Question: What happened in Judges 19-20 is a very sad story in Israel’s history. The people of Israel seem to value their identity as a nation, but by the way the people are described throughout the book of Judges, it almost seems they all live as separate tribes with no sense of national identity. So, I was surprised how they came together to deal with the evils of the tribe of Benjamin. Do you think if they lived more like a coherent nation, this might not have happened? Also, would this incident be considered a civil war?

Answer: You have some great questions here! Thanks for asking.

Yes, I think your instincts are spot on: the more you move through the book of Judges, the more fragmented the people of Israel become. As God’s people continue to “do what is right in their own eyes,” they continue to suffer the effects of sin: selfishness, animosity toward one another, and division—an earthly and spiritual civil war, you might say. One way I’ve heard the book of Judges described is the “Canaanization” of Israel; by the end of the book, Israel has become nearly indistinguishable from the Canaanites they’re supposed to be overcoming!

But even when one of the tribes is on the verge of being completely eliminated, in the last chapter of the book there is a glimmer of hope: the Lord preserves the tribe of Benjamin after all, even as he promises to preserve his church until the Last Day.

Peace,
Dr. German