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War with Benjamin

September 22, 2024 Preacher: Chris LaBelle Series: Judges (Broken People, Unbroken Promises)

Scripture: Judges 20:1–48

Sermon Transcript:

 

Background Material for Judges 20:1-48:

 

Author: 

 

Audience: 

 

Aim: 

 

Actor(s)/Character(s)/Event(s)/Issue(s): 

Christopher LaBelle

 

References:

 

Scripture: Judges 20:1-48 (English Standard Version)

 

Series: “Judges”

 

Sermon Title: “War with Benjamin”

 

Introduction

 

Rapport & Correction: 

 

Background & Relevance:  

 

Main Point: We need Jesus.

 

 

Transition: Due to the length of this passage, I want to begin by summarizing this chapter.

 

  • Walkthrough of passage. (v.1-48)

 

 

Explanation: 

 

 

  • Israel unites as one. (v.1-11)

 

    1. All the people of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead… assembled as one man to the Lord at Mizpah… 400,000 men on foot. (v.1-2)
      1. This was like gathering the nation as far as Maine is to Florida. This unity is impressive since this unity was never described in previous military engagements within Israel (Deborah, Ephraim with Gideon, Jephthah, and Judah abandoning Samson).
      2. Israel hears the report from the Levite but is given only part of the story. He neglects to tell them that he gave up his concubine to Gibeah and paints himself as a victim, even though he failed to protect his concubine and left her to be abused and killed. (v.4-7)
      3. Israel’s unity is both impressive and tragic. It is impressive, because they rally against a horrific and tragic sin from Gibeah. It is tragic, because they are united against one another. This is brothers against brother. All of Israel against Benjamin. Why couldn’t they rally together as one against the Canaanites, Midianites, Ammonites, or the Philistines?

Leviticus 19:17-18, “17 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”

Matthew 12:24-28, “24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

  1. Benjamin heard that all of Israel had been summoned up to Mizpah, but their absence must be assumed. In this decision, they align themselves with the men of Gibeah and their sin. (v.3)
    1. All the men of Israel gathered against the city, united as one man. One force. (v.11)

 

 

  • The refusal of agreement with Benjamin. (v.12-17)

 

    1. The Benjaminites would not listen to the voice of their brothers. (v.13)
      1. They unite together as one with Gibeah and gather 26,000 men, plus 700 chosen soldiers from Gibeah, who were especially skilled in combat (left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss).
      2. They would not be a pushover. 

 

 

  • Victories for Benjamin. (v.18-28)

 

    1. Israel inquires of God, Who shall go up first to fight against the people of Benjamin? And the Lord said, “Judah shall go up first.” (v.18)
      1. Judah is supposed to be the strongest tribe in terms of their military might. Here, we see a different response in comparison to their withdrawal to help Samson.
      2. They sought the help from God, but it is clear they are fighting on their own accord. God never instructed them to fight against their brother, but instead only gives them instruction according to their own actions.
    2. The result of this fight is a massive loss for the Israelites early on. They lose 22,000 men. (v.21)
      1. God’s judgment here is not only against the Benjaminites, but also Israel as a whole. Because there is no king, they are doing what they believe is right in their own eyes. The reason for fighting is unclear (the Levite’s incomplete report), and the Israelites only seek direction after they have made their decision to fight Benjamin. 
      2. After losing this first battle, they weep before the Lord and again inquire of the Lord. “Shall we again draw near to fight against our brother, the people of Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Go up against them.” (v.23)
    3. The result of this 2nd day of battle for Israel is another loss of 18,000 men. (v.25)
      1. Phinehas goes before the Lord after the entire nation weeps and presents offerings before the Lord. “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.” (v.26-28)
      2. It is only this time that God gives assurance for the destruction of the Benjaminites at the hands of Israel.

