Observations:
(1) All the Israelites assembled together v.1, All Israel rose up in unison v.8, all the men of Israel gathered together at the city as allies v.11. They all judged that the people of Gibeah needed to be punished. However, the fellow tribal people of Benjamin disagreed to hand over the Gibeah people v.13.
(2) Comparing the list of the warriors, the Benjaminites seem to have better skills than the Israelites v.15-17.
20:16 Among this army were seven hundred specially-trained left-handed soldiers. Each one could sling a stone and hit even the smallest target.
(3) The Israelite went to ask God before the battle, but the Benjaminites did not. However, the Israelites lost 2 times before their victory v.19-48. The Israelites wept before the LORD twice when they lost the 1st and 2nd time. The 3rd battle was described in detail.
Reflections:
Before, chapter 19, the enemies of Israel were the Philistines. Now, they turned to each other and broke into civil war. The nation left God and got deteriorated. Benjaminites failed to govern Gibeah and failed to repent when they were confronted.
Do we fail to recognize our sins even when others confront us? Do we waste too much of our time/energy to serve God because we ought to take care of our sins?
The Israelites had the right motives, and the unity, but they had a hard battle to fight against the skillful Benjaminites. The Israelites won at last and the tactics they used was similar to how Joshua fought against Ai (Joshua 7-8). The similarities should inspire the Israelites to examine themselves of any hidden sins among them like what happened in the battle of Ai (Joshua 7:1-12).
What do our failures remind you? Is there any hidden sin in your life?
Audrey
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