Judges 21:1-25
1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, “None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin in marriage.”
2 So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, and raised their voices and wept profusely.
3 And they said, “Why, Lord, God of Israel, has this happened in Israel, that one tribe is missing today from Israel?”
4 And it came about the next day that the people got up early and built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
5 Then the sons of Israel said, “Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not go up to the Lord in the assembly?” For they had taken a solemn oath concerning anyone who did not go up to the Lord at Mizpah, saying, “He shall certainly be put to death.”
6 And the sons of Israel were sorry for their brother Benjamin, and said, “Today one tribe is cut off from Israel!
7 What are we to do for wives for those who are left, since we have sworn by the Lord not to give them any of our daughters as wives?”
8 And they said, “What one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not go up to the Lord at Mizpah?” And behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly.
9 For when the people were counted, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there.
10 And the congregation sent twelve thousand of the valiant warriors there, and commanded them, saying, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, along with the women and the children.
11 And this is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has slept with a male.”
12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known a man by sleeping with him; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13 Then the whole congregation sent word and spoke to the sons of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them.
14 And Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had allowed to live from the women of Jabesh-gilead; but they were not enough for them.
15 And the people were sorry for Benjamin, because the Lord had created a gap in the tribes of Israel.
16 Then the elders of the congregation said, “What are we to do for wives for those who are left, since the women have been eliminated from Benjamin?”
17 And they said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe will not be wiped out from Israel.
18 But we cannot give them wives from our daughters.” For the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin!”
19 So they said, “Behold, there is a feast of the Lord from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south side of Lebonah.”
20 And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,
21 and watch; and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to take part in the dances, then you shall come out of the vineyards, and each of you shall seize his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
22 And when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, we shall say to them, ‘Give them to us voluntarily, because we did not take for each man of Benjamin a wife in battle, nor did you give them to them, otherwise you would now be guilty.’ ”
23 The sons of Benjamin did so, and took wives according to their number from those who danced, whom they seized. And they went and returned to their inheritance, and rebuilt the cities and lived in them.
24 And the sons of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and each one departed from there to his inheritance.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Foolish Oath
Virgins of Jabesh-gilead
Have you ever had a regretful experience for making hasty oaths or statements? In today’s passage, the Israelites repent for making impulsive oaths. Let’s see how they resolved this issue. (1) The Israelites were on the brink of a battle with the Benjamites, and they had made two oaths. The first oath was not to give their daughters in marriage to the Benjamites, and the second oath was that anyone (any city) who didn’t come to Mizpah would be put to death. Behind these oaths was the understanding that not participating in the battle of tribal alliance was considered a grave act of betrayal. (2) The Israelites emerged victorious in the battle, but upon reflection, they realized the sorrowful reality that the Benjamites were on the brink of extinction. The Benjamites had lost women and children, with only 600 men remaining. (3) However, they couldn’t give these 600 men wives, as they had made an oath not to give their daughters in marriage to the Benjamites. (4) So, they utterly destroyed the city of Jabesh-gilead (a city east of the Jordan River) for not participating in the battle, found 400 virgins, brought them to the camp at Shiloh, and gave them to the 600 Benjamite men.
Daughters of Shiloh
There still was a shortage of 200 daughters. An astonishing solution was adopted. Capture the daughters of Shiloh when they come out to dance during a feast (likely the Passover). This dance was a mimicry of the dance Moses’ sister Miriam had danced in Exodus. The 200 Benjamite men captured these daughters as so, thus beginning the process of rebuilding their tribe. Whether this was the best solution for the Israelites is highly questionable. Admitting their mistake of making hasty oaths, offering sacrifices for their wrongdoing, and seeking God’s forgiveness might have been a better approach. However, in those days when there was no king, everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes. What lesson can you learn from this passage today? Wise are those who repent and make course correction, upon realizing their mistakes.
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, help me avoid being stubbornly self-asserting and allow me to walk with a tender heart. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.