1. (Judges 20:18-21) The first day of battle--Israel is defeated before Benjamin
Now the sons of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God and said, "Who shall go up first for us to battle against the sons of Benjamin?" Then the LORD said, "Judah shall go up first." So the sons of Israel arose in the morning and camped against Gibeah. Then men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel arrayed for battle against them at Gibeah. Then the sons of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and felled to the ground on that day 22,000 men of Israel.
Now the sons of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God: With the battle lines and forces set in place, the assault began. However, the army of Israel first went up to Bethel to consult with God. Only thing to note, the entire army would not have moved to Bethel, but only the commanders. Second, there is a question of why they went to Bethel. There is much disagreement among scholars over this matter. However, as time goes on, evidence mounts to explain it. It has to do with the location of the Wilderness Tabernacle.
When Israel first arrived in Canaan, the Tabernacle was set up in Shechem. A while later, it was moved to Shiloh. It resided here only briefly before it was moved to Bethel. After some time, it was moved back to Shiloh. It remained at Shiloh for several hundred years. So this is the point in time when the Sanctuary (and the central religious authority, the priesthood) was located in Bethel.
Who should go up first for us to battle against the sons of Benjamin: In verse 18, we see the main reason they went to Bethel was to inquire about how to proceed in battle. This was something they remembered from the days of Joshua. It says they asked God how to proceed. The answer was that Judah should go first.
One question which we may ask is if God actually spoke to someone in this situation. The answer is no. The Urim and Thummin was carried and operated by the High Priest. He was the one to consult God. The two stones indicated God's specific will. We do not know how the stones indicated the divine answer, but God most likely did not directly speak to the sons of Israel. So when we see the LORD answering, it was most likely a divined answer given by the Urim and Thummin.
So the sons of Israel arose in the morning and camped against Gibeah: Having received their answer, the army attacked Gibeah with Judah in the lead. The sons of Israel were slaughtered, with Judah most likely taking the brunt of the causalities. Twenty-two thousand of Israel's army were killed. How could Benjamin do so much damage against such a mighty army? For one thing, the terrain worked for them. Gibeah is located in hilly country. Thus, it favored the defense. Now matter how many soldiers Israel had available, only a small portion of them could approach the city to assault it. The bulk of the forces waited their turn as replacements for the fallen. If you see your fallen comrades dead on the ground, you will not be very likely to fight or to fight with much valor. Instead, once Israel's army started to fall, it was a domino effect. Soldier after soldier lost heart and was ultimately killed.
2. (Judges 20:22-23) Israel seeks God after the first defeat
But the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and arrayed for battle again in the place where they had arrayed the first day. The sons of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall we again draw near for battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin?" And the LORD said, "Go up against him."
The sons of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening: The leaders of the army went back to Bethel and wept. They beseeched the LORD for the reasons why they had failed. They thought they had His blessing and followed His instructions. They again consulted God by means of the Urim and Thummin. They asked if they should attack once more. The answer was "yes".
3. (Judges 20:24-25) On the second day of battle, Israel is defeated before Benjamin again
Then the sons of Israel came against the sons of Benjamin the second day. Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah the second day and felled to the ground again 18,000 men of the sons of Israel; all these drew the sword.
The sons of Israel came against the sons of Benjamin the second day: After regrouping, they prepared for another attack on Gibeah. Even though it says that this occurred on the second day, it does not mean the day after the first day of battle. It simply means the second time they battled. Several days or even several weeks could have passed in between the first and second battles. They were again defeated. Israel lost an additional 18,000 men.
4. (Judges 20:26-28) Israel repents before God after the second defeat
Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel and wept; thus they remained there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening. And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. The sons of Israel inquired of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, Aaron's son, stood before it to minister in those days), saying, "Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?" And the LORD said, "Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand."
Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel and wept: In verse 26, we find Israel going back to Bethel with their tails between their legs. They are dismayed and confused. But they are not ready to give up. This time, they take a different approach to inquiring of God. They fasted and they offered sacrifices. Then they asked God what to do. The answer was unequivocal: they were to attack Giebah one more time. But the LORD communicates this time it will be different. This time Benjamin will fall to the sword.
