July 27, 2023

Ever wondered, "How did we get here?"

Judges 20

Emily Engstrom
Thursday's Devo

July 27, 2023

Thursday's Devo

July 27, 2023

Thursday's Devo

July 27, 2023

Thursday's Devo

July 27, 2023

Big Idea

Failure: Doing what's right in your own eyes.

Key Verse | Judges 20:12-13

And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What evil is this that has taken place among you? Now therefore give up the men, the worthless fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and purge evil from Israel.” But the Benjaminites would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the people of Israel.

Judges 20

Israel's War with the Tribe of Benjamin

1 Then all the people of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled as one man to the LORD at Mizpah. 2 And the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 men on foot that drew the sword. 3 (Now the people of Benjamin heard that the people of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the people of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this evil happen?” 4 And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night. 5 And the leaders of Gibeah rose against me and surrounded the house against me by night. They meant to kill me, and they violated my concubine, and she is dead. 6 So I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel, for they have committed abomination and outrage in Israel. 7 Behold, you people of Israel, all of you, give your advice and counsel here.”

8 And all the people arose as one man, saying, “None of us will go to his tent, and none of us will return to his house. 9 But now this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot, 10 and 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 people, that when they come they may repay Gibeah of Benjamin for all the outrage that they have committed in Israel.” 11 So all the men of Israel gathered against the city, united as one man.

12 And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What evil is this that has taken place among you? 13 Now therefore give up the men, the worthless fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and purge evil from Israel.” But the Benjaminites would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the people of Israel. 14 Then the people of Benjamin came together out of the cities to Gibeah to go out to battle against the people of Israel. 15 And the people of Benjamin mustered out of their cities on that day 26,000 men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who mustered 700 chosen men. 16 Among all these were 700 chosen men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. 17 And the men of Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered 400,000 men who drew the sword; all these were men of war.

18 The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, “Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?” And the LORD said, “Judah shall go up first.”

19 Then the people of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. 20 And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin, and the men of Israel drew up the battle line against them at Gibeah. 21 The people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and destroyed on that day 22,000 men of the Israelites. 22 But the people, the men of Israel, took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day. 23 And the people of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until the evening. And they inquired of the LORD, “Shall we again draw near to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?” And the LORD said, “Go up against them.”

24 So the people of Israel came near against the people of Benjamin the second day. 25 And Benjamin went against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed 18,000 men of the people of Israel. All these were men who drew the sword. 26 Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. 27 And the people of Israel inquired of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28 and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, “Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?” And the LORD said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.”

29 So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah. 30 And the people of Israel went up against the people of Benjamin on the third day and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times. 31 And the people of Benjamin went out against the people and were drawn away from the city. And as at other times they began to strike and kill some of the people in the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, and in the open country, about thirty men of Israel. 32 And the people of Benjamin said, “They are routed before us, as at the first.” But the people of Israel said, “Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.” 33 And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place and set themselves in array at Baal-tamar, and the men of Israel who were in ambush rushed out of their place from Maareh-geba. 1 20:33 Some Septuagint manuscripts place west of Geba 34 And there came against Gibeah 10,000 chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was hard, but the Benjaminites did not know that disaster was close upon them. 35 And the LORD defeated Benjamin before Israel, and the people of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin that day. All these were men who drew the sword. 36 So the people of Benjamin saw that they were defeated.

The men of Israel gave ground to Benjamin, because they trusted the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah. 37 Then the men in ambush hurried and rushed against Gibeah; the men in ambush moved out and struck all the city with the edge of the sword. 38 Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in the main ambush was that when they made a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city 39 the men of Israel should turn in battle. Now Benjamin had begun to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel. They said, “Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.” 40 But when the signal began to rise out of the city in a column of smoke, the Benjaminites looked behind them, and behold, the whole of the city went up in smoke to heaven. 41 Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed, for they saw that disaster was close upon them. 42 Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel in the direction of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them. And those who came out of the cities were destroying them in their midst. 43 Surrounding the Benjaminites, they pursued them and trod them down from Nohah 2 20:43 Septuagint; Hebrew [at their] resting place as far as opposite Gibeah on the east. 44 Eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell, all of them men of valor. 45 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon. Five thousand men of them were cut down in the highways. And they were pursued hard to Gidom, and 2,000 men of them were struck down. 46 So all who fell that day of Benjamin were 25,000 men who drew the sword, all of them men of valor. 47 But 600 men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon and remained at the rock of Rimmon four months. 48 And the men of Israel turned back against the people of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, the city, men and beasts and all that they found. And all the towns that they found they set on fire.

