WIFE FOR FREE

Judges Chapters 19, 20, and 21

(All bible passages are coined from the Amplified Version Bible)

Then there was war among the tribes of Israel because an abominable sin was committed by a particular tribe, the Benjamites. Certain men of the Benjamin tribe did so wickedly to a stranger who came seeking refuge after a long journey, Judges 19:1-30.

‘Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain worthless fellows, beset the house round about, beat on the door, and said to the master of the house, the old man, Bring forth the man who came to your house, that we may have intercourse with him.’ Judges 19:22.

These men of Benjamin were Homosexuals, gays and wanted to forcefully take out their evil on the helpless stranger as Paul had cited in Romans 1:27,

‘And the men also turned from natural relations with women and were set ablaze (burning out, consumed) with lust for one another—men committing shameful acts with men and suffering in their own bodies and personalities and inevitable consequences and penalty of their wrong-doing astray, which was [their] fitting retribution.’

The book of Judges Chapter 19 to 21 gives record of this event from start to finish, and it explains the title of this article, ‘wife for free’. After the war, the battle of eleven tribes against one tribe would seem like an unfair trial that led to the mass death of the Benjamin tribe, they made them almost extinct. Eleven tribes of Israel came to a conclusion that they would not extinct a tribe among them;

‘And the Israelites changed their purpose [and had compassion] for the Benjamites their kinsmen and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel today.’ Judges 21:6.

Yet, what crime did the tribe of Benjamin commit that made their kinsmen fight against them?

‘But the men would not listen to him. So the man took his concubine and forced her forth to them, and they had intercourse with her and abused her all the night until morning. And when the dawn began to break, they let her go.’ Judges 19:25

The crime of ‘RAPE’ as always being a big issue with the Israelites even from the days of their first father, see Genesis 34:1-31. Now these have committed this big crime and the whole of Israel, the rest of tribes heard about this great evil and decided to grant justice to the victim. But the people of Benjamin refuse to reveal the evil perpetrators behind this crime. The whole of Israel wanted justice and make an ensample of such evil acts among them. Since the tribe of Benjamin refused, the rest of the tribe of Israel called for war.

Judges 20:18,”The Israelites arose and went up to the house of God [Bethel] and asked counsel of God and said, Which of us shall take the lead to battle against the Benjamites? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up first.”

This is the first time they decided to up against their brother, Benjamin and God supported it but they lost the battles, about 22,000 men died of the tribe of Israel, Judges 20:21

Despite their loss, they returned to war against their brother, Benjamin tribe again and lost, 18,000 men of Israel were killed during the battle. With this case going on, you should be amazed that the eleven tribes going out to war against one tribe, yet lost. This instance is a show of God’s mercy, reason why He still sending out his warning to the children of Benjamin that they should repent, therefore; He didn’t allow their brethren to overcome at an instance, reading through Judges 20:1-35. He wanted the tribe of Benjamin to repent, that’s why he continued to support the Israelites against them throughout even though they lost on two occasions.

Judges 20:35, ‘And the Lord overcame Benjamin before Israel, and the Israelites destroyed of the Benjamites that day 25,100 men, all of whom were swordsmen.’

After this victory, all that was left of the tribe of Benjamin was 600 men who were hiding at Rimmon for four months, Judges 20:47.

Now this was the situation, and the ‘WIFE’ scarcity became a hot topic for the judges and elders of Israel to deal with. They rest of the tribe of Israel should have given their daughters out to their brother, the Benjamites so as to avoid the extinction of the Benjamin Tribe but they had already vowed never to do so,

“NOW THE men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, None of us shall give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin”. Judges 21:1

So they began think on what to do to the remnant of the tribe of Benjamin, how to save them from extinction,

‘What shall we do for wives for those who are left, seeing we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them our daughters as wives? And they said, Which one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord? And behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead was there. And the congregation sent there 12,000 of the bravest men saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the sword, also the women and the little ones. And this is what you shall do; utterly destroy every male and every woman who is not a virgin. And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 young virgins, who had known no man by lying with him; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. And the whole congregation sent word to the Benjamites who were at the rock of and invited them to be friendly with them.” Judges 21:7-13

But they discovered that the number of these young virgins was not enough for the Benjamin tribe, so they decided to send them out to a yearly Shiloh festival, Judges 21:14-25. From there did they get young virgins according to their number and they returned to their land in peace.

To view this story in your imagination may look really funny but that was how justice was served. Free wife for all just to avoid the extinction of one of their tribe, is really awesome.

The question goes thus, to what extent are we will to go to bring about true justice to light?

The Judiciary in Nigeria and other arms of government in Nigeria must learn from this ensample and let justice have her total rule, let justice be served, if so, we shall save this whole nation from the works of evil men and their works.

AmenRadio…Keep on Believing

BY; Adedeji Oshigbesan