Have you ever looked around and thought, “How did we get here?”
Maybe it was after a crisis in your business, a breakdown in a team, or even moral failure in a ministry. That question echoes throughout the closing chapters of the book of Judges.
Judges 19–21 is one of the darkest portions of Scripture. It’s raw, unsettling, and frankly, hard to read. But buried in this painful narrative is a powerful warning—and a plea—for leaders to stand tall when others fall apart. If you’re a Christian leader in the workplace, in ministry, or at home, these chapters offer sobering lessons we can’t afford to miss.
Let’s walk through the story together and talk about what went wrong—and how we can lead differently today.
1. When Leaders Don’t Protect the Vulnerable (Judges 19)
The tragedy begins with a Levite traveling with his concubine. After a stop in Gibeah, a town in the tribe of Benjamin, the household where they stay is surrounded by wicked men. They demand to assault the Levite. What does he do? He pushes his concubine out the door to save himself. She’s abused all night and dies on the doorstep.
The Levite then dismembers her body and sends the pieces throughout Israel as a call to action. It’s gruesome, heartbreaking, and leaves us wondering—where were the leaders of Gibeah? Why didn’t anyone step in? And how could a man of God betray someone under his care?
Leadership Failure: The Levite abandoned his responsibility to protect. The leaders of Gibeah allowed lawlessness and depravity to go unchecked. There was no one to stop the evil or defend the innocent.
Leadership Lesson: As leaders, we are called to be defenders of the vulnerable. Whether it’s the overlooked employee, the mistreated team member, or the voiceless in our communities, godly leadership requires courage to stand in the gap—even when it’s risky.
2. When Loyalty Overrides Justice (Judges 20:12–14)
In response to this horrific act, the tribes of Israel gather and demand that Benjamin surrender the wicked men of Gibeah. That would’ve been the right course of action—a chance to deal with sin swiftly and justly. But Benjamin’s leaders refuse. They choose loyalty to their tribe over loyalty to God’s justice and prepare to go to war instead.
Leadership Failure: The leaders of Benjamin allowed tribal identity and pride to blind them to righteousness. Rather than confronting sin, they shielded it from view.
Leadership Lesson: Christian leaders today face the same temptation. It’s easier to look the other way when sin is in our own ranks. But we’re not called to protect reputations—we’re called to pursue righteousness. Integrity demands that we deal honestly and fairly, even when it’s personal.
3. When Emotion Drives Decision-Making (Judges 20:18–48)
The rest of Israel gears up for war. Before each battle, they seek God’s guidance, yet they still suffer heavy losses. On the third day, they finally defeat Benjamin. But what started as justice turned into vengeance. The Israelites destroy entire cities, killing men, women, children, and livestock. The devastation is almost total.
Leadership Failure: Righteous anger morphed into blind fury. Israel’s leaders allowed emotion—grief, shock, perhaps pride—to dictate their actions. The punishment far exceeded the crime, and a whole tribe was nearly wiped out.
Leadership Lesson: Emotions are part of leadership, but they should never be in the driver’s seat. When decisions are fueled by anger or fear, leaders often go too far. Wisdom and restraint are crucial—especially when the stakes are high.
4. When We Try to Fix Sin with More Sin (Judges 21)
After the destruction, the Israelites are suddenly struck by remorse. They don’t want to see the tribe of Benjamin wiped off the map. But instead of repenting and seeking God’s solution, they scramble to clean up their mess on their own.
Their answer? They kill everyone in the town of Jabesh-Gilead—except virgin women—to give wives to the Benjaminites. When that’s not enough, they encourage Benjamin to kidnap women from Shiloh during a festival. Problem solved, right? Not even close.
Leadership Failure: Instead of owning their mistakes and turning to God, the leaders doubled down. They used unethical, violent, and manipulative tactics to fix a problem they created.
Leadership Lesson: Leaders are not exempt from consequences. When we try to manage fallout with human solutions rather than spiritual humility, we often repeat the very sins we set out to correct. Sometimes, the most courageous thing a leader can do is admit failure, seek forgiveness, and wait on God.
5. When There’s No Godly Leadership at All (Judges 21:25)
The book ends with a chilling summary:
“In those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
There’s no clearer description of leadership absence. Without a godly authority to guide them, the people of Israel were left to their own broken compasses—and disaster followed.
