What is the meaning of Judges 21:3? Why, O LORD God of Israel, - The eleven tribes address God by His covenant name, recognizing His sovereignty and holiness (Exodus 3:15; Deuteronomy 7:9). - Their “Why” reveals bewilderment at the tragic outcome of their own actions—a cry echoed later by David in 2 Samuel 24:17 and by Asaph in Psalm 74:1. - They implicitly affirm that nothing happens apart from God’s knowledge and rule (Proverbs 16:33; Daniel 4:35), even when human sin brings calamity. they cried out, - The phrase pictures heartfelt lament, not casual complaint (compare Judges 20:26, where the people “wept and fasted before the LORD”). - Corporate grief underscores shared responsibility; the whole nation feels the weight of sin’s consequences (Ezra 9:6; Nehemiah 1:6). - Genuine sorrow, however, must move beyond emotion to repentance and obedience (2 Corinthians 7:10; James 4:8-10). has this happened in Israel? - Their question highlights the abnormal nature of civil war among God’s chosen people (Psalm 133:1; Galatians 5:15). - It exposes the cycle repeated throughout Judges: rebellion, judgment, distress, and seeking the LORD (Judges 2:11-19). - The disaster is not random; it springs from moral compromise that began in Gibeah (Judges 19) and spread unchecked (Romans 6:23; Hosea 8:7). Today in Israel one tribe is missing! - Nearly wiping out Benjamin threatens the covenant structure of twelve tribes—symbolic of completeness (Genesis 35:24-26; Revelation 21:12). - The loss endangers God’s promises of land inheritance and messianic lineage (Genesis 49:10; 1 Samuel 9:21). - Their lament foreshadows Christ’s call that none of His people be lost (John 6:39; 17:12) and Paul’s passion that all Israel be saved (Romans 11:26-29). summary Judges 21:3 captures Israel’s stunned realization that their own sin-driven vengeance almost erased a tribe. By crying to the covenant LORD, they acknowledge His sovereignty, mourn the fractured unity of His people, and sense the threat to His redemptive plan. The verse warns that zeal without obedience breeds devastation, yet it also points to God’s faithful concern that every part of His family be preserved. |
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