Judges 20B In ur last study, we stpped at the mment in chapter 20 when the tribes f Israel were rganizing t g t battle against ne f their wn: Benjamin The tribes cnducted an inquiry int the matter f the Ephraimite and his cncubine They determined that the Benjamites were guilty f extreme sin And s they determined t d smething abut it As we studied these events last time, we nted that the tribes are still ding what is right in their wn eyes They aren t apply Gd s Law nr were they seeking justice frm their appinted judges Instead, they were applying justice selectively accrding t their wn wisdm and desires They verlked their wn sin and the sin f the Ephraimite t deal with the sin f the Benjamites While the Benjamites were willing t prtect perverse men within their tribe in rder t maintain independence and pride In fact, self-dependence seems t be the chief value amng all the tribes The Law Mses gave them was suppse t unite the peple f Israel int a single natin that fllwed the Lrd Instead, we have thirteen tribes ding what each feels is right in their wn eyes And nne are shwing any regard fr Gd As we ended last week, the tribes apprached the tabernacle in Bethel and inquired f Gd the text said in v.18 But remember, the wrd fr Gd in that verse was Elhim, nt Yahweh, His persnal name Elhim is the generic wrd fr gd, any gd 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 20B 2 f 12 Which means that the peple apprached seeking a Gd withut a persnal understanding f the Gd They That subtle detail was the clue t tell us this natin apprached Yahweh as pagans apprach their gds, in ritual nly They came seeking a superstitius blessing frm a distant Gd The nly questin they asked was which tribe shuld enter battle first T which Gd answered Judah His answer was a allusin t the day when Judah will prduce the King Wh will lead Israel ut f sin S with that answer, the tribes ready fr battle against Benjamin The Lrd answered their questin But that desn t means He supprts their actins On the cntrary, the Lrd is ging t use the pride and independence f these tribes against them t teach them a lessn Judg. 20:19 S the sns f Israel arse in the mrning and camped against Gibeah. Judg. 20:20 The men f Israel went ut t battle against Benjamin, and the men f Israel arrayed fr battle against them at Gibeah. Judg. 20:21 Then the sns f Benjamin came ut f Gibeah and felled t the grund n that day 22,000 men f Israel. Judg. 20:22 But the peple, the men f Israel, encuraged themselves and arrayed fr battle again in the place where they had arrayed themselves the first day. Judg. 20:23 The sns f Israel went up and wept befre the Lrd until evening, and inquired f the Lrd, saying, Shall we again draw near fr battle against the sns f my brther Benjamin? And the Lrd said, G up against him. Judg. 20:24 Then the sns f Israel came against the sns f Benjamin the secnd day. Judg. 20:25 Benjamin went ut against them frm Gibeah the secnd day and felled t the grund again 18,000 men f the sns f Israel; all these drew the swrd. Twice the peple f Israel went against Benjamin and twice they were defeated Yu might think that the Lrd wuld have allwed these tribes t defeat Benjamin, since he gave them instructins n hw t enter the battle 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 20B 3 f 12 That s the what these tribes thught t But the Lrd s first cncern wasn t the utcme f the battle In all situatins the Lrd s first cncern isn t ur happiness...it s ur hliness And there s a need fr a whle lt f hliness in this stry Fr example, Benjamin was acting in evil and certainly deserved t be defeated in battle They needed t see that their play at independence wasn t ging t be a successful strategy But humbling ne tribe wasn t ging t slve the prblem f the ther 12 tribes The rest were just as disbedient in their wn ways In fact the entire natin is acting in disbedience t the Lrd Overall, the prblem in Israel is their lack f submissin t the Lrd s authrity and t His Law S the Lrd desires t crrect the ther tribes even as prepares t bring justice t Benjamin And the prcess begins by putting the sns f Israel t the test Ntice in the first engagement they lst 22,000 men and in the secnd battle, they lst anther 18,000 The ttal is 40,000, and 40 is the number f testing What the text is telling us is the Lrd set Israel against itself t teach the tribes a lessn He allwed ne tribe t defeat 12 tribes s cmmunicate his displeasure at their arrgance, independence and disbedience He tested their hearts by allwing defeat S that each time they returned t Him, they learned t