Judges 20:1, 3b-13, 18-21, 26-27a, 28b, 35-36a, 47-48
Then all the Israelites came out, from Dan to Beer-sheba, including the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled in one body before the Lord at Mizpah…(Now the Benjaminites heard that the people of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the Israelites said, ‘Tell us, how did this criminal act come about?’ The Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered, ‘I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night. The lords of Gibeah rose up against me, and surrounded the house at night. They intended to kill me, and they raped my concubine until she died. Then I took my concubine and cut her into pieces, and sent her throughout the whole extent of Israel’s territory; for they have committed a vile outrage in Israel. So now, you Israelites, all of you, give your advice and counsel here and now.’
All the people got up as one, saying, ‘We will not any of us go to our tents, nor will any of us return to our houses. But now this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot. 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 troops, who are going to repay Gibeah of Benjamin for all the disgrace that they have done in Israel.’ So all the men of Israel gathered against the city, united as one. The tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, ‘What crime is this that has been committed among you? Now then, hand over those scoundrels in Gibeah, so that we may put them to death, and purge the evil from Israel.’ But the Benjaminites would not listen to their kinsfolk, the Israelites…The Israelites proceeded to go up to Bethel, where they inquired of God, ‘Which of us shall go up first to battle against the Benjaminites?’ And the Lord answered, ‘Judah shall go up first.’ Then the Israelites got up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah. The Israelites went out to battle against Benjamin; and the Israelites drew up the battle line against them at Gibeah. The Benjaminites came out of Gibeah, and struck down on that day twenty-two thousand of the Israelites…
Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went back to Bethel and wept, sitting there before the Lord; they fasted that day until evening. Then they offered burnt-offerings and sacrifices of well-being before the Lord. And the Israelites inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days…and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, ‘Shall we go out once more to battle against our kinsfolk the Benjaminites, or shall we desist?’ The Lord answered, ‘Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.’…
The Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel; and the Israelites destroyed twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin that day, all of them armed. Then the Benjaminites saw that they were defeated. The Israelites gave ground to Benjamin, because they trusted to the troops in ambush that they had stationed against Gibeah…But six hundred turned and fled towards the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and remained at the rock of Rimmon for four months. Meanwhile, the Israelites turned back against the Benjaminites, and put them to the sword—the city, the people, the animals, and all that remained. Also the remaining towns they set on fire.
Reflection
The response by Israel starts positively. The tribes gather and try to establish firsthand from the Levite what had happened in Gibeah. They go there and ask that the guilty men are handed over to be punished; but Benjamin refuses and begins to prepare for a fight against their kindred tribes.
This is civil war; but the question they ask of God mirrors the one asked in Judges 1:1 – Who shall go first? God gives the same answer, Judah. Israel holds to the presumption that violence is the only way to overcome opposition and achieve justice, despite all the stories in Judges showing that it fails to produce the desired result or lasting peace. God again isn’t consulted about how to respond; but only asked to choose the leading tribe.
The first battle results in huge losses on both sides and Israel then asks God, ‘shall we go again’? If God says ‘no’, will it look as though Gibeah has got away with their crime? How do you stop a war without a just resolution? How do you persuade your own people that the losses they have suffered were necessary and worthwhile?
These are questions that equally apply today in the civil wars and conflicts between nations that rage around the globe. There are no easy answers; but with God’s help there surely has to be another way.
In our story God says ‘yes’ and on the third attack in v.35 God defeats Benjamin, implying judgment against them. But the fighting between the tribes continues with vast numbers being slaughtered until just 600 from Benjamin flee into the wilderness. Israel kills the remaining people and livestock and burns the villages to the ground. Total devastation, not justice meted out on the actual perpetrators of the crime.
The barbaric murder of a single concubine has escalated into the annihilation of an entire tribe, an outcome not decreed by God. However, as we shall see tomorrow, God will get the blame!
Prayer
God of justice, we pray for leaders of societies caught up in violence. Guide them in ways that lead to a just resolution. Grant them wisdom to discern alternative ways to right wrongs.
Have compassion on all who suffer because of human aggression. Guide us to be agents of your love and mercy wherever there’s need.
May your Church witness to your ways of justice and peace as we live in obedience to Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen