humiliation.
The men of Benjamin were loyal to their own people and did not care about the state of a disunified nation. Consequently, the tribe of Benjamin lost nearly a whole generation of young men by showing partiality rather than obedience and justice. When people are not loyal to God but are loyal to their own clique, when the moral fabric of a nation unravels all the way down to the homes where parents ignore wrong or fail to correct what they know is wrong, when the criminals who committed the sins refuse to face up to what they have done, then God withdraws protection until pride is gone.
Action that should have been taken decisively at the time of the crime was withheld. The act that started the war should have been dealt with directly, promptly, and effectively through the law. If they had initially sought God's forgiveness humbly, the war might have been avoided or at least shortened. We should never underestimate the consequences of even one sin, nor should we tolerate sin in the hope that it will disappear. We must always address sin before it leads to further trouble. Serious problems can be prevented before a war starts when God’s people approach Him with contrition.