Judges 20:24 So the people of Israel came near against the people of Benjamin the second day. 25 And Benjamin went against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed 18,000 men of the people of Israel. All these were men who drew the sword. 26 Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27 And the people of Israel inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28 and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, “Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.”
Things seem to go from bad to worse in the accounts of the judges. The passage above was a response to the terrible things we saw in the last chapter. The cycle of disobedience spiraled downward to the point that the Israelites were turning on one another instead of driving out the pagan nations. Many lives were lost. Three times Israel had to call out to God for direction. Finally, things came to a resolution, and all were set into the territories assigned, but many lives were lost and long-term distrust was created, which pops up again when a king was chosen. How often do God's people turn on one another instead of the real enemy?
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