Jg. 21: Benjaminites De-pwned, Marry

Judges 21:23 "So that is what the Benjamites did. While the girls were dancing, each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and settled in them."

The book of Judges, which to this point is the Bible's action movie, ends with another tragic mess compounded on other tragic messes. And it started so well, darn it.

Because of the rash actions by both sides (Israel in not being reasonable with Benjamin, and Benjamin not coughing up a few rabble-rousers), they were stuck with even more rash vows, like "Don't give daughters to be married to Benjaminites," and "Whoever doesn't show up at assembly must die." I don't recall God commanding either of those two, but here we are. Benjamin didn't show up because they were probably still burying all their dead that the other tribes slaughtered, and re-mudding their huts or whatever. Benjamin (Jabesh Gilead) was busy or dead. And the other tribes mourned for them, but then had to go kill the rest of them for not showing up.

I'm sure God was pulling his hair out at this point, and thats how comets were formed. Don't quote me on that, thats just an assumption.

So Israel sends fighting men to the city and they slaughter the males and all non-virgin women. The process in discovering which of the women were virgins and which weren't...I don't want to speculate on, because it just kind of seems ... Anyway, the Benjamites returning from battle didn't have enough women to go around.

This led to more mourning, because the tribe had a gap. Because of the vow they made. So they allowed their daughters to be kidnapped by the Benjamites during Shiloh, a festival to God.

This is what happens when people go and do stuff outside of what God has commanded...without a clear leader. They create their own laws and vows, and have to play everything by ear. God has plans laid out, and while they appear to be messy, they tie up neatly. Israel, at the end of Judges, is still trying to figure out just what is going on. Everyone did as he saw fit...which is the problem.