Today, I am reading and commenting on  Judges 20-21.

As I read this passage I see that the tribe of Benjamin knew that the rest of Israel was gathering at Mizpah to decide what to do about the events which occurred a Gibeah.  One way of reading this passage says that the tribe of Benjamin was summoned to this meeting along with everyone else and chose not to go.  Another way of reading it would interpret it that the tribe of Benjamin was not summoned, but knew that this meeting was happening, and why.  Either way, the tribe of Benjamin was in the wrong for not sending a delegation.  If the second scenario was true, then the other tribes were equally guilty for not inviting the tribe of Benjamin to the gathering to discuss the crime committed in Gibeah.  The tribe of Benjamin compounded their sin of not joining the rest of Israel to discuss dealing with the crime of Gibeah by defending the men of Gibeah rather than bringing them to justice.  Nevertheless, the rest of Israel was not justified in taking their war against Gibeah to the rest of Benjamin.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.