Judges 12 - Jephthah & Ephraim

Toll Roads...

No change....gotta go...Yikes!

When in Boston...

Friend came to visit who had never been to New England and wanted to hit all the states…(Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont, Mass)...After touring New England, I think we were coming back from a UMass basketball game in Amherst…but anyway, we get into the city to pay the last toll on the pike before getting home and we pull up to the booth… Boston toll worker - “What’s up bro!?”

Fugitives of Ephraim (12:1-7)

Judges 12:1 ESV

1 The men of Ephraim were called to arms, and they crossed to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the Ammonites and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house over you with fire.”

1 - Men of Ephraim called to arms against Jephthah

Why didn’t you ask us to fight with you against the Ammonites

Judges 8:1-3 - This is the SECOND time that the men of Ephraim are upset about “not being included in the fight”

The men of Ephraim threaten Jephthah…we will burn your house over you with fire !!!

Same threat is given in Judges 14 from the Philistines against Samson’s fiances house ---- Ephraim is acting like the people of the land

Judges 12:2–3 ESV

2 And Jephthah said to them, “I and my people had a great dispute with the Ammonites, and when I called you, you did not save me from their hand. 3 And when I saw that you would not save me, I took my life in my hand and crossed over against the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?”

2 - When I called you, you did not save me

3 - When I saw you would not save me, I went

The LORD gave them into my hand

Why do you come to fight me today?

Judges 12:4 ESV

4 Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and Manasseh.”

4 - Jephthah & men of Gilead fought against Ephraim [CIVIL WAR]

Ephraim calls the Gileadites “fugitives of Ephraim” --- Australia…(Penal Colony of Great Britain)…1700s

Judges 12:5–6 ESV

5 And the Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, “Let me go over,” the men of Gilead said to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” When he said, “No,” 6 they said to him, “Then say Shibboleth,” and he said, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it right. Then they seized him and slaughtered him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time 42,000 of the Ephraimites fell.

5a - Gileadites captured fords of the Jordan

5b - When actual fugitives of Ephraim fled to Gilead...

Let me go over

Are you an Ephraimite?

No

6 - Say Shibboleth - May mean a branch of wood…but meaning unknown

He’d say Sibboleth…for he could not pronounce it

6b - They would seize him and slaughter him at the fords of Jordan

6c - 42,000 fell.

Judges 12:7 ESV

7 Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in his city in Gilead.

7 - Jephthah judged Israel six years.

Died and was buried in Gilead

More Judges! (12:8-13:1)

Judges 12:8–10 ESV

8 After him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. 9 He had thirty sons, and thirty daughters he gave in marriage outside his clan, and thirty daughters he brought in from outside for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. 10 Then Ibzan died and was buried at Bethlehem.

8-10 - Ibzan

8 - Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel

9 - He had 30 sons, 30 daughters who all married outside of his clan

9b - Judged seven years

10 - Died and buried at Bethlehem

Judges 12:11–12 ESV

11 After him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel, and he judged Israel ten years. 12 Then Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried at Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

11-12 - Elon

11 - Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel for ten years

12 - Died and buried at Aijalon in Zebulun

Judges 12:13–15 ESV

13 After him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel. 14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys, and he judged Israel eight years. 15 Then Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried at Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.

13-15 - Abdon

13 - Abdon judged Israel

14 - 40 sons, 30 grandsons…who rode on 70 donkeys

14b - He judged Israel eight years

15 - Died and buried at Pirathon in the land of Ephraim…hill country of Amalekites

Judges 13:1 ESV

1 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.

13:1 - More judges and Israel STILL does evil in the sight of the Lord

The Tribes of Israel were supposed to fight with each other against the Canaanites until ALL of the land was secured

From the book of Joshua to Judges we have seen the people...

Covenant Renewal > Idolatry

Joshua 4-5 - Crossing the Jordan

Joshua 4:19–24 ESV

19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. 20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. 21 And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, 24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

Joshua 24 - Covenant Renewal

Joshua 24:14–28 ESV

14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” 16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, 17 for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” 19 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.” 22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” 25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem. 26 And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.” 28 So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.

Unity > Isolation

Joshua 22 - Altar of WITNESS between GAD/REUBEN/MANASSEH

Joshua 22:22–27 ESV

22 “The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows; and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in breach of faith against the Lord, do not spare us today 23 for building an altar to turn away from following the Lord. Or if we did so to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings on it, may the Lord himself take vengeance. 24 No, but we did it from fear that in time to come your children might say to our children, ‘What have you to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? 25 For the Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you people of Reuben and people of Gad. You have no portion in the Lord.’ So your children might make our children cease to worship the Lord. 26 Therefore we said, ‘Let us now build an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice, 27 but to be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we do perform the service of the Lord in his presence with our burnt offerings and sacrifices and peace offerings, so your children will not say to our children in time to come, “You have no portion in the Lord.” ’

The tragedy of the book of Judges is less about whether you think the DELIVERERS (Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Barak, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon) are good examples or bad....

The tragedy of the book of Judges…what’s really being highlighted here...

The people have forsaken their covenant with one another.

The people have forsaken their covenant with God.

GO WITH THIS...

EPHRAIM FIGHTING JEPHTHAH...

We want the victory, but we resist fighting with the Lord -

Scene at the Garden of Gethsemane…we are the disciples

We want to fight the roman guard when they show up

But when Jesus shows them how we really need to fight

we fall asleep OR we distract ourselves

Let me ask you this…what is the armor of God used for in Ephesians 6:10-17? Ephesians 6:10-17 outlines the armor of God and we get very excited about these descriptions and they’re powerful, they are and we should feel privileged to have received them from the Lord as a gift…but what does Paul ask us to do after we put on the armor...

PRAY > PRAY > PRAY

Pray at ALL times (18a)

Pray for ALL the saints (18b)

Pray for words for proclamation of the mystery of the gospel (19)

We are to take up the ARMOR of GOD and stand in PRAYER for one another and ourselves.

MORE JUDGES and ISRAEL does evil… :(

When the Lord wins the war, do we enjoy the peace more than we enjoy the Lord -