The book of Judges turns to its last major character, a Levite from Ephraim. Notice that Levites were featured as a central part of the problem in this incident and that of Micah, as if to show the corruption of the religious establishment.

This Levite is an utterly despicable human being. He sacrifices the woman to save himself (Judges 19:25); is able to sleep while she is being abused (19:26); has no thought of her (19:28); and doesn't respect her even in death (19:29). The men of Gibeah are guilty of a horrific evil, but the Levite's call for justice rings hollow.

Israel's gathering of 400,000 men to deal with the injustice (Judges 20:1-2), is also remarkable: the entire nation is drawn together for the first time in Judges, but it is directed against itself. There was never a time in Israel's history when the nation needed God's guidance most desperately, but bloodlust had taken over. Why were the Benjaminites not invited to the assembly (20:3) and asked to take the lead in punishing their fellow tribesmen in Gibeah? Why was no attempt made to find corroborating witnesses (20:4-5)?

Rather than turning to God and seeking His will, Israel does what is right in their own eyes, jumping to military action without attempting judicial negotiation or solutions (Judges 20:8-11). The spirit of revenge pushes for immediate, not measured, response. The tribe of Benjamin, meanwhile, not only refuses to punish the guilty, but are also willing to defend them with their lives (20:13-14).

When the civil war turns against them (Judges 20:21, 25), Israel finally seeks God's direction. But it isn't to ask whether they should go to war; they have already answered that question. Only when 40,000 men lie dead do they deeply seek God's direction (20:26-28) before reducing the tribe of Benjamin to 600 men. Ironically, a people who had refused to carry out holy war against the Canaanites have now carried it out with thoroughness against one of their own tribes.

We live at a time when a thick moral fog has settled upon society. The old moral landmarks have been obliterated, and no one seems to know the difference between right and wrong. It is very tempting to live by our own standards, doing whatever is right in our own eyes. Without God, everything and anything goes. The alternative is to be guided by someone who can see what we cannot see and who knows what we do not know. The great promise of God's Word is that if we commit ourselves to doing what is right in God's eyes, we will be directed safely through the moral fog.