submit t His authrity a little mre Ntice the first time, they asked merely wh shuld g up first They didn t even use Gd s persnal name 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 20B 4 f 12 After the first defeat, the tribes were perplexed and saddened They expected a victry simply because Gd answered them They never asked the Lrd if He wanted them t fight r even if He wuld grant victry He gave them the answer they asked fr and nthing mre But then He led them int defeat t make a pint The Israelites were treating Gd like a genie in a bttle They acted as if they cntrlled the relatinship, what little relatinship they had They apprached Gd when they needed smething, and they asked the questins Gd merely answers and grants blessing Let s take nte f hw Gd respnds t thse wh apprach Him in a superficial way If we reduce ur relatinship with the Lrd t merely a relatinship f cnvenience, then we shuld expect t see similar cnsequences The Lrd is nt ur genie We can t cntrl the cnversatin nr demand certain utcmes as if ur agenda is His agenda He has made a way fr us t knw Him s that we might becme mre like Him If try t turn things arund thinking the relatinship is abut making Gd meet ur desires, then the Lrd is likely respnd t us as he des these Israelites We may find ur plans in ruins wndering why the Lrd let us dwn Gd frustrates plans t get ur attentin s we ll stp treating Him as a genie He ll brings us t a pint where we humble urselves and seek Him 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 20B 5 f 12 Because hliness is the gal, and hliness brings true, eternal happiness Ntice the effect the Lrd s testing had n the Israelites After the first lss, the peple gt their wake up call They knew smething wasn t right because they assumed the Lrd wuld deliver them But the shck didn t crrect their hearts entirely Ntice in v.22 the peple respnd by encuraging themselves Literally, the text says the peple made themselves strng Despite the setback, they are determined t depend upn their wn strength They assume they simply need t try harder But the lss has shaken their cnfidence, s befre the secnd battle, the peple return t the Lrd again in Bethel The text says this time the peple wept and inquired f Yahweh This time the peple use the persnal name f Gd That s is an imprvement frm the previus visit at Bethel They mved frm a peple wh believe a gd exists but wh dn t have the need r interest in pursuing a real relatinship T a peple wh recgnize that the Lrd Gd f Israel is their Gd and He is present in the tabernacle Nevertheless, their weeping is nthing mre than a respnse t the deaths f their brethren, it s nt a sign f repentance befre the Lrd And until they are repenting and ready t humble themselves, the Lrd isn t dne testing them They are still shwing self-dependence, declaring they must make themselves strng again And they are have made n attempt t acknwledge much less address the sin that separates them frm the Lrd 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 20B 6 f 12 S the Lrd tells them t g up against Benjamin again, but nce mre the Lrd withhlds victry In v.24 the peple attack a secnd time, and a secnd time they are defeated After the secnd attack, 40,000 have died Maybe frm the shck f the lss Or maybe frm the cded meaning f the number 40 Smehw the peple get the pint f Gd s testing and return t Him with the prper perspective Judg. 20:26 Then all the sns f Israel and all the peple went up and came t Bethel and wept; thus they remained there befre the Lrd and fasted that day until evening. And they ffered burnt fferings and peace fferings befre the Lrd. Judg. 20:27 The sns f Israel inquired f the Lrd (fr the ark f the cvenant f Gd was there in thse days, Judg. 20:28 and Phinehas the sn f Eleazar, Aarn s sn, std befre it t minister in thse days), saying, Shall I yet again g ut t battle against the sns f my brther Benjamin, r shall I cease? And the Lrd said, G up, fr tmrrw I will deliver them int yur hand. Once again the peple return t Bethel But ntice hw they apprach the Lrd this time First they weep and fast befre the Lrd until evening Weeping by itself isn t always a sign f repentance, but there s n mistaking the meaning f fasting Secndly, they ffer burnt fferings and peace fferings These were required under the Law befre a persn culd apprach the Lrd Where befre the peple apprached arrgantly withut acknwledging sin, nw they cnfirm t the Law Finally, they apprach the Lrd thrugh the High Priest It s nt clear that the High Priest was invlved in the earlier encunters 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 