Thursday Live: Israel’s Second Civil War

Judges 20:1-48

Judges Chapter 20 records Israel’s second civil war and the devastating consequences of a nation divided against itself. A horrific crime committed in Gibeah, compounded by Benjamin’s refusal to surrender the guilty, resulted in a civil war that cost Israel more than sixty thousand fighting men and brought the tribe of Benjamin to the brink of extinction. What began as an effort to administer justice against the guilty men of Gibeah quickly escalated into a national conflict when the tribe of Benjamin refused to surrender the perpetrators. Instead of cooperating with their fellow Israelites to remove wickedness from their midst, the Benjamites assembled an army to defend their territory and fight against the other tribes of Israel. The refusal of Benjamin to hold the guilty accountable transformed a local crime into a tribal confrontation and ultimately into a civil war between brothers.