The War on Benjamin

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people. 00:00:04 Speaker 2: Come back with me, and all shall be as it was. 00:00:10 Speaker 1: As it was. 00:00:12 Speaker 3: I was neither wife nor slave, neither free nor bound. 00:00:17 Speaker 1: I didn't have you recovering as a wife, nor did I have the resigned role as a slave. How do I return to such a life? The road wound downward into the valley, and soon the lights of Gibea came into view. What are you doing here? 00:00:33 Speaker 4: You shouldn't be her in the square after dark. 00:00:36 Speaker 1: The words were barely spoken when a noise broke the stillness, faint, eerie laughter from somewhere outside. The levite stiffened, his hand, drifting to the hilt of his dagger. The laughter grew louder, joined by the sound of footsteps and muffled voices. 00:00:54 Speaker 5: Ah, we want one of those pretty guests you have in there? 00:01:00 Speaker 4: Not being selfish and let us have one. 00:01:03 Speaker 2: Well, it's not going. 00:01:04 Speaker 5: To be me. 00:01:05 Speaker 1: His gaze fell on his concubine, who cowered in the corner, her eyes wide with terror. Slowly he approached her, his hand trembling as he reached for her. 00:01:17 Speaker 2: It's either you, lobby master. 00:01:20 Speaker 4: You can't be serious, is that you volunteering? 00:01:23 Speaker 2: Ash Father I'm I'm going to throw myself out there. Now, help me grab up. 00:01:29 Speaker 1: No, no, please, don't do this. The men descended on her like wolves, their laughter turning to savage howls. The night stretched on endlessly, her cries echoing in his mind, until they finally fell silent. Shagea lifted the concubine's body from the donkey and laid her on the table. 00:01:51 Speaker 2: This will love me. Her death will be a message Rehling. 00:02:03 Speaker 3: When there is no king, there's no justice, only vengeance, blind and merciless Shelloh, my friends, from here in the holy Land of Israel, I'm l extein with international Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and welcome to the Chosen People. How do you make sense of a world where those sworn to the very same covenants spill one another's blood? Where the Chosen People who walked through the sea on dry ground now find themselves standing on soil soaked with the cries of the innocent. In the days of the Judges, Israel had no king. Each man did what was right in his own eyes, and what they thought was right actually tore them apart. This is the War of Benjamin. The ground trembles with grief. Swords, once a symbol of protection, are now turned against brothers. How far will humanity fall without the wisdom of a righteous king to guide them? 00:03:09 Speaker 1: A great fire blazed in the heart of the valley at Misper, its embers spiraling upward into the ink black sky. Around it gathered the warriors of Israel, four hundred thousand men strong. Tens ringed the valley, and sentinels stood watch. But all eyes now were fixed on the Levite who stood at the fire's edge. He had gathered them to speak about what happened in Benjamin, how they had brutally slaughtered his concubine. The Levite's voice trembled, though whether from grief or something darker was unclear. 00:03:47 Speaker 2: They were like beasts. The men of duly surrounded the house. What I stayed, happiness as walls the way with me, a levite, a servant of God. When I refused, he grabbed my concubine outside. Oh night not they amused her, and she cried out for mercy. What done came? With the sun rose? 00:04:15 Speaker 4: She crawed back to the door. 00:04:17 Speaker 1: When she died, the elders sat silent. The flicker of the flames reflected in their grave expressions. Shagear liked their attention. His tone became more emphatic and dramatized the more he spoke. 00:04:33 Speaker 2: They are right, the ancient cities of Sodom and Kamorra godless. I cut my concubined. 00:04:39 Speaker 4: Pieces and sent her body to you. 00:04:42 Speaker 2: Not out of hatred. 00:04:43 Speaker 1: What is a message? 00:04:45 Speaker 2: Will you allow this outrage to go unanswered? How would the people of Israel respond to such the gravity within their borders? 00:04:56 Speaker 1: His words hung heavy in the air, but not all with the true The Levite spoke of the horror he witnessed, but not of his complicity. He failed to mention how he thrust the woman into the hands of the mob to save his own life, nor how he had abandoned her. His guilt was cloaked in righteous indignation. Such is the way of people. They can't live with their own sinfulness, so they focus on the sins of others. At last, after Shagear had concluded his summary of events, the elder of Judah rose, his weathered hand rested on the pommel of his sword. The tribe of Judah will not return on the injustice. We will march. This was not the first woman ben has afflicted this wild. 00:05:50 Speaker 6: If we do not act now, this sin will festa has spread and all of Israel and suffer. 