When everyone does what is right in their own eyes, right and wrong ceases to exist. Right and wrong are replaced with “my truth” and demands of “don’t judge me.” It’s an excuse to rebel against God.
Surely Israel knew the sin among them. They knew the spiritual apathy, moral awfulness, and political anarchy, but were shocked by the body of a concubine. Something had to be done. Repentance from sin and a return to God was necessary. Israel didn’t need revival, which means a re-invigoration of life; they needed re-birth! False religion of ritual and lip service needed replaced with regeneration. Instead, Israel turned to revenge, which is man’s self-righteous definition of justice.

I. Government Values (Judg 20:1-2). The values of a society reflect the values of individuals. A corrupt government exists because the people are corrupt. A government that lies and steals mirrors a citizenry that lies and steals. Yes, blame government corruption, but also the corruption of the people. God gives us the leaders we deserve, and He always gives us leaders chosen from among ourselves.

II. Great Outrage (Judg 20:3-11). So great was Israel’s outrage at the hacked concubine, an army of 400,000 soldiers gathered as one man (Judg 20:11). This is the only time in Judges that Israel was unified in purpose. Why couldn’t the nation unite against the Canaanites in obedience to God?
The Levite roused Israel to act. As he retold his tale, he (1) didn’t mention his marriage trouble behind the journey; (2) claimed the men (the word describes political or financial elites) of Gibeah wanted to kill him, not rape him; (3) withheld that he forced his wife out of the house, trading her for himself (Judg 19:25); and (4) made himself the victim (Judg 20:4-5).
The punishment for both rape and homosexuality was death (Lev 20:13; Deut 22:25-27), but neither laws and enforcement, nor going easy on criminals changes the heart. Only the gospel of Jesus does that by giving the sinner a new heart (Ezek 11:14-21), or as Jesus called it a new birth (Jn 3:3). Judges continually points us through Israel’s failures, to the Saviour.
Instead of going after the culprits, each tribe would attack Gibeah in revenge. Justice never comes from half-truths. Portraying a criminal as a victim or making him a hero is to perpetrate an injustice.

III. God’s Grace (Judg 20:12-17). The men of Israel called for the men of Gibeah to be turned over so the Law could be fulfilled, but Gibeah was in the territory of Benjamin, and the Benjamites would protect their own rather than discipline their own. They raised an army of 26,000 soldiers and 700 crack snipers from Gibeah.
Benjamin’s refusal to discipline was rebellion against God. Protecting evil is itself evil, and when men fail to do their duty judging sin, it will pollute a nation and God will judge (1 Cor 5:12-13). This is true in countries as well as in churches.
Every coach on the field, teacher in school, and parent in the home demands discipline. God is no different in His house, the Church, the body of believers (1 Pet 4:17). The church in Corinth was guilty of not only gross sin, but protecting it and celebrating it rather than mourning it (1 Cor 5:1-13). Having a sexual relationship with one’s stepmother was illegal in the Roman Empire and contrary to the will of God.
Discipline isn’t meant to be easy, but it’s necessary to reveal God’s grace in the restoration of our fellowship with God (1 Cor 5:11, 13). The price of this grace was the death of God’s own Lamb, the Divine for the earthly, the Innocent for the guilty, the Son for the sinner.