 

 

  •  Victory for Israel on the third day. (v.29-48)

 

    1. Benjamin seemed to be unbeatable. The undermanned, but skilled military force of Benjamin, has defeated a total of 40,000 Israelite troops to this point. Israel was not finished. They now set men in ambush around Gibeah (v.29)
    2. Benjamin goes out after the Israelites and are drawn away from the city. They kill 30 men and think they have won another battle. They did not know that disaster was close upon them. 25,100 Benjaminites are destroyed and they saw that they were defeated. (v.34-36)
      1. After Benjamin is drawn out of the city and kills 30 Israelites, the Israelites began to strike and attack the city of Gibeah. Benjamin looks back to see that the entire city was up in smoke to heaven. They turn their backs before the men of Israel into the wilderness, but the battle overtook them. The Israelites began to attack and destroy all those trying to escape. The city, including all the men and beasts of Benjamin, save for 600 men, were destroyed. All the surrounding towns of Benjamin were set on fire. (v.37-48)
      2. The 600 men who escaped turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Timmon and remained there for four months. (v.47)

 

Transition: Why is this all happening? When sin runs rampant in Israel, utter chaos, division, and destruction take hold.

 

 

  • Sin disrupts the family.

 

 

Explanation: When we look at this chapter, we see a brokenness and division within the family of God. It is clear that there is no unity, and sin has run rampant. More specifically, we see sin from three parties that causes this division amongst one another: The nation of Israel as a whole; The Levite; and the tribe of Benjamin.

  • First, we see the negative consequences of sin for Israel as a whole. From the early onset of Judges, Israel is given instructions to drive out the Canaanites. Why? A nation needs three things: people, law, and land. First, Israel would need people. We know early on from Genesis that Abraham is called out of his land to be the father of a multitude. From his lineage we get Isaac and Jacob. From Jacob (also named Israel), we get the twelve tribes. We have a group of people that are selected by God. They are secured by an everlasting covenant from God with circumcision being the sign for the covenant.

Genesis 17:5-10, “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.” 

  • Next, they need law. After the events of Genesis, Israel finds themselves enslaved to the Egyptians as recorded in the book of Exodus. God would use Moses to lead His people out of slavery into the wilderness to the place they shall dwell. “Let my people go!” They find themselves wandering in the wilderness and it is here where God gives Moses the 613 Laws that would make this selected group of people distinct from the surrounding pagan nations (Exodus 21-24; 31-35). 
  • After God establishes a people and gives them the Law, they must now enter the promised land (Canaan) promised to Abraham’s offspring (Genesis 12:1;7). After wandering in the wilderness for forty years with Moses as their leader, they now turn to Joshua who would bring God’s people into the promised land. After a series of military victories, the land of Canaan is divided among the twelve tribes. All seems to be according to plan, except their faithful leader Joshua dies. 
  • Now back to Judges. In chapter 1, it seems that all were on board. They were an established people, they had God’s Law to govern and make them distinct from the other nations, and they were now dwelling in the land that God brought them too. The covenant promise on God’s end is carried out, but all is not right with His people as we see their failures to be obedient. Judah is willing to fight but are halted when they fail to drive out the inhabitants due to the mighty chariots of iron. Benjamin fails to drive out the Jebusites who remained with the tribe. Joseph allows a foreigner to build a city for the Hittites. Manasseh does not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, or Megiddo. Instead of driving them out, they put the Canaanites to work. Ephraim fails to drive out the Canaanites. Zebulun fails to drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, Nahalol. Asher fails to drive out the inhabitants of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob. Naphtali fails to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, and Beth-anath. Dan fails in driving out the Amorites. Israel’s downfall into sin begins with their failure to obey God in remaining a distinct nation. They have mingled with the pagan nations and thus adopted the sinful practices they were instructed by God’s Law to repent from. God’s response in judgment to Israel was to allow these surrounding nations to remain amongst them. 

Judges 2:3, “3I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”

  • This downfall for Israel begins subtlety and rapidly descends downward. It takes only a generation after Joshua for the people of Israel to forget the promises and faithfulness of God. Judges 2:11 details that the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. They abandoned the Lord. It was only by God’s grace they were sustained and given judges to rule over them and deliver them as a people. We have seen over this series the poison of sin infecting these people repeatedly, but by God’s grace they were preserved. Israel has proved over and over again their compromise of sin to the pagan nations. The most deplorable sin they commit as a nation in this chapter is their failure to unite as one man against the wicked pagan nations surrounding them but unite as one man against their own brother Benjamin. Rather than dealing with the men of Gibeah, they nearly eliminate the entire tribe of Benjamin.

