600 Benjamites were left, but without wives. The rest of Israel had sworn an oath to not let their daughters marry them, so the tribe itself was in danger of being wiped out. In order to revitalize the tribe, the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead were destroyed and the remaining virgins were given as wives to the remnant of Benjamin. And then, to avoid breaking their vow not to allow their women to marry the Benjamites willingly, the Benjamites were allowed to kidnap dancers at the annual festival at Shiloh in order to have brides. Truly, “everyone did that which was right in his own eyes.”
Thought for the day: Rash vows were never supposed to be fulfilled. Here we see bad decisions being made just to justify other bad decisions, which is a sure recipe for disaster.
Proverbs 13:15-16 (WEB) “Good understanding wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful is hard. Every prudent man acts from knowledge, but a fool exposes folly.”
Amen!