Judges 20:20, “The Israelites went out to fight the Benjamites and took up battle positions against them at Gibeah.”
The account in the preceding and succeeding verses in Judges 20 reveals a Family Feud to the max. The wrongful death of one resulted in the death of 65,300 fighting men from the Israelites and Benjamites. Think of how many wives became widows and how many children lost their fathers because of PRIDE!
Let me set the stage. A Levite and his concubine were staying overnight in Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. Men came knocking at the door where they were staying. The men ended up raping, abusing, and eventually killing the concubine. The Levite cut up her body and sent parts to the tribes of Israel. Judges 19:30 states, “Everyone who saw it was saying to one another, ‘Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Just imagine! We must do something! So speak up!’”
The tribes of Israel came together to discuss the matter and “sent messengers throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, ‘What about this awful crime that was committed among you? Now turn those wicked men of Gibeah over to us so that we may put them to death and purge the evil from Israel.’ But the Benjamites would not listen to their fellow Israelites.” (Judges 20:12-13).
The Benjamites would not listen because of their pride. The result was exponential loss on both sides. Pride is known as the chief deadly sin. It is at the core of our flesh; the belief that we know what is best for us rather than obeying what God says. Pride and its consequences are woven throughout the Bible.
Adam and Eve’s struggle with pride led to the breaking fellowship of their with God and to the resulting fall of humanity when they gave into the devil’s promise that the forbidden fruit would give them the same ability to discern good from evil as God. King Uzziah felt he was worthy of priestly duties and was cursed with leprosy. Nebuchadnezzar was driven from his kingdom for taking credit for building Babylon. Herod was struck dead and eaten by worms because he assumed the status of a god rather than praising the One True God.
Here are a couple of verses from God’s Word about pride. “To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, even behavior and perverse speech” (Proverbs 8:13). Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. The Holy Spirit warns us in 1 Corinthians 10:12, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”
A quote by St. Augustine succinctly gives a great comparison of the effects of pride and humility. “It was Pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.” The account in Judges 20 confirms the former. It is common sense to choose the latter as James reminds us, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (James 4:6).