An Interlude then Jephthah

Judges 10:1–18 (CSB)

1 After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah, son of Dodo became judge and began to deliver Israel. He was from Issachar and lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. 2 Tola judged Israel twenty-three years and when he died, was buried in Shamir.

After Abimelech was gone Tola became a judge.

It does not say the God called or appointed Tola as judge but he did deliver Israel and served as judge for 23 years.

3 After him came Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years. 4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys. They had thirty towns in Gilead, which are still called Jair’s Villages today. 5 When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.

Next came Jair - neither Tola nor Jair have much claim to fame other than what is here.

On one hand, we wish the author would give more detail but on the other it lends to the validity of the narrative because why else include these 2 except for historical accuracy.

Again, this does not say Jair was called of God as a judge and there is really no identified oppression to necessitate a judge.

Both Tola and Jair seemed to be more administrative than action oriented.

Jair had 30 sons who rode donkeys - a donkey is not a war animal so this seems to indicate a time of peace - also there is a sense of humbleness associated with donkeys.

6 Then the Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They worshiped the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and the Philistines. They abandoned the Lord and did not worship him. 7 So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he sold them to the Philistines and the Ammonites. 8 They shattered and crushed the Israelites that year, and for eighteen years they did the same to all the Israelites who were on the other side of the Jordan in the land of the Amorites in Gilead. 9 The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim. Israel was greatly oppressed,

Here we go… this is the most elaborate description of Israel’s apostasy.

The intensity of the evil committed in Yahweh’s sight is expressed in the list of 7 foreign divinities the Israelites were serving.

This 7 member list corresponds to the list of Canaanite nations and highlight the total spiritual corruption of Israel.

As is the usual, God turns the nation over for judgment and correction.

10 so they cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you. We have abandoned our God and worshiped the Baals.” 11 The Lord said to the Israelites, “When the Egyptians, Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines, 12 Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, did I not deliver you from them? 13 But you have abandoned me and worshiped other gods. Therefore, I will not deliver you again. 14 Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them deliver you whenever you are oppressed.” 15 But the Israelites said, “We have sinned. Deal with us as you see fit; only rescue us today!” 16 So they got rid of the foreign gods among them and worshiped the Lord, and he became weary of Israel’s misery.

This is an intense encounter with God.

The people cried out per usual - they acknowledged their sin and their special relationship with the One True God - but there is a difference…

God does not use an intermediary - here God answers the people directly.

God starts off in a manner which could be considered hopeful - “Haven’t I delivered you every time you have been oppressed?” So far so good…

BUT you keep turning away, ignoring Me and even worse, you worship other gods…

God basically says, “You want the other gods so bad… let than save you.”

Isreal ups the anti but even in their misery they still seem misguided.

They cry out, they even get rid of the false gods they worshipped but they make a demand on God, deliver us today.

If you are truly repentant you come in total surrender not making demands. When you truly accept your sin then you truly accept your punishment by acknowledging you deserve what you are getting…

Scholars disagree somewhat about God’s response - some believe God relented and delivered them while others (and based on the text I lean this way) believe God withdrew to let them continue to do things themselves like they want.

17 The Ammonites were called together, and they camped in Gilead. So the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah. 18 The rulers of Gilead said to one another, “Which man will begin the fight against the Ammonites? He will be the leader of all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

Judges 11:1–40 (CSB)

1 Jephthah the Gileadite was a valiant warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute, and Gilead was his father. 2 Gilead’s wife bore him sons, and when they grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You will have no inheritance in our father’s family, because you are the son of another woman.” 3 So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Then some worthless men joined Jephthah and went on raids with him. 4 Some time later, the Ammonites fought against Israel. 5 When the Ammonites made war with Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6 They said to him, “Come, be our commander, and let’s fight the Ammonites.” 7 Jephthah replied to the elders of Gilead, “Didn’t you hate me and drive me out of my father’s family? Why then have you come to me now when you’re in trouble?” 8 They answered Jephthah, “That’s true. But now we turn to you. Come with us, fight the Ammonites, and you will become leader of all the inhabitants of Gilead.” 9 So Jephthah said to them, “If you are bringing me back to fight the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me, I will be your leader.” 10 The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord is our witness if we don’t do as you say.” 11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead. The people made him their leader and commander, and Jephthah repeated all his terms in the presence of the Lord at Mizpah.

This starts off with the people trying to fix things themselves. They are looking for a volunteer to lead them - the only volunteer so far has been Abimelech and we know how well he turned out.

Jephthah was not treated well by his brothers - they had the same father but Jephthah was the son of a prostitute.

The leaders offered him the position of commander but Jephthah saw a greater opportunity and pushed back.

Eventually, the offer was not only for him to lead but that he would rule Gilead.

At this point we do not see God in this exchange but Jephthah engages the need for God to give him victory over the Ammonites.

