Grace in Discipline

Narrator: Chris Genthree
Duration: 4min
Judges 19‑21  •  3 min. read  •  grade level: 10
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In the closing chapters of the book of Judges (read Judges 19-21), there is an account given which very forcefully reveals the truth of Jeremiah 17: “The [human] heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it.”
Judging the Sin
The sin described in Judges 19 was perpetrated by the tribe of Benjamin, and it was so grievous that Benjamin’s brothers (the eleven other tribes) were of one mind to administer judgment against him. Reading the details of this shocking trespass (Judg. 19:22-3022Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him. 23And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly. 24Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing. 25But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go. 26Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was light. 27And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold. 28And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. 29And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel. 30And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds. (Judges 19:22‑30)) is sufficient to know that the eleven tribes were right in seeing that judgment should fall.
The eleven tribes had yet to learn that those who undertake to wield the rod of judgment (God’s strange work; Isa. 28:2121For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act. (Isaiah 28:21)) must do so in a spirit of meekness, not in one of self-aggrandizement (Gal. 6:11Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)). The eleven tribes had to learn this lesson painfully, for after the ensuing battles were ended, they had lost 40,000 men while Benjamin had lost only 26,000. This comparison, however, doesn’t tell the complete story, because the tribe of Benjamin was practically obliterated, having only 600 survivors.
Feeling the Sin
The eleven tribes also had to feel the full burden of what had taken place. They made great lamentations for their brother. They wept and cried out, “Why  .  .  . should [there] be today, one tribe lacking in Israel?” (Judg. 20:26; 21:23,626Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the Lord, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. (Judges 20:26)
23And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them. (Judges 21:23)
6And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. (Judges 21:6)). It will be noted that there was much weeping and repenting before the Lord. This is the necessary prerequisite to fulfill the prophecy of Psalm 30:55For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. (Psalm 30:5), “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” There is also the testimony of Nineveh’s king, who rightly ascribed to Israel’s God a prospect of mercy when His judgment seemed imminent (Jonah 3:9-109Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? 10And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. (Jonah 3:9‑10)).
Mercy for the Guilty
And so with the knowledge of these Scriptures, some might wonder if God’s mercy could possibly prevail in the case of Benjamin, whose sin was so great that it defies human imagination. The question becomes not only could Benjamin be restored in God’s sight, but would he ever be able to once again win back the respect of his brethren?
Grace Abounding
The answer is found in 1 Samuel 9:15-1715Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, 16To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me. 17And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people. (1 Samuel 9:15‑17). It is stated here that when the time came for Israel to be ruled by a king, their very first king was Saul of the tribe of Benjamin. He reigned over the twelve tribes of Israel for forty years. And in Romans 11:11I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. (Romans 11:1) it is recorded that the Apostle Paul was also of the tribe of Benjamin. He labored some thirty years, unifying and strengthening the early churches that sprang up in Europe and Asia Minor. And so it is evident that God’s mercy did indeed reach down to the depths of despair, and not only restored the tribe of Benjamin, but placed them in a position of prominence with their brethren. “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Rom. 5:2020Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: (Romans 5:20)).
An Example for Our Learning
The example of Benjamin’s restoration may serve as a source of encouragement when discipline must be inflicted in the local assembly. It is well to remember that the Lord has allowed the breach, for “the cause was from the Lord” (1 Kings 12:1515Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the Lord, that he might perform his saying, which the Lord spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat. (1 Kings 12:15)). The first concern should be that one of the members of Christ’s body is now lacking from the assembly. Surely this is “a time to weep” (Eccl. 3:44A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; (Ecclesiastes 3:4)). It is also a time to acknowledge a lack of diligence in warning of the enemy’s desire to make inroads into our very midst. It is a time to encourage repentance and restoration. And, finally, it is a time to remember that “with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:2626But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)) and that “He is plenteous in mercy” (Psa. 86:55For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. (Psalm 86:5)).
R. Erisman