Judges 21 A rash Oath

At this pointthis point in the history of Israel,

There are only 600 Benjamites600 Benjamites left alive,

And they are all menall men.

1September 5, 2010

They had fled to the Rock of Rimmon, and were the only only

survivorssurvivors of the war

That was fought after the men of Gibeah rapedraped and killedkilled a concubine

married to a Levite.

Judges 21

Judges 21 1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.

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Israel was justly angryjustly angry at the sin of the Benjamites at Gibeah.

God had demonstrated in the past that He wouldHe would punishpunish the entire nation for the sinfor the sin of one man,

If that sin was notsin was not punished by the nation.

But now they realizethey realize that perhaps they have gone gone too fartoo far,

and are in danger of losinglosing an entire tribe.

2 And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore; 3 And said, O Lord God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?

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In spite of the vile sinvile sin of the men of Gibeah, and stubbornnessstubbornness of the rest of the Benjamites,

who stood with them in their sinin their sin,

The Israelites didn't want to lose a tribelose a tribe.

I believe that this is a rightright mindset and attitude.

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Certainly it could be said that the Benjamites got what they deservedgot what they deserved.

But it still broke the hearts of But it still broke the hearts of the rest of the Israelites.the rest of the Israelites.

We can learn from this:

The church wants to restorerestore with open arms, thosethose who have sinned,

and then returnreturn.

4 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5 And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the Lord? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the Lord to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.

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Who didn't show up to help fight the battle?

6 And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 7 How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?

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Act in haste, repent at leisure.

…Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath.

James 1:19

8 And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the Lord? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-Jabesh-gileadgilead to the assembly.

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About two miles east of the Jordan River.

9 For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gileadJabesh-gilead there. 10 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the with the women and the childrenwomen and the children.

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God had commanded Israel to kill allkill all of their enemies and drive them out of the land.

But to treat IsraelitesIsraelites as they did CanaanitesCanaanites was notnot part of God's Plan.

But we learn in V12

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There were four hundred virginsvirgins in Jabesh-Gilead.

They would be wiveswives for the Benjamites.

Two hundred Benjamites stillstill had no wife.

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Looking for loopholesVerses 16-22

They made a dealdeal with the remaining Benjamites to come and steal wivessteal wives from a feast at Shiloh.

They wouldn't givegive their daughters to marry the

Benjamites,

But they arrangedarranged to have them kidnappedkidnapped.

To killkill the Benjamite women and children was an act of angeranger and vengeancevengeance.

The oathoath they made was made rashlyrashly and without God's Commandwithout God's Command.

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They are doing what seemsseems right in their own eyes,

And their sinsin is multiplying.

23 And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them. 24 And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance.

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Sin always leads to more sinmore sin in a downward spiral ever more terrible and vicious.

25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every every man did man did that which wasthat which was right in his own eyes right in his own eyes.

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This last phraselast phrase totally explains all that went wrongwent wrong in Israel in the time of Judges,

But it also explains all that is wrongall that is wrong in the world at all times.

When every man does that which is right in his right in his own eyesown eyes, it can only lead to sin and chaos.

The carnal mind is always contraryalways contrary to the Holy Mind of God.

Romans 8 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

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The Holy Spirit will always leadalways lead in accordance with the Holy Word.

God never contradicts Himself !God never contradicts Himself !

We must commit ourselves to doto do that which is rightright in the sight of Godsight of God,

And onlyonly that which is right in His Eyes.

Even though Israel prayedprayed before the battle with the Benjamites, and God said goGod said go,

God did notdid not command them to killkill women and children.

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That came out of their angertheir anger.God did notnot command them to take an oath

refusingrefusing to give wives to the Benjamites.

That too came outcame out of their anger.

For the wrath of man worketh notnot the righteousness of God.

James 1:20

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Romans 8 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind carnal mind isis enmity against God enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

Whenever men and women try to "figger outfigger out" the best thing to do,

We alwaysalways do wrong.

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May we be men and women of God in the truest sensetruest sense:

Living out Living out everyevery Word of God,Word of God, in the PowerPower of

God's Holy SpiritGod's Holy Spirit.

We must be ledled by the Spirit of God accordingaccording to the Word of God.

The steps of a righteous man

are ordered by the Lord.