The final story of the book of Judges is no less messy than any of the others. It is indicative of how dark these times were. Israel is left with one tribe cut off and all but wiped out. The people finally recognise how terrible their situation is. They have made a mess of things and their attempt to solve the problems of the Benjamites is equally messy. They end up having to inflict terrible suffering upon one of their own clans, Jabesh Gilead, to ensure that the tribe of Benjamin survives. To complete this, they then sanction the mass abduction of young women from Shiloh. Notice that there is no mention of God directing things here. The people were left to clean up their own mess and they did this in a way that would become a scar to the nation. Again, if you feel shocked as you read this, that is the effect it is intended to have. These are shocking times. Israel was in a shockingly bad state. The point of all this is to show what disobedience to God leads to. When we depart from God, we make a great mess of our lives. The book of Judges finishes with a mess. But during this very time God had begun a plan of salvation. It was brewing in the backwaters of Israel in a small town called Bethlehem, a town that would be the seed bed of God’s plan of salvation on more than one occasion. This is what we will read about next.
Ask God to lead you in restoration.
Read Judges 21
