Judges 21 | A Sad Ending

0:00You're listening to the dope daily audio Bible and I'm your God pastor Charlie Mitchell and today we're looking at judges chapter 21. Let's roll. The men of Israel had sworn in oath at miss book. None of us will give his daughter to a Benjamin night marriage so the people went to Bethel and sat there before God until evening. They went loudly and bitterly and cried out. While Lord God of Israel has it occurred that one tribe is missing in Israel today. The next day the people got up early built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. The Israelites asked who of all the tribes of Israel didn't come to the Lord with the assembly for a great oath had been taken that anyone who had not come to the Lord at miss book was certainly be put to death. But the Israelites had compassion on their brothers the Benjamin nights and said today a tribe has been cut off from Israel. What should we do about wives for the survivors. We've sworn to the Lord not to give them any of our daughters as wives they asked which city among the tribes of Israel didn't come to the Lord at miss book.

1:04It turned out that no one from Javish Gilead had come to the camp at the assembly. For when the role was called no men were there from the inhabitants of Javish Gilead. The congregation sent 12,000 brave warriors there and commanded them go and kill the inhabitants of Javish Gilead with the sword including women and dependents. This is what you should do completely destroy every male as well as every woman who has gone to bed with a man. They found among the inhabitants of Javish Gilead 400 young virgins who had not been intimate with the man and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan. The whole congregation sent a message of peace to the Benjamin nights who were at Raman Rock. Benjamin returned at that time and Israel gave them the women they had kept alive from Javish Gilead but there were not enough for them. The people had compassion on Benjamin because the Lord had made this gap in the tribes of Israel. The elders of the congregation said what should we do about wives for those who were left since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed.

2:05They said there must be airs for the survivors of Benjamin so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out. But we can't give them our daughters as wives for the Israelites as sworn anyone who gives a wife to a Benjamin night is cursed. They also said look there's an annual festival to the Lord in Shiloh which is north of Bethel east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem and south of Lebanon. Then they commanded the Benjamin nights go and hide in the vineyards watch and when you see the young woman of Shiloh come out and perform the dances each of you leave the vineyards and catch a wife for yourself from the young woman of Shiloh and go to the land of Benjamin. When their fathers or brothers come to us and protest we will tell them show favor to them since we did not get enough wives for each of them in the battle. You didn't actually give the women to them so you are not guilty of breaking your oath. The Benjamin nights did this and took the number of women they needed from the dancers they caught. They went back to their own inheritance rebuilt their cities and lived in them.

3:07At that time each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and family each returned from there to his own inheritance. In those days there was no king in Israel everyone did whatever seemed right to him. Let's pray. Dear Lord, we see from this chapter that our choices create consequences that we may have never intended. I pray that you would teach us to seek your wisdom instead of scrambling for our own solutions. Guard us from making rash decisions or decisions driven by panic. Help us to slow down, listen for your guidance and trust that your ways lead the restoration. Whatever our world feels broken down by human failure and mistakes and sin and debauchery remind us that you are still able to bring healing and redemption. Lead us forward with humility, wisdom, and ultimately dependent on you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.