We can see that the Israelites still had some concern for the tribe of Benjamin. For they were still a family after all. Like all of the tribes, the people of Benjamin could trace their origin to Jacob. So despite their wrong, the Israelites did not want to see them extinct. So, they devise a way to over-write the pledge not to allow them to marry any of their women. So they punished the Israelites from Jabesh-gilead for their failure to turn up at Mizpah, destroyed that city and killed everyone, except for 400 virgins. They gave the virgins to be the wives of the Benjamites hiding at the Rock of Rimmon. But there was still a shortage of 200 women because there were a total of 600 surviving Benjamites. So they devised another plan to find another 200 women for the Benjamites to prevent the tribe from going into extinction. Although this quest to get them another 200 women for the Benjamites was not as pugnacious, it was nonetheless equally inexplicable.
This was what they did. They had those 200 Benjamites who needed wives hid in the vineyard during an annual feast celebrated in Shiloh. These were to rush out and seize for themselves the women of Shiloh who could come out dancing during the celebration. Each was to grab for himself a wife from those dancing maidens. It was truly sad to see the Israelites so prepared to denigrate a feast held to celebrate and commemorate the goodness of the Lord for a deceptive purpose. To think that these were people who had protected those rapists who abused the concubine of the Levite at Gibeah. How bizarre could the story get?
They were even prepared to deny any justice to the brothers or fathers who raised a complaint when their sisters or daughters were seized. The Benjamites executed this plan perfectly. Each unmarried Benjamite came out and grabbed one of those dancing maidens at the celebration in Shiloh. It was truly despicable and an uncivilized way to secure a wife but yet what was done was tolerated. So in appallingly, all 600 of the remnant Benjamites each found a wife. Returning to occupy the town, they would then began to rebuild the tribe. Having accomplished their purpose, the rest of the eleven tribes then dissolved and returned to their respective territories. The Book of Judges concluded sadly in verse 25 saying, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
The blatant violation of the virgins of Jabesh-gilead and the dancing maidens of Shiloh was horrifyingly despicable. Yet the people of Israel would condone such a thing. It tells us how low Israel, as a people of God, had sunk. While their attitude of wanting to preserve the tribe of Benjamin was admirable, the way they went about doing it was perverse to say the least. But how else could we expect from a people who had become self-centred and devoid of any reverent for God? Every act of seemingly honoring God was incidental and unintentional. It was conducted to achieve their end and satisfy their selfish desires. They had shown how disrespectful they were to a God who had shown them unrelenting mercy and grace. What lesson can we glean from their irreverence? We must be careful about doing anything that could bring dishonour to God. It must begin with our attitude. Matthew 6:33 is a good attitude to adopt. We must seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. And this we must do relying on the Holy Spirit to empower us. Let us do it for the glory of God.
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