SERIES H --- THE JUDGES --- LESSON 22

BENJAMIN DESTROYED?

A DAY OF DESTRUCTION

From Judges 20:24-48

With renewed courage the army of Israel went into a second campaign against the forces of Benjamin. But the men of Benjamin rushed out from Gibeah and this time killed eighteen thousand skilled swordsmen. The whole army of Israel went back to Bethel. There was great weeping and fasting as they sat there before Adonai, all day, until evening, they fasted, offering burnt offerings and peace offerings to Adonai. At that time the Ark of the Covenant was at Bethel and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron, was the priest. [Shall we go against our brothers the Benjamites a third time?] the army of Israel asked Adonai. [Or shall we stop our campaigns against them?] [Go again,] Adonai answered. [Tomorrow you will defeat the men of Benjamin.] The next day the army of Israel divided as they went against Gibeah the third time. Some of the men set an ambush while the others formed the usual battle line, once more the Benjamites rushed from the city and the army of Israel began to retreat, drawing the forces of Benjamin away from the city. [They’re running away from us again,] shouted the men of Benjamin. As they overtook the rear of Israel’s army, they began killing the Israelites as they had done before. About thirty of the men of Israel died along the roadway between Gibeah and Bethel. But this retreat was part of the trap that the army of Israel had set. As soon as the men of Benjamin were far enough from the city, the army of Israel, which by this time had reached Baal-tamar, turned around and attacked, at the same time about ten thousand of them rushed from their place of ambush and moved into Gibeah behind the Benjamite army. This disaster came as a surprise to the Benjamites, so they lost about twenty-five thousand, one hundred men that day, all men who were skilled with the sword. In summary, this is the way the Benjamites were defeated: The main army of Israel ran away from the men of Benjamin as they came from Gibeah, drawing them away from the city so that their men in ambush would have room to fight. As soon as they could, these men in ambush rushed upon the city of Gibeah, killing the people in it with their swords and setting it on fire. When the main army of Israel saw the smoke from the city, they recognized it as their signal to turn around and attack. Since the Benjamites had killed a few of the men of Israel, they assumed that they were defeating them again. But when they saw the smoke rising from Gibeah and the army of Israel turning upon them, the men of Benjamin knew that they were facing a disaster. They tried to run away into the wilderness, but the men of Israel went after them. By this time the men who had been in the ambush rushed behind the Benjamites and began killing them. Before long, the army of Benjamin was surrounded. Without mercy Israel killed most of the army there east of Gibeah. Eighteen thousand of the men of Benjamin died in the first battle that day, while five thousand more were killed along the way as they tried to escape in the wilderness toward the rock of Rimmon. Later, two thousand more were killed as the army of Israel rushed after them toward Gidom. Altogether, more than twenty-five thousand brave men of Benjamin died that day. Only six hundred escaped to the rock of Rimmon and lived there for four months. As the army of Israel returned from battle, they killed all of the people of Benjamin, destroyed their cities and all that was in them, including their livestock.

COMMENTARY

THE JUDGES

In the civil war of punishment, the tribe of Benjamin was nearly eliminated. Only six hundred men lived to flee to safety in the desert. Would one of the twelve tribes of Israel be completely destroyed? For almost three hundred years after they settled in Canaan, the twelve Israelite tribes had no single, central ruler for all to follow. While the other peoples of Canaan obeyed the rules and laws of their kings, the Israelites built their lives around the Laws of YHVH. They had no human king, but depended on YVHV’s to rule and guide them. {YAHVEH} was the Hebrew name for YHVH that came to be translated as the more familiar {Yehovah.} For them there was no difference between the Laws of YHVH and the laws of men, between religious matters and secular, nonreligious matters. During those nearly three hundred years, the priests settled many disputes, since they were trained in the Law. The elders of the tribes and towns also performed that function. But during times of great crisis, gifted leaders appeared to guide the tribes. These people were known as the judges. The judges of the Old Testament were unlike judges in modern courts of law, they had no special legal training; they were ordinary Israelites with other occupations. But each of them, acting as a representative of YHVH, was endowed with the leadership qualities necessary to govern and earn the people’s trust. The judges’ most important duty was not to enforce the Law or to punish wrongdoers. Each accepted the office during a time of great need, and they became war leaders. They organized the army and led the Israelites in successful battle against oppressors. In times of peace the people continued to turn to the judges for guidance. Then it became their duty to defend what was right and just in everyday life. Some judges carried a wooden staff as a symbol of this authority or travelled from place to place only on light-coloured asses. But it was often difficult to get the tribes to cooperate and the Israelites began to insist that only a king could build an army to defeat the Canaanites. The judge Samuel appointed Saul as Israel’s first king and the period of the judges’ rule came to a close.