Now that God has been evoked the leaders jump on the bandwagon and try to make God part of their commitment to Jephthah.

Where is God in the process of engaging Jephthah. God is not playing a decisive role but is relegated to the role of silent witness to a purely human contract between a desperate people and an ambitious candidate.

12 Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, asking, “What do you have against me that you have come to fight me in my land?” 13 The king of the Ammonites said to Jephthah’s messengers, “When Israel came from Egypt, they seized my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok and the Jordan. Now restore it peaceably.” 14 Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites 15 to tell him, “This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites. 16 But when they came from Egypt, Israel traveled through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh. 17 Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us travel through your land,’ but the king of Edom would not listen. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he refused. So Israel stayed in Kadesh. 18 “Then they traveled through the wilderness and around the lands of Edom and Moab. They came to the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon but did not enter into the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the boundary of Moab. 19 “Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon. Israel said to him, ‘Please let us travel through your land to our country,’ 20 but Sihon would not trust Israel to pass through his territory. Instead, Sihon gathered all his troops, camped at Jahaz, and fought with Israel. 21 Then the Lord God of Israel handed over Sihon and all his troops to Israel, and they defeated them. So Israel took possession of the entire land of the Amorites who lived in that country. 22 They took possession of all the territory of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan. 23 “The Lord God of Israel has now driven out the Amorites before his people Israel, and will you now force us out? 24 Isn’t it true that you can have whatever your god Chemosh conquers for you, and we can have whatever the Lord our God conquers for us? 25 Now are you any better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend with Israel or fight against them? 26 While Israel lived three hundred years in Heshbon and Aroer and their surrounding villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, why didn’t you take them back at that time? 27 I have not sinned against you, but you are doing me wrong by fighting against me. Let the Lord who is the judge decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites.” 28 But the king of the Ammonites would not listen to Jephthah’s message that he sent him.

Here we witness a negotiation of sorts - Jephthah asks the reason they want to attack him - they respond with a very old argument - Jephthah responds but correcting their error.

Jephthah argues a historical point at first - then he switches to a theological argument (if God gave them the land it was theirs) - and finally a personal argument (what did I do to you).

Finally, Jephthah leaves it in God’s hands.

29 The Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah, who traveled through Gilead and Manasseh, and then through Mizpah of Gilead. He crossed over to the Ammonites from Mizpah of Gilead. 30 Jephthah made this vow to the Lord: “If you in fact hand over the Ammonites to me, 31 whoever comes out the doors of my house to greet me when I return safely from the Ammonites will belong to the Lord, and I will offer that person as a burnt offering.” 32 Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the Lord handed them over to him. 33 He defeated twenty of their cities with a great slaughter from Aroer all the way to the entrance of Minnith and to Abel-keramim. So the Ammonites were subdued before the Israelites. 34 When Jephthah went to his home in Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with tambourines and dancing! She was his only child; he had no other son or daughter besides her. 35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “No! Not my daughter! You have devastated me! You have brought great misery on me. I have given my word to the Lord and cannot take it back.” 36 Then she said to him, “My father, you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me as you have said, for the Lord brought vengeance on your enemies, the Ammonites.” 37 She also said to her father, “Let me do this one thing: Let me wander two months through the mountains with my friends and mourn my virginity.” 38 “Go,” he said. And he sent her away two months. So she left with her friends and mourned her virginity as she wandered through the mountains. 39 At the end of two months, she returned to her father, and he kept the vow he had made about her. And she had never been intimate with a man. Now it became a custom in Israel 40 that four days each year the young women of Israel would commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

This starts off well - the Spirit of God came on Jephthah.

Sadly, having the Holy Spirit doesn’t automatically prevent us from doing or saying wrong things - we need listen and follow the Spirits leading.

Let’s deal with Jephthah’s vow in a second… for now let’s deal with the fact that God handed the enemy over to him thus setting the Israelites free.

Keep in mind, Jephthah has a very selfish view of his job. All he did was to establish himself and his family. Why in the world he would make the vow he does… if he had just stopped at they “will belong to the LORD” but no he had to add “ as a burnt offering”.

This is a hard passage and our tendency might be to soften what happens but the does not occur here.

Some Jephthah committed his daughter to the LORD so she lived her life in service of God - this again is not what the passage says.

We can stipulate that God neither required the vow or inquired about fulfilling the vow. This was all Jephthah’s doing and his daughters misapplication of a vow.

There were options to not actually sacrifice his daughter - one was just not do it, this is reasonable because God didn’t ask for this - another was to offer a buy out to the priest - the text is not clear as to whether he contemplated other options.

Based on the text it appears Jephthah actually sacrificed his daughter - again we do not see God accepting the sacrifice but we also do not see God putting a stop to it (of course He shouldn’t have to because God has given His law which this is clearly against).