Judges 10-12:7, Without God's word, we slowly begin to reflect the world

Judges 10:1-18 (NIV) After the time of Abimelech a man of Issachar, Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, rose to save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim. 2 He led Israel twenty-three years; then he died, and was buried in Shamir.


3 He was followed by Jair of Gilead, who led Israel twenty-two years. 4 He had thirty sons, who rode thirty donkeys. They controlled thirty towns in Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth Jair.  5 When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.


6 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the gods of the Philistines. And because the Israelites forsook the Lord and no longer served him, 7 he became angry with them. He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites, 8 who that year shattered and crushed them. For eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites on the east side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites. 9 The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin and the house of Ephraim; and Israel was in great distress. 10 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, "We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals."


11 The Lord replied, "When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 12 the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands? 13 But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. 14 Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!"


15 But the Israelites said to the Lord, "We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now." 16 Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And he could bear Israel's misery no longer.


17 When the Ammonites were called to arms and camped in Gilead, the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah. 18 The leaders of the people of Gilead said to each other, "Whoever will launch the attack against the Ammonites will be the head of all those living in Gilead."


• Very little is said about Tola. The story is unlike most of the stories and seems to be there for completeness. This and some other stories suggests the author is trying to show completeness by showing 12 judges from various tribes and regions of Israel
• The story of Jair, while also short, hints at something else besides completeness, what is it?
• Apparently he practiced polygamy
• Additionally, only the wealthy and prominent rode donkeys in Israel at this time, so we see that he had great wealth
• It also seems to hint that Israel is becoming more and more conformed to the lifestyles of the nations around them. Far from being holy and set apart, they look no different than other people groups
• APPLICATION: How different do we look? Could someone tell that we are believers by our lifestyle, talk, jokes, and entertainment habits? Are we "set apart" in anything? Do we need to be?
• Once again we have part of the pattern described in vs 6. This is the fifth describe apostasy (there may have been more). Israel cries out as in each case, but for the second time God does something a little different, what is it?
• He refuses to rescue them
• He tells them to cry out to their gods when they are in trouble
• It does not say, but this message is probably given through a prophet (like the previous case)
• Also the description of the apostasy is a little different, how?
• There are seven gods described
• Every people group, but Edom, is mentioned
• Israel is also attacked from two sides, the north and the south
• Israel was now worshipping these foreign gods to the extent that they were in their houses


Judges 11:1-11 (NIV) Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. 2 Gilead's wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. "You are not going to get any inheritance in our family," they said, "because you are the son of another woman." 3 So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a group of adventurers gathered around him and followed him.


4 Some time later, when the Ammonites made war on Israel, 5 the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6 "Come," they said, "be our commander, so we can fight the Ammonites."


7 Jephthah said to them, "Didn't you hate me and drive me from my father's house? Why do you come to me now, when you're in trouble?"


8 The elders of Gilead said to him, "Nevertheless, we are turning to you now; come with us to fight the Ammonites, and you will be our head over all who live in Gilead."


9 Jephthah answered, "Suppose you take me back to fight the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me — will I really be your head?"


10 The elders of Gilead replied, "The Lord is our witness; we will certainly do as you say." 11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them. And he repeated all his words before the Lord in Mizpah.


• So what do we learn from this passage about Jepthah and the elders of Gilead?
• Jepthah's birth gives us some clue to the moral state of Israel (product of an immoral relationship)
• He was rejected from his family, which would be against Jewish law. He may have been abused (some commentators suggest)
• He was a might warrior, probably big and physical
• The elders show a two-faced approach, ignoring his family's rejection but calling upon him when their need was great (exemplifies selfishness -- you are only important to me when I need you)
• In Jepthah's defense, he shows more faith than most of the judges who preceded him and seems to have a tender heart. He mentions God's name more than the others as well. He tries to settle the dispute peacefully first. But as we will see, he shows an incredible lack of understanding about the word of God. He may have had a lot of faith, but because he had no knowledge, he commits an atrocity. The people's response is even worse as they will commemorate his actions even though it is clearly against God's instruction
• APPLICATION: This is the pattern of Romans 1:17ff. As people descend further into sin, they also get further away from truth. Even churches commit apostasy
• The seventh church is Revelation is a good example. It isn't even clear that the church has any believers. She doesn't even know she is pitiful, blind, and naked. She doesn't listen to God's counsel (Revelation 3)


Judges 11:29-40 (NIV) Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: "If you give the Ammonites into my hands, 31 whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."


32 Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into his hands. 33 He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon.


34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of tambourines! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, "Oh! My daughter! You have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break."


36 "My father," she replied, "you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, now that the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. 37 But grant me this one request," she said. "Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry."


38 "You may go," he said. And he let her go for two months. She and the girls went into the hills and wept because she would never marry. 39 After the two months, she returned to her father and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin.


From this comes the Israelite custom 40 that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.


• There are multiple errors in Jepthah's statement and actions, what are they?
• Jepthah tries to bind God to him by a vow. He is trying to control God. God is not controlled by men
• Israel is not to sacrifice their children or any person. This is a practice of pagan nations
• It is possible to get out of a vow. God's word provided specific instructions for getting out of a vow
• Jepthah is very committed to God but his actions and knowledge are unscriptural
• This is very true in our society today. People can be tremendously devout, but that does not make them right and it does always make them believers either
• Many groups show incredible emotional involvement with God but lack knowledge and end up doing very stupid things
• APPLICATION: One of my pet peeves is when someone says I have a word of the Lord for you. You may be very devout, but unless your word is correct 100 percent of the time, you are a false prophet. The only true word of God is what God has already given us
• APPLICATION: Emotional responses and even busyness are no substitute for truly knowing God which occurs through his word


Judges 12:1-7 (NIV) The men of Ephraim called out their forces, crossed over to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, "Why did you go to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We're going to burn down your house over your head."


2 Jephthah answered, "I and my people were engaged in a great struggle with the Ammonites, and although I called, you didn't save me out of their hands. 3 When I saw that you wouldn't help, I took my life in my hands and crossed over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave me the victory over them. Now why have you come up today to fight me?"


4 Jephthah then called together the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. The Gileadites struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, "You Gileadites are renegades from Ephraim and Manasseh." 5 The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a survivor of Ephraim said, "Let me cross over," the men of Gilead asked him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he replied, "No," 6 they said, "All right, say 'Shibboleth.'" If he said, "Sibboleth," because he could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time.


7 Jephthah led Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died, and was buried in a town in Gilead.


• This is actually the second time Ephraim gets miffed about not being included in a victory.  Ephraim has a pride issue. What happened the first time?
• Gilead appeases them but then shows poor diplomacy in dealing with other issues
• Jepthah show wisdom in dealing with Ammon but is not so tactful with the Ephraimites
• This is another conflict between those on one side of the Jordan and those on the other, the result is civil war
• His vengeance on Ephraim is far out of proportion to the crime. This is a devastating blow to Ephraim, probably as great as any of the oppressors had ever done
• Why does this happen?
• Lack of a spiritual center
• Lack of central authority, the tribes are splitting off
• Violence seems to be the base level of dealing with conflict
• Lack of knowledge of God's word
• Not taking problems and issues to the Lord
• APPLICATION: How do we deal with conflict? Do we use principles from the word? Are we humble? Do we pray first? Or do we grumble, complain, get bitter, and plot how to get even? Who do we look like, Jesus or the world?