“So the Lord helped Israel defeat Benjamin, and that day the Israelites killed 25,100 of Benjamin’s warriors, all of whom were experienced swordsmen. Then the men of Benjamin saw that they were beaten. The Israelites had retreated from Benjamin’s warriors in order to give those hiding in ambush more room to maneuver against Gibeah. Then those who were hiding rushed in from all sides and killed everyone in the town. They had arranged to send up a large cloud of smoke from the town as a signal. When the Israelites saw the smoke, they turned and attacked Benjamin’s warriors. By that time Benjamin’s warriors had killed about thirty Israelites, and they shouted, “We’re defeating them as we did in the first battle!” But when the warriors of Benjamin looked behind them and saw the smoke rising into the sky from every part of the town, the men of Israel turned and attacked. At this point the men of Benjamin became terrified, because they realized disaster was close at hand. So they turned around and fled before the Israelites toward the wilderness. But they couldn’t escape the battle, and the people who came out of the nearby towns were also killed. The Israelites surrounded the men of Benjamin and chased them relentlessly, finally overtaking them east of Gibeah. That day 18,000 of Benjamin’s strongest warriors died in battle. The survivors fled into the wilderness toward the rock of Rimmon, but Israel killed 5,000 of them along the road. They continued the chase until they had killed another 2,000 near Gidom. So that day the tribe of Benjamin lost 25,000 strong warriors armed with swords, leaving only 600 men who escaped to the rock of Rimmon, where they lived for four months. And the Israelites returned and slaughtered every living thing in all the towns—the people, the livestock, and everything they found. They also burned down all the towns they came to.”
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Judges‬ ‭20‬:‭35‬-‭48‬ ‭NLT

The Israelites united to avenge the murder of a Levite’s concubine by the people of Benjamin. After two failed attempts, the Israelites ambushed and defeated Benjamin, killing 25,100 warriors and destroying their towns. Only 600 Benjaminite men survived.

It shouldn’t take the death of the innocent to enrage men to do the right thing. This is the sad truth of the battle against Gibeah. It wasn’t prompted out of responsibility so much as it was prompted in horror and protest. You can see this by the way in which God is called upon. Here we see the passage clearly remind us that men did what was right in their sight. God is not invoked until this right path to war seemingly fails. Each day, there is defeat, and each day there is retreat and a choice to continue forward or not. This doesn’t mean they didn’t know how to continue, but rather whether to continue. After suffering defeat, they were questioning whether their anger was worth the outcome. People who are on a divine mission believe that any price is worth the outcome. Nevertheless, God used them to wipe out the evil in that town. It is an effort made by the entire congregation of Israel against their offending tribe. This needed to be so, to stop the infection of wickedness in Gibeah from spreading amongst the nation once it was exorcised from that pocket of people. It is a sad story that should never have had to be. No one party involved should feel resolved. They were all responsible for how far Israel had fallen.

Reason for War: The Israelites were driven to war against Gibeah by horror and protest over the death of the Levite’s concubine, not by a sense of responsibility.

God’s Involvement: God was not initially invoked in the conflict, suggesting that the Israelites initially believed they could handle the situation without divine intervention.

Israel’s Responsibility: The entire congregation of Israel was responsible for the actions of Gibeah, highlighting the interconnectedness and shared responsibility within the nation.