Judges 20:48, “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.”

 

  • Instead of prodding deeper to find the truth of what really happened with the Levite, they simply accept what the Levite tells them. This results in them coming against Benjamin and destroying all but 600 men, who escaped into the wilderness. The sin here for the nation is their failure to unite together as one against Canaan and ultimately turn on their own people. If they were acting in obedience to the Lord, they would have addressed the sin of the Levite first, and then the worthless fellows of Gibeah. 

 

 

Which leads to the sin of the Levite. The sin of the Levite is obvious. First, he fails as a man to protect and love his wife. He instead allows her to be taken advantage of and given over to the men of Gibeah. He fails to go after her and callously deals with her, only intent on his own selfish pursuit and self-preservation. After the horrifying events in Judges 19, he then has the audacity to send her in pieces to the 12 tribes as a call to arms. There are many problems with this, but one of them being his call to address a sinful matter with sinful intentions. Not only is his sinful actions against his concubine egregious, his telling of the story is even more egregious and slimy. He fails to include all of the details of his actions at the meeting at Mizpah. He lies by omission.

Judges 20:4-5, “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. 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.” 

  • Notice he never mentions his decision to give her up to the men of Gibeah for his own protection. He never mentions his unwillingness to rescue and protect her. He keeps his side of the story squeaky clean, and the Israelites bought it. He fails to tell the whole truth and the Israelites in return fail to follow God’s Law in properly judging the Levite’s situation. With no ruler or king to lead them, they all do what is right in their own eyes, including the Levite, who wants to keep a good reputation.

 

Application: When there is conflict with one another in the church, the temptation is to keep our side of the story clean. It is easier to make ourselves look good in the conflict and fail to mention our failures in the process. Instead of offering forgiveness and repenting of our sins, we hold on to bitterness and pain. Instead of bringing these things to the cross, we selfishly hold onto them, thinking we can bring a better solution to the table. This response is personified with the Israelites in pursing total destruction of Benjamin, the Levite holding onto a half-truth, and the Benjaminites who completely side with the perpetrators of the heinous sin in Judges 19.

 

Now, we get to the sin of Benjamin. Benjamin’s rebellion is apparent. First, they fail to confront the sin of Gibeah’s men. When they receive the call to unite against this sin, they side with their own blood. The saying goes, “blood is thicker than water”, but when the blood is on the hands of their own people, they side with the perpetrators instead of calling them to repentance. In their rebellion, they reinforce their position by sending their best soldiers. They did not hesitate to implement the most skilled and advanced warriors. 

Judges 20:14-16, “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.” 

  • These men were dangerous. Benjamin was willing to lay it all on the line for the sin of their own people. They did not offer up the men of Gibeah involved in the rape of a woman. They instead call upon 700 of their best soldiers in defense of their sin. In the end, this ultimately leads to their own destruction. 

 

Illustration & Application: I used to believe that loyalty was one of the highest virtues one could have. Loyalty to the pastor. Loyalty to the church. Loyalty to family. 

 

  • Loyalty has value, don’t get me wrong, but when one becomes so loyal to their family, church, or pastor, while overlooking sinful behavior, major problems and consequences will arise. We should be willing to come together and bring our sins and problems to one another. The Bible is very clear that we hold one another accountable. To encourage one another in the faith. To call out sin when it is present and restore a brother or sister in Christ when they repent. The call to be united as one is appropriate, but it must be marked by holiness.

 

James 5:13-16, “13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

 

Transition: Just as unrepentant sin brought upon weighty consequences for Israel, this same sin has the potential to destroy the Church.

 

 

  • Implications and the need for the gospel.

