JUDGES 10

 

1 ¶ And after Abimelech there arose to defend (rescue, deliver) Israel Tola (6^th judge) the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim.

 

2 And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.

 

• Abimelech's rule left Israel in chaos, and God, in His goodness raises up a man by the name of Tola to judge the nation for 23 years.  

 

 

 

3 And after him arose Jair (7^th judge), a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years.

 

4 And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.

 

5 And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.

 

• Here are 2 judges that very little is written about. All that we know about them is that they were faithful in maintaining the standard of God for 22 and 23 years respectfully.
• There is something to be said for being faithful to the call of God for 22 and 23 years, isn’t there?  

 

 

 

6 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.

 

• Under Tola and Jair, Israel had experienced forty-five years of peace and prosperity. You’d think the result would be that the people of Israel would seek God, glory in God, and draw close to God. But that’s not what happened. Instead, we read that, after those two judges were off the scene, after forty-five years of peace and prosperity, the people did evil in the sight of the Lord.
• God knows how prone we are to forget Him when things are going well. After initially acknowledging that God had blessed them, God warned them about forgetting Him when they were living in ease and comfort.
• Deut 8:10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
• This warning given to the Israelites about forgetting about God when things are going well is something that can happen to any one of us here tonight. Although we may speak out against the worship of these false gods, we in reality are prone to bow down to Baal, the god of the intellect; in Ashtaroth, the god of sensuality; in Mammon, the god of money—the same gods that intrigued and seduced the children of Israel.
• They had abandoned the God who had delivered them and shown them grace upon grace to follow after other gods.  The only appeal in these deities was the lusts of the flesh.  Nothing of holiness or honor could be found.
• What is a god? The master passion of one’s life. What is the master passion of your life? Where do you spend your time and energy on any given day? What is the driving force within you? Your god is what motivates you to make decisions every day. Your God affects your source of entertainment and the kind of steward that you are.
• Monotheism is the worship of one God. The nature of God and the doctrine of the Christian faith excludes the existence or claims of any other god. 
• Isa 44:8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.

 

 

 

7 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.

 

• Anger is an attribute of God just as His love.  It is no temper tantrum or sudden reaction that breaks forth in uncontrolled outbursts.  His anger flows from His justice and His love for us because He is a Jealous God.
• Because the gods of the Ammonites and the Philistines intrigued them, they not only were in bondage to these false gods, but to the people who worshipped these gods as well. Idolatry is slavery beloved. Backsliding is temporary insanity.
• But God in His infinite wisdom allows His covenant people to go into bondage that they might eventually see their own folly and desire nothing but the Lord.

 

 

 

 

 

8 And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.

 

• The reward for turning to the world and the gods of this world are always vexation and oppression. The world and the flesh are monsters for gods. For 18 years the people of God are living in an oppressed state because they had turned away from The Lord.

 

 

 

9 Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.

 

10 ¶ And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.

 

• We have sinned against Thee. Were they honest?  It would appear that they were less than sincere from what we read in the rest of the account in Judges! But God once again shows His divine mercy towards His hurting and oppressed children.

 

 

 

11 And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?

 

12 The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.

 

13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.

 

• To get them back on track with Him, God gives to Israel a little lesson in history!  Israel had forgotten the multiple times of deliverance. They had forgotten how miserable they were in Egypt and how they cried out to God to deliver them. They had forgotten how miserable they were when they were oppressed by the people and gods of these other nations. They forsook The One that loves them most and gave them life to serve false gods who can only steal, kill and destroy.
• The lusts of the flesh and the pleasures of the world doesn't free anyone from sin or bondage or evil habits; it does not forgive, regenerate, give a new nature, or provide for eternity.  The world only takes!

 

 

 

14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.

 

• In divine sarcasm, God tells His people to go and cry out to the gods they had chosen and ask them to deliver them. As I said a moment ago, I believe that God in His jealous love for His people sold His covenant people into bondage and allowed them to get to this place of despair that they might eventually see the folly of their ways and desire nothing but the Lord.
• Let them deliver you in your time of tribulation. It seems to me that much of the evangelical world lives in a philosophical, make-believe Christian world, where Jehovah is nothing more than Oz and faith is magic that makes bad things go away. Beloved, our Lord Jesus told us John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
• Storms, trials, difficulties, disappointments, bereavement and death are just a part of life. How vital that we build our lives upon the character of our God, the promises of His presence and a strong belief in the world to come.

 

 

 

15 And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day.

 

• We have sinned- God said, “Let your gods deliver you.” What did they do? The Word says they confessed. They didn’t explain their sin or justify it. They simply said, we have sinned. That is where true repentance begins. We have sinned. Period. Not we have sinned because, just we’ve sinned. We’ve missed the mark. Confession. The New Testament tells us that when we confess our sins to God he is ‘faithful and just and will forgive us our sins’ (1 John 1:9). But we should never take God’s promise of forgiveness for granted or abuse his grace. Repenting from sin requires the forsaking of sin. We must treat the subject of sin seriously.
• Do unto us what seems good to you-They submit to the hand of God. Have Your way Lord. Do what you need to do in me.

 

 

 

16 And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

 

• Put away strange gods- They put away the foreign gods. Put away sounds like they put them in their drawer. A lot of folks do that. I know I shouldn’t have alcohol in my house, so I’ll put it in the basement. No. The word “put away” in Hebrew means they utterly destroyed it. When something’s got to go, you don’t say, I’m going to lock it up and put it in the closet because that thing will call out to you at some point. We will not allow these gods to be in our homes or in our land, the Israelites said. Jon Courson
• God’s soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.God grieves for the miseries to which his creatures are reduced by their own sins. Be astonished, ye heavens, at this; and shout for joy, all ye inhabitants of the earth! for, through the love whence this compassion flowed, God has visited and redeemed a lost world! Adam Clarke

 

 

 

17 Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh.