00:05:58 Speaker 4: The tribe of Woman agrees with the tribe. They shall cast lots to decide the order of battle. One tenth of every company shall gather provisions to sustain the army. 00:06:08 Speaker 1: From the circle of firelight. The elder from the tribe of Dan stood Shagear recognized him. He was the same man who had led the raiding party and stolen mikas Idol. 00:06:20 Speaker 6: We have had dealings with the Benchmares. When they come to Gibea, we will offer them a chance to repent. They refuse to ruin the judgment they deserve. 00:06:32 Speaker 1: The elders all nodded their faces grim. The Levite watched as they drew their swords, the firelight catching on the steel, and his heart swelled with a sense of vindication. The soldiers dispersed to prepare for war, and the valley roared with the sound of sharpening blades, towering iron, and solemn oaths. Yet beneath the fervor, something more profound stirred. This was not nearly a war against Benjamin. It was a war against the sin festering within Israel itself, a reckoning with the idolatry, greed, and lust that had long plagued the nation. The coming battle would be as messy and painful as the sin its sword to purge. The Valley of Gibea lay under a sky heavy with storm clouds, dark and restless. A cold wind swept through the hills, carrying with it the promise of rain. Twenty six thousand Benjamin stood arrayed for battle, their swords glinting dully in the gray light. Among them were seven hundred left handed slingers, men whose skill with the stone was so precise they could strike a hare without missing. They stood poised and ready, their faces hard with defiance. 00:08:00 Speaker 5: Now the elder brothers of Israel rule over us as taskmasters. Ready yourself for a fight, man, no mercy, no red traits. 00:08:13 Speaker 1: Israel gathered above the valley. Four hundred thousand stroll, their banners snapping in the wind. Before them stood the tribe of Judah, chosen to lead by the lord's decree. The young men of Judah tightened their armor and hefted their shields. At the sound of the ram's horn, they descended, and their ranks orderly and their hearts resolute, The armies collided with a thunderous crash, the cries of men and a clang of swords rising into the air like a dirt. At first, Israel's numbers gave them the advantage and the Benjamines were driven back, but the left handed Slingers, position on the flanks unleashed a volley of stones. The missiles tore through the Israelite ranks and hundreds fell in the chaos. The Benjamites surged forward, exploiting the confusion, and the day ended in disaster. Twenty two thousand Israelites lay dead. That night, Israel retreated to their camp around their fires. The warriors mourned, but their resolve did not falter. At Bethel, the elders bowed before the ark of the Covenant, their voices trembling with urgency. Shall we go up again to fight against Benjamin? 00:09:32 Speaker 5: Our brother? 00:09:33 Speaker 1: You shall go up? The next morning they returned to the battlefield. This time their forces were divided to guard against the Slinger's flank. The battle was fierce and bloody, but the result was the same. Another eighteen thousand Israelites fell. They returned to their camp with heavy hearts, their faith shaken. At Bethel, the elders wept aloud, their faces pressed to the earth. They offered sacrifices, their hearts roar and exposed, and cried out to God. 00:10:07 Speaker 5: Shall we go up again? 00:10:09 Speaker 2: What is your will? 00:10:10 Speaker 5: Lord? 00:10:11 Speaker 1: This time the answer came with a promise, go up, for I have given them into the hands. On the third day, as the storm clouds rolled in from the east, Israel prepared for a final assault. Ten thousand men were positioned in ambush along the roads, hidden among the rocks and trees. The rest marched to the valley, their swords gleaming despite the encroaching rain. 00:10:41 Speaker 5: Have you come back for more? The results will be the same. This is your final chance. Ben Benjamin, repent or face the Lord. The Lord. I look around you. 00:10:56 Speaker 2: The Lord has retreated from the hills. 00:10:59 Speaker 5: We are what remains. We are the wars, our own tribes. We will do. 00:11:05 Speaker 4: What pleased us, very well. 00:11:09 Speaker 5: Men of Judah. 00:11:11 Speaker 2: And already the. 00:11:12 Speaker 1: Ram's horns selded and the two armies clashed once more. The Benjamites fought fiercely, their confidence bolstered by two victories. When Israel feigned a retreat, the Benjamites gave Chase, certain of another triumphant, but as they pursued, the ambush was sprung. The hidden forces from Ubens surged from their positions, cutting off the Benjamites retreat. The valley became a cauldron of death. Lightning flashed, illuminating the field, and the rain began to fall, mixing with the blood that soaked the earth. The cries of the wounded and dying echoed through the storm as the Israelites pressed forward. Eighteen thousand Benjamites. 