 

 

Explanation: What does this chapter and last week reveal about us? How do we deal with it? When we come across difficult passages like these, we have to look at them as descriptive, rather than prescriptive. The Bible is a book with difficult passages and scenarios that can trouble or even offend us. It may even bring upon deep pain. Why? Because it points us to the deep sin that one can fall into. It points to the utter depravity and helplessness of mankind. Sin is not merely an oopsie or mistake that we accidentally commit from time to time. Sin is the active rebellion or revolution against God and His Law. We are all born into this sin and inherit the sins from our fathers. Like the men in this chapter, we are all closer to falling flat on our face than we can ever realize or understand.

Romans 3:10-12, “10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

 

Illustration: Over the last several years, we have seen amazing men of God who could preach and teach peoples ears off. Their ministries saw fruit. They were godly from the outside looking in. They preached the truth of God’s Word with conviction. What we have also seen is the great fall for some of these men. Some fell hard and some responded in repentance. When we hear the news like we heard this past week with Steven Lawson, we are reminded just how close we all are to sin. How quickly sin can sneak in and snatch away the very men and women of God that seek to serve the Lord. 

  • Satan is seeking to kill, steal, and destroy. In this passage, we see enough death. The unity and brotherhood of a nation is stolen and destroyed by the sin of their people. The enemy’s objective has not changed today. He is looking to kill, steal, and destroy the body of Christ today. 

1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

 

Explanation: One way Satan seeks to destroy the Church is through conflict. We must remember, sin is crouching at the door. As redeemed sinners, conflict and trouble will arise. We will bite at one another at times. We will be in disagreement about things. It’s inevitable, and when a brother and sister in Christ sins against us, the temptation of our flesh is to respond in anger and bitterness. With Israel, they were right in dealing with their brother Benjamin. The men of Gibeah needed to be dealt with, but the near entire annihilation of their tribe demonstrated their sinful anger and lack of forgiveness. When sin is left unchecked or dealt with in any manner outside of what God’s Word tells us, division and conflict will destroy our unity with one another. We will become bitter and animosity will occur within the Body. The local church will become divided and God will let those who disobey Him fall to their own demise.

 

Application: What’s the solution then? The Israelites were without a king. Without the leadership of a king who submitted to the Lord, they did what was right in their own eyes. Judges is the story of a broken people seeking a deliverer who would finally redeem them as a people. For the church, our sin points us to the need for the gospel. Many of the problems in the Church occur when we forget who this is all about. This isn’t a story about us. This isn’t a story about our faithfulness, how well us elders can preach or teach the Bible. This isn’t a story about our acts of heroism or overcoming struggle by our own will. This is a story about Jesus! This is a story about God’s grace. How He sent His Son to live a perfect life and to suffer and die a sinner's death on behalf of those that would call upon the name of Jesus in repentance by faith.

  • Israel would eventually get their king. David, who is called a man after God’s own heart, but still falls in his sin. Many after David would come but fall short. Israel would never be preserved through the promise of a mere imperfect man. God promised from the beginning that a “seed” would come from the woman, who would crush the head of the serpent. There is really only one good man in the Bible, and that was Jesus. Any attempts from Satan to disrupt and destroy His bride will ultimately fail, because we have the true King who sits on the Throne. We have the true King, whom by His grace and love, reigns over us, sustains us and preserves us until the day we enter glory.
  • Brothers and sisters, I am convinced and put full confidence in this: If we come together as one in Christ and we pray for one another, we apply God’s Word, and we spend time together in fellowship, we will overcome the schemes of the devil. Satan wants nothing more for us, but to be discouraged, to be at each other’s throats, and to forget what Jesus accomplished in His death, burial, and resurrection. We got news for him when his onslaught is against us. We have our King. We have our savior. We have Jesus. 



Conclusion

 

Clarification: I want to conclude this message by going back to 1 Peter 5.

1 Peter 5:6-11, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

 

Final Application: May we leave here this morning, knowing that it is only by God’s grace that we are sustained. That we can walk boldly into the Throne room with confidence, casting our cares and anxieties onto Him. That we can come together with confidence and take joy in our Savior and the work that He accomplished in His death, burial, and resurrection. And that one day, all those who have believed in Jesus, will be together praising His name forever and ever and ever.



More in Judges (Broken People, Unbroken Promises)

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Wives for Benjamin

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The Fellowship of Faith

September 15, 2024

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