Footnotes

[1] 20:33 Some Septuagint manuscripts place west of Geba
[2] 20:43 Septuagint; Hebrew [at their] resting place

S2:144 Judges 20

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Judges 20

This chapter of Judges introduces Israel's war with the tribe of Benjamin. The passage raises a common thought that we may struggle with today: Why follow God's way when I can follow my own way?

The question in our key verse, "What evil is this that has taken place among you?," is meant to recognize the magnitude of the shocking sin we read about in the previous chapter and to persuade the tribe of Benjamin either to punish the perpetrators of it themselves, or to deliver them up for punishment. A delegate was sent to the tribe of Benjamin asking for unity in bringing justice to those who committed the evil acts. The tribe ultimately decided not to cooperate, exhibiting a desire not so much to avoid justice as to gain sovereignty/control.

When we desire to control a narrative, we can often exert that control by telling others, "God will bless me along my path." This response can often cover the fact that, by assuming control, we are effectively telling God we don't need Him.

Rejecting the choice to bring justice, the tribe of Benjamin instead chose their own way, which ultimately led to a civil war and the near extinction of their own tribe. Since the beginning of time, as seen throughout the Old Testament, we too often want to be in control. Considering the tragedy around the tribe of Benjamin, we are able to see the consequences of our actions when we don't align with the will of God, and when we try to take matters into our own hands.

This month's memory verse

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

– James 3:17

Discussion Questions

1. The question "What evil has taken place among you?" is more an observation and exclamation than a question. It draws attention to a specific act. Can you think back to a time someone in your life drew attention to a specific sin you committed? What was your response to that observation?

2. The tribe of Benjamin ultimately rejected the option to unite with the other tribes, taking matters into their own hands. When was the last time you took matters into your own hands? What was the result? How might God have worked if you had not taken that control?

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

HS

Hugh Stephenson

Good morning, Emily. Love this, “Considering the tragedy around the tribe of Benjamin, we are able to see the consequences of our actions when we don't align with the will of God, and when we try to take matters into our own hands.” Q1. Can I think of a specific sin? How much space have I got? :) An easy one that comes up is losing my temper at kids or co-workers. Making money was so important that I’d get really upset at any action or mistake that put the business at risk. Q2. Taking matters into my own hands? A long its. The big one was trying to “fix” my prodigals. A wonderful pastor friend said this- “Bro, consider the potability that you may not be his teacher on these issues.” BOOM! ------------------------------ When I read chapters 19-21 it’s hard not to get really sad at the insanity and depravity. I’ve been sitting in it for a few days and it’s really heavy. The repeated take-a-way in the notes and elsewhere is that my sinful nature cannot operate unconstrained. Like the bird dog in training, I need a master. Otherwise, I’ll just run around like crazy and get bitten by a rattlesnake, (Genesis 3:1).
HS

Hugh Stephenson

A few years into serving on the leadership team in Prodigal I developed a term that describes not only what I was observing in the lives of many participants but also in my own situation with my two prodigals. Which linked me directly to my own struggles and issues. The term I use is “The Prodigal Slow Motion Train Wreck”. That’s what I see in Judges. It accelerates in chapters 19-21. Sometimes these tragic prodigal situations seem to happen in families with solid faith foundations. Even so, there is usually some lack of attention and devotion to clear Biblical leadership principles. More often, as in my case, it was a simple lack of any leadership at all. The majority of new participants in Prodigal have an LBGTQ+ prodigal. This has been a startling development. I see it as a natural outgrowth of the movement against any form of absolute truth. Even more, the desire for temporal satisfaction over eternal rewards. Nothing in this world will create satisfaction for me that lasts more than a fleeting moment. I keep moving the goal posts. Remember when Abraham and Lot separated in Genesis 13? Abraham gave Lot first choice of the land. Lot chose the very fertile Jordan river valley and plain. Not long after that, things went downhill for him. We know the rest of the story. One of the points the notes have made is that the “land of milk and honey” provides for every material need so it breeds complacency. Sort of like a perpetual trust fund. So it seems for the Israelites after they entered the Promised Land. I like the saying, “My faith survived my adversity but not my prosperity.” Since kids and crops are everything in an agricultural society the fertility gods became the point of focus. Which leads directly into sexual sin. Got Questions has a great piece on this. https://www.gotquestions.org/sexual-sin.html Reposting this short piece of wisdom, (not mine)- Hard times create Strongmen. Strongmen create good times. Good times create weak men. Weak men create bad times. I have no desire for hard times. But it doesn’t seem to be possible to create Strongmen and good times any other way.
MS

