i don't see any ambiguity in God when He tells them yes, go up and besiege Gibeah, and to send Judah first.
that is, the picture you're painting of God really not wanting them to do this, but telling them to anyway (("if you're dead-set on it..")) ??
does God say, yes, go and sin and do a terrible thing, and do it this way? when He really means no, this is a sin and a terrible thing, don't do it?
...(skipping down a bit)...
sir, i believe that you are aghast at brother fighting against brother, so much so that you suppose God cannot have approved of this.
In honesty, I believe you misunderstand my meaning. Their fervor to rid the house of God of it's evil was actually very good. But they wanted to go about it by condemning their brother FIRST, without even looking at what evil they were harboring within themselves. And I think THAT to be a mistake. It'
I'm proposing that particular mistake to be the reason Israel LOST the first two battles. (usually obedience leads to victory, not personal destruction). Remember:
BENJAMIN won the first day, destroying 22,000 out of ISRAEL...with no recorded losses. Judges 20:21
And again the second day Benjamin destroys 18,000 out of Israel, also without any recorded losses. Judges 20:25.
The same way that Benjamin could have avoided their 25,100 casualties on Day 3 IF they had been willing to deal with their sin personally(as you agree they could have)... Instead of waiting for Isreal to do it for them...which Israel did....
So could Isreal have avoided THEIR OWN 40,000 casualities (of Days 1 & 2) if they would have dealt with THEIR OWN sins... Instead of waiting for GOD to do it for them...Which he did.
God simply applied to Isreal the same methodology they were intent to force on their brother.