Judges 11 - Jepthah

Exegete

Judges 11:1–2 ESV

1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was the father of Jephthah. 2 And Gilead’s wife also bore him sons. And when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You shall not have an inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.”

Jephthah was from the wrong family. He would become great in the peoples eyes, but not at first. He could fight good. Maybe some of that came from a rough childhood. His father had an affair with the prostitute because he actually had a legit family.

I couldnt find much else about Gilead except what is found here in this passage.

Judges 11:2–3 ESV

2 And Gilead’s wife also bore him sons. And when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You shall not have an inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.” 3 Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, and worthless fellows collected around Jephthah and went out with him.

I can see Jepthah sort of a Joseph figure. Becomes estranged from his siblings only to later save them.

The legit sons run him off. I would assume some because they were embarrassed of him. He was a reminder of what dad did. Probably some so they wouldnt have to share inheritance with him.

Jephthah must have had an attractive quality because he begins to collect a gang of peeps. The ESV bible calls them worthless. KJV uses vain. They were empty of morals. Low lifes that were rejected from everyone.

Jephthat must have been a pretty bad dude to be the ring leader of these men. Most of the time, this type of leadership would have been from the baddest dog on the block or smartest one, not necessarily because he was “good.”

Judges 11:4 ESV

4 After a time the Ammonites made war against Israel.

The Ammonites have a terrible history with Israel and especially God. This was one of the people groups in Canaan that were supposed to be wiped out.

Judges 11:4–6 ESV

4 After a time the Ammonites made war against Israel. 5 And when the Ammonites made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6 And they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our leader, that we may fight against the Ammonites.”

So I see a difference here, although it seems the same to Jephthah. Before it was his brothers, but now its the leaders of Gilead. Dale Ralph Davis says that he believes “gilead-the father” is a symbol for the founders of the land of Gilead. I can’t see this as true unless we are still talking about his actual father because there is so much detail here. The prostitute mom wouldnt make any sense.

Either way, the people get in a jam and go to Jep to fight for them. Once again, this must be a bad dude.

Judges 11:7–10 ESV

7 But Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and drive me out of my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?” 8 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That is why we have turned to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the Ammonites and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” 9 Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you bring me home again to fight against the Ammonites, and the Lord gives them over to me, I will be your head.” 10 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will be witness between us, if we do not do as you say.”

Its strange how they just all of a sudden make him leader, but people do strange things when they are afraid.

This may be something to bring out in the sermon about our faith and how we do strange things and make strange decisions when we are afraid and low on faith.

Judges 11:11 ESV

11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and leader over them. And Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at Mizpah.

Holman commentary says that the end of verse 11 means there was a ceremony where Jep committed this before the Lord. Like made a commitment in that ceremony to God and the people.

Judges 11:12–28 ESV

12 Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites and said, “What do you have against me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?” 13 And the king of the Ammonites answered the messengers of Jephthah, “Because Israel on coming up from Egypt took away my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jordan; now therefore restore it peaceably.” 14 Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites 15 and said to him, “Thus says Jephthah: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites, 16 but when they came up from Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh. 17 Israel then sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us pass through your land,’ but the king of Edom would not listen. And they sent also to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained at Kadesh. 18 “Then they journeyed through the wilderness and went around the land of Edom and the land of Moab and arrived on the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the boundary of Moab. 19 Israel then sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him, ‘Please let us pass through your land to our country,’ 20 but Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory, so Sihon gathered all his people together and encamped at Jahaz and fought with Israel. 21 And the Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them. So Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country. 22 And they took possession of all the territory of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan. 23 So then the Lord, the God of Israel, dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel; and are you to take possession of them? 24 Will you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? And all that the Lord our God has dispossessed before us, we will possess. 25 Now are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend against Israel, or did he ever go to war with them? 26 While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, 300 years, why did you not deliver them within that time? 27 I therefore have not sinned against you, and you do me wrong by making war on me. The Lord, the Judge, decide this day between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon.” 28 But the king of the Ammonites did not listen to the words of Jephthah that he sent to him.

Ok. So this also confirms that Jep knew some things. He knew the history of the Ammonites. He knew that the land they referred to was Amorite land. He also knew this was a theological fight. He knew the history that this all happened a long time ago. Ammonites just wanted the land.

In verse 24, he pulls sovereignty of Gods out. He says, dont you have what your god provided and I have what my God provided.

He says in verse 27, thats exactly whats about to happen. My God will decide who gets what.

Judges 11:29 ESV

29 Then the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites.

This was another instance of the spirit of God coming upon someone. The day of pentecost has not yet happened and so people did not have the spirit of God dwelling within them yet. Interestingly, in OT times, when the spirit came upon someone, it didnt indicate that they were a good person.

Judges 11:29–35 ESV

29 Then the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, 31 then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” 32 So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the Lord gave them into his hand. 33 And he struck them from Aroer to the neighborhood of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim, with a great blow. So the Ammonites were subdued before the people of Israel. 34 Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot take back my vow.”

I see two things here.

Jep has made an anti-biblical vow.

I can see a view of what God the father may have seen leading up to the crucifixion

Judges 11:36–40 ESV

36 And she said to him, “My father, you have opened your mouth to the Lord; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that the Lord has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites.” 37 So she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: leave me alone two months, that I may go up and down on the mountains and weep for my virginity, I and my companions.” 38 So he said, “Go.” Then he sent her away for two months, and she departed, she and her companions, and wept for her virginity on the mountains. 39 And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made. She had never known a man, and it became a custom in Israel 40 that the daughters of Israel went year by year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year.

The daughters response reflects Jesus in the garden .