‘ And the men of Israel turned again on the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city and the cattle and all that they found. Moreover all the cities that they found they burned with fire.'
Now began that most dreadful of events, the carrying out of The Ban. This was partly based on Deuteronomy 8:19-20 (compare Joshua 23:15) although there it was God Who would bring it about. It was what God had declared on the Canaanites (Deuteronomy 7:2; Deuteronomy 20:16-18), and these Benjaminites turned Canaanite were seen as deserving it too. Everything was to be destroyed, every living Benjaminite exterminated. They had wrought folly in Israel.
From city to city they went, killing with their swords every living person, old men, women and children, and then destroying all domestic beasts and every possession. The cities were burned to the ground. Nothing was to be left. Seemingly it took about four months (Judges 20:47). This was the punishment for betrayal of the covenant and rejection of the authority of the tribal confederacy to which by oath they belonged (compare Judges 21:8-10). It was an object lesson to all the members of the confederacy as to what would happen to them if they betrayed their brothers. And the six hundred men were cooped up in the Rock of Rimmon knowing what was happening to their wives and children. But in the end this was the consequence of the behaviour of the men of Gibeah and the unwillingness of God's people in Benjamin to do anything about it.
What lessons do we learn from this passage of Scripture?
Firstly, that God is holy and requires full payment for sin. The men of Gibeah had committed crimes which required the death penalty, for there were no reliable prisons where they could be given life imprisonment. It was necessary that those penalties be exacted.
Secondly that breach of a covenant with God is a serious matter. God will act to preserve its integrity. If we treat sin lightly then we must expect God's judgment, whether now or delayed. It was not God Who chose the manner of punishment. This was decided by man on the basis of custom. But they had God's general support because their aims were in the right.
Thirdly that if we are faithless in our behaviour we cannot expect God to act on our behalf. God is not mocked.
Fourthly that if we repent of our sins then He will forgive us and begin to act for us.
With regard to the final consequences (which no one today would try to exact) we must remember the world in which these people lived. The covenant was the basis of their security. It was also in their eyes the guarantee of the graciousness of their God towards them. The whole safety of their families and the nation depended on everyone being faithful to their commitment to it. If one member failed it could bring disaster on all. Thus the penalty for such unfaithfulness was total.
And they all accepted the fact, otherwise no one would be able to rely on a covenant. And then they would be on their own in a very hostile world. And in this case the Benjaminites had not only failed to maintain the covenant, they had actually fought others who had tried to preserve it. They were doubly guilty.