 

18 And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

 

 

 

 

 

JUDGES 11

 

1 ¶ Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot (Targum of Jonathan identifies her as a tavern or inn keeper): and Gilead begat Jephthah.

 

• Jephthah was the result of his father’s relations with a harlot. In Hebrews 11, Jephthah’s name is recorded for all eternity as one of the giants of faith, one of the heroes of God’s people.
• Jephthah, an outcast who had been despised and rejected by his half-brothers, was their prospective leader. God has a way of using the people we least expect. Too often we despair of our own usefulness before the Lord because of fame, money, position, power.  We put so much value in the impressive things of the world. 
• It is human nature to judge by outward appearance and not the heart.  We are so prone to look to people who are brilliant or athletic or wealthy as being greater and more useful for service to God.  But God is oftentimes chooses to use people that we would not expect.
• 1Cor 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called (he didn’t say not any, but not many): 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.

 

 

 

2 And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out (drove away) Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of a strange woman.

 

3 Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men (idle, daring, Robin Hood like characters) to Jephthah, and went out with him.

 

4 ¶ And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.

 

5 And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch (get) Jephthah out of the land of Tob:

 

6 And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.

 

7 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?

 

• Jephthah challenges the sincerity of their invitation, reminding them of how they rejected him years ago. The very men that rejected him and are now calling upon him for help in time of need.

 

 

 

8 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

 

9 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head?

 

10 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.

 

11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.

 

12 ¶ And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land?

 

• Jephthah now sends a diplomatic delegation to the Ammonites to argue for Israel’s right to their land, but the Ammonites rejected their claims.

 

 

 

13 And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.

 

• Does this sound familiar? The world community is constantly accusing Israel of “taking away” areas like Gaza, the Golan Heights, the West Bank from the Palestinians or Arab nations!

 

 

 

14 And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon:

 

15 And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:

 

16 But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;

 

17 Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh.

 

18 Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.

 

19 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place.

 

20 But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.

 

• Jephthah recounts Israel’s history in the land by reminding the king of Arnon that three hundred years earlier, as the Israelites came out of Egypt on their way to the Promised Land, they asked Sihon, who was king of the area, if they could pass through to go into Canaan.Not only did Sihon refuse passage, but he rallied his army and launched an offensive attack against Israel.

 

 

 

21 And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.

 

• Beloved, the providence of God and his goodness should always be acknowledged as the source of all the blessings which we enjoy.

 

 

 

22 And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.

 

23 So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed (drove out) the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?

 

24 Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.

 

• Chemosh; the idol-god of the Ammonites, to whom they ascribed their successes.

 

 

 

25 And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them,

 

26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?

 

27 Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.

 

28 Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.

 

29 ¶ Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.

 

30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,

 

31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.

 

• In verses 28-31, we read that the Spirit of the Lord empowered Jephthah, and he advanced against the Ammonites. To secure the favor of God, he vowed to sacrifice as a burnt offering the first one who came out of his house to greet him upon his return from battle. Little did Jephthah know that the one who would greet him would be his very own daughter.

 

 

 

32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.

 

33 And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

 

34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

 

• It was an ancient custom for women to go out to meet returning conquerors with musical instruments, songs, and dances. We see this take place in 1Sa 18:6, where David was met, on his return from the defeat of Goliath and the Philistines, by women from all the cities of Israel, with singing and dancing, and various instruments of music.

 

 

 

35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.

 

36 And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.

 

• I hear Jephthah’s daughter saying, “Dad, you’re a man of integrity. Don’t back down now.” Parents, our kids want us to be godly. Our kids want us to be people of integrity. Our kids want us to excel in the things of God.

 

 

 

37 And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.

 

38 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.

 

39 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man.

 

• She knew no man; was never married, and had no children; a thing bewailed and lamented both by herself and her companions.

 

 

 

And it was a custom in Israel,

 

40 That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

 

• Some commentators believe that Jephthah offered her as a human sacrifice because the vow refers to “a burnt offering”. Others believe the sacrifice of Jephthah was her service to the Lord as a perpetual virgin. Both Jephthah and his daughter believed that the Lord expected him to keep the vow (11:36). Indeed, the pagan practice of human sacrifice is contrary to God’s expressed will (Deut 12:31; 18:10).
• The reference to my virginity in verse 37 seems to indicate that she was to live and die without being married and having children, which Jewish women very much regreted.  It appears  that she was devoted to God in such a way as required her to remain unmarried and childless.
• The law of vows, Lev. 27.1-8, permits monetary redemption of persons vowed to God, but specifies that any person “devoted” to God cannot be redeemed (vv. 28–29). Jephthah apparently saw his vow in this light, and thus committed her not to death but to lifelong service of God at the tabernacle.

 

 

 

Life Lessons

 

Your upbringing was written by the providence of God. God uses what the world calls “dysfunctional” people and unusual circumstances like rejection to prepare us for His calling upon our lives.

 

Like Abimelech, Jephthah was illegitimate, rejected by his brothers. Seeing the two side by side reminds us that our choices, not our environment, shape the persons we become.

 

 

 

Both Jephthah and his daughter put the vow that was made to God above their own comfort.  Although God does not demand that we make a vow to Him, it is important to remember that when we make one, He holds to them.

 

• Eccl 5:4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
• In a day that treats vows tritely - from marriage to business to public office - it would do us well to have this same spirit shown in this tragic setting.