Leadership Failure: The ultimate breakdown was a spiritual one. There was no king, no prophet, no priest leading with righteousness. Every person became their own standard of truth.
Leadership Lesson: Leadership isn’t just about making decisions—it’s about setting direction and grounding people in truth. When godly leadership is absent, chaos fills the vacuum. Christian leaders must root themselves and their people in God’s Word, not in cultural trends or personal preferences.
Conclusions: Learning from Leadership Failures
The final chapters of Judges read more like a tragic drama than a leadership manual—but they’re recorded in Scripture for a reason. These chapters reveal what happens when leaders abandon God’s ways, act out of fear or pride, and try to fix spiritual problems with fleshly solutions. The result? Broken people, broken systems, and a nation in disarray.
But this is not just ancient history. These are the same kinds of leadership failures that still plague us today—sometimes in our businesses, our churches, or even in our own hearts. The impulse is to protect our tribe instead of seeking truth. The temptation to make snap decisions is driven by emotion. The pressure to appear strong even when we’re wrong. The urge to manage damage rather than seek repentance.
Friend, leadership is weighty—but it’s also sacred. God entrusts us with influence, not to wield it for personal gain but to reflect His character in every decision. That means leading with humility, guarding the vulnerable, confronting sin even when it’s costly, and anchoring our leadership in His truth, not in our own opinions.
If these chapters in Judges teach us anything, it’s this: when leaders fail, everyone suffers—but when leaders lead with godly courage, everyone benefits.
So don’t be discouraged by what went wrong in Israel. Be challenged. Be inspired. Be committed to a better way—a kingdom way.
Because the world doesn’t need more people doing what’s right in their own eyes, it requires godly leaders who do what is right in God’s eyes.
And that, by His grace, can be you.
Action Steps for Christian Leaders
These historical failures offer us a mirror and a challenge. If we’re willing to learn, we can lead differently.
- Stand Up for the Vulnerable
Take a look around your workplace, church, or community. Who needs a defender? Advocate for those who are overlooked or mistreated. Use your position to protect—not exploit. - Choose Integrity Over Loyalty
When loyalty to people conflicts with loyalty to God’s truth, choose truth. Your integrity may cost you relationships, but it will gain God’s favor. - Lead with Wisdom, Not Emotion
Check your heart before making big decisions. Seek wise counsel. Pray for God’s discernment. Let peace, not pressure, be your guide. - Own Your Mistakes and Seek God’s Way
If you’ve made a mess (and we all do at some point), don’t cover it up or make excuses. Confess it. Seek forgiveness. And ask God for a better way forward. - Be a Standard-Bearer for Truth
In a world where “everyone does what’s right in their own eyes,” be the one who holds fast to God’s truth. Let your leadership reflect His values, not the shifting winds of culture.
Discussion Questions for Reflection or Groups
Use these questions personally or in a leadership team discussion to take the lessons of Judges 19–21 to heart.
- Where in your leadership context are you tempted to look the other way instead of protecting the vulnerable?
Reflect on specific situations where silence or passivity may have enabled harm. - Have you ever felt pressure to prioritize loyalty to a person or group over doing what’s right? How did you respond?
Share how that choice shaped your leadership journey. - When was the last time you made a major decision driven by emotion? What did you learn from the outcome?
Explore how you might better build safeguards into your decision-making process. - Are there any past leadership failures you’ve tried to “fix” with human solutions rather than seeking God’s redemption?
Invite God into that situation and ask what obedience looks like today. - What practices help you stay anchored in God’s truth as you lead?
Think about habits, mentors, or spiritual disciplines that strengthen your foundation.
More Articles
I have written several articles on the character of a leader. You can find them by typing “Character” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are a few of the most recent articles.
- #626: Your Miseries Are Always Opportunities for Ministry
- #598: What If You Found a Letter from God in Your Mailbox?
- #588: Blending Faith and Work: The Christian Guide to Worshiping God at Work
- #564: From Exile to Influence: Harnessing Faith for Business Success
- #562: 4 Lessons from Ezekiel on Leading with Ethical Conduct and Moral Responsibility
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Category: Personal Development | Character
Sometimes it feels like society has become the Levite and our moral conscience has become the concubine. People are coarser. Road rage, sullen cashiers, ugly partisan politics, narcissism, screen addiction, and so on. Like the leaders of Gibeah, today’s leaders seem devoid of virtue. Perhaps they should read this post.