Gibeah stood on a hill a few miles north of Jerusalem, on the central road that crossed the territory of the tribe of Benjamin.
Early in the period of the judges, shortly after the death of Joshua, the city entered history through a horrific crime. Men of Gibeah abused and killed the concubine of a Levite who was staying there. The episode sparked a civil war that nearly wiped out the tribe of Benjamin.
Centuries later, Gibeah took on a very different destiny. It became the hometown and capital of King Saul, the first king of Israel. From then on it was called Gibeah of Saul.
It was there that Saul received the call for help from Jabesh-Gilead, and there he returned after being rejected by God as king. Years later, during the reign of David, descendants of Saul were executed in that same place.
The story of Gibeah reminds us that God sees what happens even in the smallest, most forgotten places. And that, despite everything, he can raise up from there a king, a nation, and a greater purpose.