20B 7 f 12 If they weren t making sacrifices, there wuld have been n rle fr the priest in interceding fr the peple But nw the peple recgnize they need an intercessr befre they can expect the Lrd t cnsider their petitins favrably This marks a bright mment in an therwise dark seasn fr the natin They have mved frm arrgance t repentance Frm independence t submissin t the Lrd But it required the deaths f 40,000 men t accmplish this utcme in their hearts Dn t underestimate hw much the Lrd desires ur bedience, Cnsider what He was willing t d here He allwed 40,000 disbedient Jews t perish in rder t impress upn His peple that they must address sin and seek fr hliness And this cmes befre the Lrd has even begun t address the sin f the Benjamites! Once again the pint in ur relatinship is hliness, nt selfsatisfactin Nw that the peple have apprached Yahweh in humility, the Lrd tells them what they ve been waiting t hear He tells them t g up again and then He adds that this time they will be successful Thugh the Lrd sent them twice befre, nly nw He is willing t grant them victry If we want t wrk in Gd s will and receive His blessings, we must first apprach Him n His terms In Israel s day, the Lrd demanded the peple apprach Him accrding t the Law and thrugh the Levitical priests Tday, the Lrd has pen the way t Himself fr all peple thrugh His Sn, Jesus Christ 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 20B 8 f 12 We apprach the Father thrugh His Sn and nly thrugh His Sn And like Israel, if we try t apprach the Lrd sme ther way apart frm Christ, ten we will be srely disappinted We ll lse in the end Mving frward, the Lrd has granted the ther tribes the pprtunity fr victry in battle against the Benjamites Because there is still the matter f judging that tribe just as the Lrd did the ther tribes The ther tribes have lst 40,000 men because f the stubbrnness f their hearts Nt it s Benjamin s turn t suffer Gd s wrath fr their sin under the Law And t be clear, Benjamin s chief sin was nt their sexual sin in Gibeah It was rebellin against the Lrd by siding with thse evil men ver preserving unity with the ther tribes f Israel S then then Israelites enter battle a third time, this time with the Lrd s blessings fr a gd utcme Judg. 20:29 S Israel set men in ambush arund Gibeah. Judg. 20:30 The sns f Israel went up against the sns f Benjamin n the third day and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as at ther times. Judg. 20:31 The sns f Benjamin went ut against the peple and were drawn away frm the city, and they began t strike and kill sme f the peple as at ther times, n the highways, ne f which ges up t Bethel and the ther t Gibeah, and in the field, abut thirty men f Israel. Judg. 20:32 The sns f Benjamin said, They are struck dwn befre us, as at the first. But the sns f Israel said, Let us flee that we may draw them away frm the city t the highways. Judg. 20:33 Then all the men f Israel arse frm their place and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar; and the men f Israel in ambush brke ut f their place, even ut f Maarehgeba. Judg. 20:34 When ten thusand chice men frm all Israel came against Gibeah, the battle became fierce; but Benjamin did nt knw that disaster was clse t them. 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 20B 9 f 12 Judg. 20:35 And the Lrd struck Benjamin befre Israel, s that the sns f Israel destryed 25,100 men f Benjamin that day, all wh draw the swrd. Judg. 20:36 S the sns f Benjamin saw that they were defeated. This sectin gives us an verview f the battle The basic battle plan is t draw the Benjamite army away frm the city where they can be ambushed and surrunded Initially, the tribes send a small frce against the Benjamites in Gibeah The Benjamites respnd by killing sme f their attackers in an skirmish utside the city They assume they are due anther easy victry But this was merely a diversinary tactic n the part f the ther tribes t draw Benjamin ut int the pen The tribes ultimately plan t ambush Benjamin When the smaller frce retreats frm the battle, a large army f Benjamites chase after them In the prcess, the Benjamites leave the city unguarded just as the tribes expected With the city vulnerable, a larger army f 10,000 elite trps descend upn the city and defeat it Ntice in v.35 we re tld that the Lrd delivered a victry t the tribes as He prmised This success wasn t due t superir military prwess It was the result f the Lrd determining the utcme t suit His purpses But f curse, we re still in the time f Judges, and s even when