Judges 21

Judges 21:1

21:1-15 Now the eleven tribes of Israel were seized with regret that the tribe of Benjamin was almost annihilated. They did not want this tribe to die out. Yet they had made a rash vow in Mizpah that they would not give their daughters as wives to the men of Benjamin. Their first solution was to fight against Jabesh Gilead, east of Jordan, because its inhabitants had not helped in the war against Benjamin. All the people were killed except four hundred young virgins. These were then taken and given to the men of Benjamin. 21:16-24 But it was evident that further provision must be made if the tribe was to prosper. The men of Israel had vowed that they would not give their daughters to Benjamin, and they would not go back on the vow. So they hit on a scheme to allow the survivors of Benjamin to take wives for themselves from the young women who danced at an annual feast (perhaps the Feast of Tabernacles) in Shiloh. When the men of Shiloh complained, the other tribes explained to them that this was necessary to prevent the loss of one of the tribes of Israel. So Benjamin went back to his land to rebuild for the future. These last few chapters have given us an intimate look at two tribes in Israel during the early period of the judges. One can imagine what went on unrecorded in the other tribes! And we know that things got worse as time went on! These gruesome stories show how far a people can wander from the Lord. Here we see enough of the fruit of apostasy to revolt us. Better still if what we have read would turn our hearts to seek the Lord our God and to serve Him faithfully all our days. 21:25 Judges closes with the sad theme ringing in our ears: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.“There is one wholesome episode from this dark period, but it is set off by itself so as not to be defiled by too close association with the depravity of Judges. We now turn our attention to the chaste story of Ruth.