00:11:57 Speaker 4: Fell, good right life for the wild now. 00:12:02 Speaker 1: The survivors fled into the wilds, but they found no refuge, what su fast the tribe of Dan was waiting for them. Five thousand were struck down along the roads, and two thousand more fell at Giddem. By the end, only six hundred Benjamites remained hiding in the crags of Rimen. When the battle ended, Israel turned their fury upon the cities of Benjamin. Towns and villages were burned, their people slaughtered, and their fields reduced to ash. The flames rose high, purging the shame of the nation, yet leaving behind a bitter emptiness. The fire cleansed the land, but it could not cleanse the hearts of Israel. For months, the six hundred Benjamite survivors clung to life in the wilderness, outcasts of their own nation. But even in their brokenness, the Lord did not abandon them. In time, Israel lamented and Benjamin was restored. From their remnant would rise a king flawed yet chosen, a sign that even in judgment, God's hand worked toward redemption. Israel's war against Benjamin was more than a battle of blood and steel. It was a reckoning with their own depravity, a cry for deliverance from the whirlwind of sin that had ensnared them. And though this story ended in ashes, it pointed to a greater need, a king who would not fall to sin, a savior who would lead them with love and strength. One day he would come. 00:13:52 Speaker 3: The story is devastating. Why did it come to this? Brothers bound by covenant sla ter one another, the tribe of Benjamin almost wiped from the earth. This was the Chosen People's nightmare scenario, a civil war between the tribes of Israel that took over sixty five thousand lives. The only possible solution was repentance on the part of the tribe of Benjamin for their horrific treatment of the woman in our last episode, the Woman in the City of give Ah, a city within the borders of the tribe of Benjamin. The Jewish sages teach that this repentance took place gradually, and the vow of the other tribes not to intermarry with the Benjamin Nights was ultimately canceled. But as we shift through the sorrow, question looms, how could the God of our ancestors allow his people to fall into such chaos? The Torah teaches us this in deuterotomy, follow justice and justice alone. But justice, when untethered from humility and wisdom, actually becomes vengeance, and vengeance burns indiscriminately. As the sage is said, without a leader, the people are like scattered sheep. Judge's nineteen sets the stage a horrific act of violence, a leevites shocking response. It spirals from outrage to war, and yet amid the horror, a truth emerges. God allows even the worst moments to teach us the War of Benjamin is not just about failure. It's about the consequences of living Apart from the law of God. God promises the chosen people in Exodus. If you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession. But when God's covenant is cast aside, well we see what happens. Destruction follows. The War of Benjamin is a mirror held up to the human heart. In the absence of a king, Israel became a nation of chaos. They had no one to call them higher, no voice to unite them under God, and the result was horrifying. Here in Judges we see what happens when the present is ruled by fear and pride instead of God's future. But this story also carries a glimmer of hope, because after all the people grieved their actions, they saw God's guidance. They wept over Benjamin's near annihilation. Even in failure, there was room or tshuva for repentance, and that's what they realized. So, my friends, what does this story mean for us. It's easy to look at Israel and think I would never fall that far, But the truth is we aren't so different. We have our own tribe, our own grudges, our own moments. When we forsake the path of wisdom for the path of vengeance, this Bible's story asks us, who is our king? If our lives are ruled by anger, by greed, by fear, then the result will always be chaos. But when God is our king, when we allow his word to guide our hearts, even our failures can become steps towards redemption. The Chosen People suffer deeply because they lost sight of this truth, but we have the chance to learn from their mistakes. This story brings us to the end of the Book of Judges, which concludes once again with that very telling verse quote In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone would do which seemed proper in his eyes end quote. Clearly, the question of leadership within the Chosen People remain a question that will soon see answered in the Book of Samuel. Thank you for staying with me through the Book of Judges. Next time, join me as we dive into the fascinating and beautiful Book of Ruth. Shalome. Friends from here in the Holy Land, may you walk in justice and humility, seeking the True King above all else. 00:18:23 Speaker 1: You can listen to the Chosen People with Isle Eckstein ad free by downloading and subscribing to the Prey dot Com app today. This Prey dog comproduction is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein. Edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc, tom Us Copeland, Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Aaron Salvato, Bree Rosalie and Chris Baig. Special thanks to Bishop Paulinier, Robin van Ettin, kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. 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