Doing a good deed does not make someone a good person, even bad people can do good things. Punishing the rapist and murderers for what they had done was a good thing, but the Israelites that carried out the punishment were not good people. They follow their good actions immediately with crimes that were as horrendous as what they have been punishing. Carried away by blood- lust, they slaughtered the Benjamites and then returned to kill the women and children and burn the cities down. To compound the horrible results of their wickedness, they had taken a vow to not allow any of the women to marry into the clan of the Benjamites. Now as they gather together in the national assembly, they recognized the consequences of their actions in the words and they are justifiably horrified.

These unrighteous people love the idea of an all-powerful God. They offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the God of Israel, but they did not offer sin offerings. They were not ready to acknowledge that they were the cause of the situation that was before them. After all, why would they blame themselves when they had God to blame. With accusation, and outrage in their voice, they cried out to the God of Israel, “Why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?” Their thinking was simple, and at the same time simpleminded. They reasoned that God is God and nothing happens without his permission, therefore it all must be His fault. They ignored any responsibility and they ignored the reality of free will.

God did not make the foolish oath, they did. God did not get caught up in bloodlust and refused to make peace after punishing the guilty, they did. God did not tell them to kill women and children and burn towns to the ground; they did it out of their own anger and desire for revenge.

Why is the world in such terrible condition? It’s because humanity has been foolish and evil.