1. Surrender those wicked men (1-13a)

The rape and murder of the Levite's concubine did not end with one man's rage. The Israelites realized that they were in a moral and spiritual crisis. They could not ignore what had been done in Gibeah, so the tribes of Israel assembled. They decided that the Gibeonites must be punished. Thus, they asked that the guilty men be extradited and executed. They were right in their intention to purge evil -- but their means of going to war revealed their emotional level and condition without a shepherd or king to lead them.

2. The Benjamites would not listen to their brothers (13b-16)

Instead of listening, the Benjamites clung to their tribal pride and rushed to arms to protect their kin, right or wrong, against the other tribes. Moreover, the Benjamites also trusted in their military strength and aptitude rather than seeking a peaceful and just solution. Their human pride begat civil war among God's people.