The Israelites now understood that repentance and humility were needed to properly approach the Creator of all things, and numbers alone are never a guarantee of success.
Phinehas: Here we find the war priest for Israel was none other than Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron. Remember Phinehas was the man whose resolute action of using a spear to run through the Midianite woman and Hebrew man who were having intercourse inside the camp of Israel, killing them both, saved Israel from God's wrath. Phinehas's bold action (when everyone else was paralyzed or utterly disinterested) atoned for Israel's rebellion before the LORD and ended a divine plague which had already killed 24,000 Israelites. Phinehas is one of the most unrecognized Old Testament Bible heroes.
Phinehas had taken a lead role in the war against Midian and acted as a mediator during a time when the two and a half tribes east of the Jordan were suspected of disunity and apostasy due to the erection of a memorial altar. Interestingly, like Moses, Phinehas had been given an Egyptian name. Pe-nehasi is the Egyptian pronunciation, and it means "Nubian" or "the dark skinned one". Just as Moses as given the Egyptian name Mose and it was later Hebraized to Mosheh (and then in English it is changed to Moses), so Pe-nehasi was later Hebraized to Peh-nehk-aws (and in English we say Fin-e-has). Bottom line: Phinehas was noticeably darker skinned than the average olive-skinned Hebrew.
5. (Judges 20:29-48) Third day of battle--victory for Israel over Benjamin and Gibeah
So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah. The sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as at other times. The sons of Benjamin went out against the people and were drawn away from the city, and they began to strike and kill some of the people as at other times, on the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, and in the field, about thirty men of Israel. Then sons of Benjamin said, "They are struck down before us, as at the first." But the sons of Israel said, "Let us flee that we may draw them away from the city to the highways." Then all the men of Israel arose from their place and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar; and the men of Israel in ambush broke out of their place, even out of Maareh-geba. When ten thousand choice men from all Israel came against Gibeah, the battle became fierce; but Benjamin did not know that disaster was close to them. And the LORD struck Benjamin before Israel, so that the sons of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin that day, all who draw the sword.
So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were defeated. When the men of Israel gave ground to Benjamin because they relied on the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah, the men in ambush hurried and rushed against Gibeah; the men in ambush also deployed and struck all the city with the edge of the sword. Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise from the city. Then the men of Israel turned in battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill about thirty men, for they said, "Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle." But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, Benjamin looked behind them; and behold, the whole city was going up in smoke to heaven. Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified; for they saw that disaster was close to them. Therefore, they turned their backs before the men of Israel toward the direction of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them while those who came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst of them. They surrounded Benjamin, pursued them without rest and trod them down opposite Gibeah toward the east. Thus 18,000 men of Benjamin fell; all these were valiant warriors. The rest turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they remained at the rock of Rimmon four months. The men of Israel then turned back against the sons of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city with the cattle and all that they found; they also set on fire all the cities which they found.
So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah: After having two failed first attempts, the sons of Israel switch tactics. Instead of a direct frontal assault on Gibeah, they plan an ambush much in the same fashion which Joshua used in the battle for Ai.
The third attack on Gibeah begins just as the previous two had. The Benjamites assume that since the method of attack seemed the same, they could expect the same outcome. What they did not know was that this was a trick. When it appeared the Israelites were being routed, they turned and ran. The Benjamite warriors gave chase. Once they were a fair distance outside Gibeah's defensive walls, a hidden company of Israelites stole into the city. They captured it and burned it.
When the Israelites who were running away saw the thick black clouds of smoke rising upward, that was the signal for them to turn around and begin attacking the Benjamites who were pursuing them.
With their city captured, and caught in a vise between two forces, the army of Benjamin was doomed. Eighteen thousand men of Benjamin died defending Gibeah, and the rest ran to try to save their lives. But the warriors of Israel were ready for that. They easily caught up to them and killed them. Five thousand fled towards the Rock of Rimmon (Rimmon means pomegranate tree) and were slaughtered on the road. Another 2,000 headed for the city of Gibeah and were also killed. Six hundred more made it to the Rock of Rimmon and hid there for four months.
After this, the Israeli army executed every last man, woman, child and even all the livestock that had anything to do with Gibeah. The tribe of Benjamin lay on the verge of complete extinction.
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