the peple f Israel fllw Gd, nevertheless they still find a way t d what was right in their wn eyes S in the next sectin we get a detailed descriptin f the battle, where we find the peple ging beynd the needs f the battle 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 20B 10 f 12 Judg. 20:36... When the men f Israel gave grund t Benjamin because they relied n the men in ambush whm they had set against Gibeah, Judg. 20:37 the men in ambush hurried and rushed against Gibeah; the men in ambush als deplyed and struck all the city with the edge f the swrd. Judg. 20:38 Nw the appinted sign between the men f Israel and the men in ambush was that they wuld make a great clud f smke rise frm the city. Judg. 20:39 Then the men f Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began t strike and kill abut thirty men f Israel, fr they said, Surely they are defeated befre us, as in the first battle. Judg. 20:40 But when the clud began t rise frm the city in a clumn f smke, Benjamin lked behind them; and behld, the whle city was ging up in smke t heaven. Judg. 20:41 Then the men f Israel turned, and the men f Benjamin were terrified; fr they saw that disaster was clse t them. Judg. 20:42 Therefre, they turned their backs befre the men f Israel tward the directin f the wilderness, but the battle vertk them while thse wh came ut f the cities destryed them in the midst f them. Judg. 20:43 They surrunded Benjamin, pursued them withut rest and trd them dwn ppsite Gibeah tward the east. Judg. 20:44 Thus 18,000 men f Benjamin fell; all these were valiant warrirs. Judg. 20:45 The rest turned and fled tward the wilderness t the rck f Rimmn, but they caught 5,000 f them n the highways and vertk them at Gidm and killed 2,000 f them. Judg. 20:46 S all f Benjamin wh fell that day were 25,000 men wh draw the swrd; all these were valiant warrirs. Judg. 20:47 But 600 men turned and fled tward the wilderness t the rck f Rimmn, and they remained at the rck f Rimmn fur mnths. Judg. 20:48 The men f Israel then turned back against the sns f Benjamin and struck them with the edge f the swrd, bth the entire city with the cattle and all that they fund; they als set n fire all the cities which they fund. This detailed accunt repeats the stry, but this time we hear the gry details Specifically, nce the Benjamite city is taken, the tribes begin t sack and burn the city The plan had been t use the burning f the city as a sign t the fleeing decys t stp and begin driving the Benjamites back hme Sure enugh, when the Benjamites saw their city burning, they turned and fled tward the wilderness hills seeking refuge 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 20B 11 f 12 By then, the army in the city came ut and tgether with the smaller decy frce, they clsed in n the Benjamites and killed all the sldiers A ttal f 18,000 were killed But that wasn t enugh fr the tribes They ran after thse fleeing and killed many f them And after that, we read in v.48 that the peple kept the fight up, Eventually, they burned every single city in the entire territry f Benjamin They were seeking the ttal annihilatin f the tribe it wuld seem This kind f severe treatment was excessive and likely vilated the Law against taking revenge After taking the city, there was n reasn t cntinue n in the pursuit But this seemed right in the eyes f the peple f Israel, s in the prcess, they kill all but 600 f the men in the entire tribe f Benjamin This intrduces a new prblem in Israel The ptential extinctin f ne f the tribes f Israel The 600 men wh are hiding in the rck f Rimmn are the last men descended frm Benjamin If these men die withut prducing heirs, the prmises f Gd are in jepardy The entire natin is in jepardy That s hw serius this sin is in the natin That s why the writer places this stry at the end f the bk It s the climactic cnclusin f all the sin and all the rebellin taking place in the natin during these days The very existence f Israel is at risk because the natin has becme s disbedient 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 20B 12 f 12 Just a few generatins earlier, they were entering the land triumphantly under Yeshua, the man Jshua wh pictures Jesus And nw they are tearing each ther apart Barely acknwledging Gd r each ther And withut a cncern fr Gd s law r fr righteusness Each ding what was right in his wn eyes We have ne chapter remaining, t see hw Benjamin is rescued frm certain destructin And then we ll mve n t the final stry in the three-part ending t this bk The stry f Ruth 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.