Benjamites in the Bible

The Book of Judges
Chapter 20

Benjamites in the Bible Study
The Hivites of Gibeah Bible Story

Greetings! Quite a story we began last time ... Let's see what happens next, shall we? As you recall, the Levite man's concubine was defiled by some wicked men of Gibeah (a city of the tribe of Benjamin), and she died because of it.

Her husband cut her body limb by limb and sent one each to the twelve tribes of Israel, because they committed sin and evil conduct in Israel.

So all of Israel gathered in an assembly at Mizpeh, because that was where the Ark of the Covenant was in those days, and the Levite man explained what happened and asked Israel what would be done about it.

Well, for one thing, they swore in agreement that none of them would from then on, give their daughters in marriage to a Benjamite. They also agreed that they should go up by the Lord's command and fight against Benjamin until they surrendered the evil doers.

Benjamites in the Bible Lesson
The Hivites of Gibeah Bible Concern

Let's take a little pause to remember just who we're talking about here. Remember back in the book of Joshua, Chapter 9, Israel was supposed to be driving the heathen out of the land and they were tricked into making a league with the Gibeonites, allowing them to live and be servants. Also remember that God warned that any heathen that they didn't drive out would become as a thorn in their sides.

So let's get this straight, the people of Gibeah are not from the tribe of Benjamin, they are Hivites living in a city within the borders of the inheritance of Benjamin. Of course there were Benjamites that lived in the city too ... After all ... It was part of their inheritance.

Well, the children of Benjamin refused to turn over the evil doers and rid Israel of evil, and instead they prepared to go to war against their brethren.

Benjamites in the Bible Truth
The Hivites of Gibeah Bible Warning

Why, you may ask yourself, wouldn't they want to turn in the wicked people from Gibeah? Perhaps because they were their servants. Not servants, as you think of them in today's world. These servants weren't paid money for their services, they were allowed to live. It was free labor for the children of Benjamin.

The army of the children of Benjamin was 26,000 men strong, plus 700 from Gibeah. Of these 26,700, seven hundred of them were left handed and each could sling stones at a single hair breadth and not miss.

The army of Israel was 400,000 strong, and they went up to the house of God and asked who should go first to battle against Benjamin. The Lord answered, Judah.

Benjamites in the Bible Facts
The Hivites of Gibeah Bible Battle

The first day, the battle engaged at Gibeah and the children of Benjamin killed 22,000 men of Israel. In the evening, Israel cried to the Lord asking if they should go again to battle against Benjamin and the Lord said, Go up against him.

So on the second day, the children of Benjamin were again the more victorious, killing another 18,000 men of Israel. So all the people went up to the house of God and fasted and prayed and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, was the priest in those days.

This is the evidence we talked about earlier that makes it obvious that this happened before there were any judges in Israel, because Phinehas was the high priest in the years immediately following Joshua's death, and if this were in chronological order, the time frame would be many years later.

Benjamites in the Bible Research
The Hivites of Gibeah Bible Danger

And Phinehas asked the Lord on behalf of the children of Israel, Shall I yet again go to battle against Benjamin, or should I stop? And the Lord said, Go, and tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.

On the third day, the battle engaged as it had the first two days, but this was just what Israel intended, because they had laid an ambush all around Gibeah. The Benjamites grew confident that they would triumph over Israel again because they were retreating as they had done before, but this time they were purposely drawing the Benjamites out of the city.

Even those men who were unfit to fight for lack of strength or age were drawn out to fight, hoping to defeat Israel. When they were far enough out of the city, the men waiting in ambush came out and Israel closed in on them until they were all destroyed except for 600 men that fled into the wilderness to a place called rock Rimmon, for four months.

Benjamites in the Bible Summary
The Hivites of Gibeah Bible Conclusion

Then the children of Israel burned the city and any who weren't killed in the fire were killed in the battle, including men, women, children and beast, and Israel set fire to all the cities of the Benjamites that they came to.

That's not the end of the story ... There's more, so come back to Daily Bread real soon, and we'll share it together!