Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20030126.htm

JUDGES AND RUTH: FACING GROUP APOSTASY AS INDIVIDUALS
Part XIII: Learning To Respond To Evil With Levelheaded, Biblical Responses
(Judges 20:27-21:25)
  1. Introduction
    1. There is little doubt that wickedness surrounds us both in our country and in many churches. Abortion on demand, partial birth abortion and secular humanism rules the secular realm and numerous churches even in Evangelicalism now openly teach theistic evolution in contrast to what occurred just 30 years ago!
    2. However, with this need comes a danger that we can overreact unbiblically and create bigger problems!
    3. Judges 20:27-21:25 gives us the lesson on responding to evil with levelheaded, Biblical responses:
  2. Learning To Respond To Evil With Levelheaded, Biblical Responses, Judges 20:27-21:25.
    1. The horrible assault and murder of a levite's concubine in Gibeah of Benjamin by wicked men of that tribe led to a civil war of the eleven tribes against Benjamin, Judges 19:25-27 with Judges 20:1-2.
    2. Though there was justified outrage by the tribes who fought against Benjamin in that God sanctioned their efforts to punish the men of Benjamin, they also unbiblically overreacted (as follows):
      1. God sanctioned the tribes' execution of judgment on the men of Benjamin for their deed, Judges 20:28.
      2. Yet, two man-made vows erupted in Israel's outrage that were rash and unbiblical, Judges 21:1, 5:
        1. The men from the tribes opposing Benjamin took an oath unto God never to give their daughters in marriage to the men of Benjamin lest they be mistreated as had been the dead concubine, Jud. 21:1.
        2. The tribes opposing Benjamin also pledged to kill anyone who did not oppose Benjamin, Jud. 21:5.
      3. Then, the eleven tribes unbiblically annihilated all the tribe of Benjamin, including women and children except for 600 refugee soldiers who were holed up in a fortress, Judges 20:37, 47-48; 21:2-3.
    3. Such man-authored, emotional actions only led to propagating the original mistreatment of the levite's mistress onto other women in contrast to the initial intent of the whole war against Benjamin!
      1. The war broke out due to the abuse of the levite's mistress by evil men in Benjamin, 19:25-27; 20:1-2.
      2. However, the overreaction of the eleven responding tribes to the abuse by the men of Benjamin only led to the further mistreatment of other women in Israel (as follows):
        1. The slaughter of the tribe of Benjamin in the heat of the passion of the other tribes left Benjamin threatened with extinction: not only were there were no wives for these 600 refuges left, but the other tribes had vowed to give them no virgins in marriage, Judges 21:1-3, 4.
        2. Well, instead of looking to God for the answer, the eleven tribes concocted a solution, not only sinning in the process, but furthering the mistreatment of women in the nation as a whole, 21:5-24: (a) The tribes attacked Jabesh-Gilead for not joining them in the battle in violation of one of their rash vows (cf. Judges 21:5b), using this as an excuse to kill all the town's men and giving 400 of its unwed virgins to the men of Benjamin, 21:5-12. (b) Then, as there were still 200 men of Benjamin without spouses, and because of their vow about not giving any of their daughters to Benjamin, the other tribes arranged for the men of Benjamin to kidnap their own daughters for marriage, Judges 21:13-24. (c) Thus, due to a rash overreaction to the atrocity against the levite's concubine, there came (+) the senseless slaughter of the women and children of Benjamin, (+) the unjust violence against Jabesh-Gilead, and (+) especially the violence done to its 400 unwed virgins who were forcibly taken as wives for the men of Benjamin plus (+) the violence done to the 200 daughters of the 11 other tribes in their kidnapping for marriage, (+) not to mention the trauma this gave to the families who had originally supported a just cause against the evil men of Benjamin, cf. 21:21-22!
    4. The explanation for this overreaction that produced this ongoing series of abuses was the absence of a king who would lead the people to heed God's Word, cf. Judges 21:25 with Deuteronomy 17:14, 18-20.
      1. The author of Judges explained this whole war came as no king led the nation in what was right, 21:25.
      2. The king would lead rightly as he led from Scripture, Deut. 17:14, 18-20, meaning the ongoing series of abuses arose from the absence of a Biblically-led, obedient king in Israel!
Lesson: Even Israel's well INTENTIONED but UNBIBLICAL response to the atrocity by the men of Benjamin only FURTHERED the abuse against the levite's concubine on many other women in Israel!

Application: LEADERS ESPECIALLY must HEED God's Word for the welfare of those in their care!