The men of Israel were sorrowful for the 600 men of Benjamin that were left after the battle. Since these 600 men had no wives, there was no way for the tribe of Benjamin to continue. One of the 12 tribes would become extinct! This would be a tragedy for the Israelites. So, they needed a way to provide wives for these bachelors. Everyone in Israel had taken an oath that any tribe that did not appear would be put to death. They found that Jabesh Gilead had not sent anyone. So, in yet another battle, the men of Israel wiped out every one of Jabesh Gilead except for 400 virgins. These they gave to the men of Benjamin.

But they were still 200 women short in providing wives for all the Benjamites. They had taken a vow that anyone who gave their daughter to a Benjamite would be cursed. So, they devised another scheme whereby the 200 bachelors left from Benjamin would grab a young woman from Shiloh and run off with her to be his wife. Verse 25 sums up not only this incident, but the whole of the book of Judges. God’s people need shepherds. They need Jesus as their king.
Application: Father, when we have our hearts empty of you as our king, we can only sin tragically. Bless us that you may reign in our hearts.
One Word: God’s people need a shepherd