Michael Sisson

Re: Jdg 20:1 Jdg 20:1 (NASB) Then all the sons of Israel from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, came out, and the congregation assembled >>>as one man<<< to the LORD at Mizpah. See also “as one man” in Jdg 20:8, 11. An example of “one” (Heb. “echad”) being used to refer to a compound unity of persons. (See also “One” in Dt 6:4 [i.e. “the Shema”]). Such examples are helpful when arguing for the triune nature of the G-dhead. Re: Jdg 20:2 Jdg 20:2 (NASB) The >>>chiefs [Lit. “cornerstones”]<<< of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, took their stand in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 foot soldiers who drew the sword. Here, the leaders of Israel are literally called “cornerstones.” Elsewhere, how much more so is “cornerstone” in Zech 10:4 and Ps 118:22 used to refer the ultimate leader of Israel (i.e. the Despised Messiah). SPIRITUAL HERITAGE NOTE: Sundown 7/26/23 - sundown 7/27/23 is Tisha B’Av (the 9th of Av). In Judaism, it marks the anniversary of a remarkable number of tragic events which have befallen Israel, including the destruction of BOTH the First and Second Temple. It is annually observed as a day of mourning and fasting. You can read more about Tisha B’ Av in the following One For Israel article. https://www.oneforisrael.org/holidays/special-days-in-israel/tisha-bav-acquainted-with-the-bitterest-grief/ According the Jewish tradition, the First Temple was destroyed in 586 BC because of Israel’s idolatry, and the Second Temple was destroyed in 70 AD dues to Israel’s baseless hatred. Their baseless hatred of whom is not made clear. However, it is believed when Israel figures that out and repents, the Temple will be rebuilt once and for all. I suggest to the reader the object of Israel’s baseless hatred is the Despised Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus). (Mt 23:39)
SB

Sue Bohlin

Thank you, Emily! Great question: "What evil has taken place among you?" This is at the heart of the "fearless moral inventory" we submit to in re:generation, identifying and confessing both the evil done to us and the evil done by us. A wise mentor will ask at the end of a participant's confession of their inventory, "Is there anything else? What about the 2% you haven't brought into the light?' This powerful question didn't get asked of the Levite when he told his story to his Israelite brothers. His story left out some reeeeeeeeally important details, such as the wicked men of Gibeah wanting to rape him not kill him, and how he pushed his concubine outside for them to abuse, how he callously went to bed and slept while the horrible men raped and abused the girl all night, and his revolting response to finding her in the morning grasping the threshold: "Get up!" Absolutely no compassion or concern. (It makes me mad just to think about it. . .) His 2%, which would have reflected on what a total jerk he was, didn't come into the light when he told his story--but the Holy Spirit revealed it through the writing of the book. Which reminds me of one of my favorite parenting Bible verses: "Be sure your sins will find you out." (Numbers 32;23) Which Jesus expounded on in Luke 8:17--"For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open."
MS

Michael Scaman

The husband of the concubine seemed so self centered. They tried to kill me so I gave them my concubine??????? He seized her and put her out for the mob to use who killed her?????? This is an account where all sides had problems and a sad ending to the book of judges. The armies put to death everything in the city guilty or innocent. Over-punishing and excessive. There was shock... but was there repentance ? They inquired of God about attacking which was good, but inquiring of God is not a one and done thing. It should be more ongoing about all aspects. This sort of thing never happened again exactly this way but something similarly in the life of Saul he was so mad at the priests for giving David some bread he killed every man woman and child and animal in the city of priests leaving only one survivor who got away. And that was a corrupt fallen king Saul. Also a story of a sad ending. (Apologies and correction I think I made a mistake Gideon was from Manasseh not Benjamin here so the last account may not relate to the tribe of Gideon. )
AL

Amy Lowther

1. With my small group in Regeneration, we were able to discuss my struggles of feeling extreme anxiety and fearing failure. The small group was filled with good listeners and interesting people. It was a productive time where I became a healthier person. 2. It’s best to leave things in God’s hands and to use His values in everything you do. The results will be a thousand times better than if you completed something in life without God.