Jephthah: The Despised and Rejected Savior
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Sometimes it’s better to quit while you’re ahead. I wonder if Napoleon ever thought of this in the last years of his life.
If only he had been able to stop in 1807. Napoleon was on top of the world. The master of Europe; undefeated on the battlefield. Reformed of France into a modern nation.
But he didn’t stop there, he pressed his luck in Spain and in Russia. By 1815, his empire was gone, and he was exiled to the tiny south Atlantic Island of St. Helena. The speed of his fall overshadowed the glories of his rise and reign.
Context
Context
· It can be somewhat discouraging to read parts of the Bible, especially in the Old Testament.
o We see the same sins practiced repeatedly.
o The same lessons never learned.
From the Exodus to the Exile, we see a long narrative illustrating one long decline.
· Why would God do this?
o Why not stop the book of Judges at the end of chapter 2, when He lays out the cycle of the judges? 400 years summed up in a few verses.
· What we should not do is grow conceited ourselves; standing in judgement over the ancient Israelites, like we would have done better if we were there.
o Jesus has plenty to say about this attitude in Matthew 23:
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,
30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
· Instead, I would suggest that God has a greater purpose in telling this story.
o And, understanding the ways in which God tells His story helps us to apply these Old Testament texts a lot better.
God Guides History to Shape Our Theology
God Guides History to Shape Our Theology
· We tend to look at history as a list of events (names, dates, places, etc.)
o In terms of causes and effects—like marbles/billiard balls clacking into each other.
o We don’t tend to see a greater story behind it all.
§ Only many stories being told concurrently.
· But Scripture paints a different picture.
· Scripture reveals a creator God who is sovereign over his creation.
o This means he is sovereign over even history—he moves events according to his eternal will.
· Isaiah 46:9–10 (ESV), God says of himself:
9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me,
10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
o He has governed history so that it is possible for the wise to perceive his hand upon it (Such is the extent of his control over events.)
· Daniel 2:21 (ESV)
21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;
o In fact, his eternal decree is at the heart of all of human history.
· Psalm 33:10–11 (ESV)
10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.
· But God’s eternal purpose is not a mystery to us—He reveals it to us in the person and work of His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.
· Romans 16:25–26 (ESV)
25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages
26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—
· In God’s governing of history, he has ever warned the faithful towards Jesus Christ and our repentance and salvation
· 1 Corinthians 2:7–10 (ESV)
7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.
8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—
10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
· The purpose of this is illustrated in 1 Peter.
· 1 Peter 1:10–12 (ESV)
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully,
11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.
12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
·
All this adds up to one unavoidable truth—There is a redemptive shape to history.
o Inaugural (the fall)
o Preparatory (Covenant of Redemption—Abraham, Moses, David)
o Revelatory (Incarnation, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension)
o Transformation (Covenant of Grace—Pentecost)
o Consummation (Parousia—Eschaton)
· One of my favorite modern theologians, James Hamilton explains the meaning of the Old Testament in light of this redemptive shape:
From start to finish, the Old Testament is a Messianic document, written from a Messianic perspective, to sustain a Messianic hope.
· So, where does Judges fit in this story?
o It was purposed, by God, to reveal the increasing sinfulness of man.
§ Our helplessness to obey God’s law.
o That we continue to reject God, no matter to what lengths He goes to reveal His power and worthiness.
· The Judges cycle shows that we don’t have it in us to save ourselves through works of righteousness/through obedience to God’s law.
· Solomon taught the ultimate meaning of life is summed up in Ecclesiastes 12:13 (ESV)
13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
o Yet, we don’t fear, we don’t love God as we ought to.
What shapes our lives is not a healthy fear of God, or a love for Him, or meaningful obedience to His commands, but a sinful selfishness that is rooted in our deep insecurity.
· Keeping the redemptive goal of history in mind, when we look at the events of Jephthah’s call as a judge, what we see is that there is a mirrored relationship between this event and the events that immediately precede it.
o More specifically ↴
Jephthah Mirrors God
Jephthah Mirrors God
· We see at the opening of the story a degrading situation for Israel.
6 The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him.
· Israel turned again from serving the Lord.
o This time, however, their idolatry has worsened.
§ They have begun to serve the gods of the surrounding peoples in addition to the Canaanite Baals.
· In fact, it seems that Israel is willing to serve and pursue any god except the covenant lord of Israel.
7 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites,
8 and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
9 And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.
· Their rejection of God brings distress upon them, as God takes disciplinary action by selling them into the hands of the Philistines and Ammonites.
· This new oppression has increased in intensity (crushing).
10 And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.”
· The pattern continues, as Israel cries out to the lord.
o They seem to say the right things, but they prove that their repentance is not true.
§ Minimizing language.
o This identifies their reaction as worldly sorrow rather than godly grief leading to repentance.
11 And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines?
12 The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand.
13 Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more.
14 Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.”
· Breaking the pattern again, God stops them before they can continue, rejecting their forthcoming plea.
o He reminds them that He was the one who delivered them from the hand of all the peoples whose gods they now serve willingly, rejecting Him all together.
· In a chilling rebuke, God tells them, “I’m not going to save from them anymore, go ask your chosen gods to save you.
o You made your bed, now sleep in it.
· God is no fool—He knows that they are motivated by self-interest and not heartfelt repentance.
15 And the people of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.”
16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.
· Israel panics because the extent of their peril becomes clear to them.
o God is rejecting them—A complete breakdown in covenant relationship is a real possibility.
· Interestingly, they take action to repair the reputation and demonstrate repentance.
o They openly admit their fault.
o The throw themselves upon his mercy.
o They begin to renew covenant faithfulness by putting away their foreign gods.
· But the problem is that this is still not true repentance—its performative.
o It’s like a child saying sorry for doing bad because it’s what’s expected, not because they really mean it.
· God is not moved by their attempt.
True repentance is demonstrated over time (bearing fruit). It may happen in a moment, but it’s established through consistency.
and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.
· God’s compassion for his people is not due to their appeals.
o This becomes clear from the language—He is moved because of their misery, not their obedience.
· And so, with this structure in mind, the focus constricts down to the region of Gilead, beyond the Jordan River.
17 Then the Ammonites were called to arms, and they encamped in Gilead. And the people of Israel came together, and they encamped at Mizpah.
18 And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said one to another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight against the Ammonites? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
· Ammon organizes and invades the region, while the leaders of Gilead are rudderless; lacking in effective leadership.
· They determine that the man that will lead them in the fight, they will make the head of Gilead.
o But there is no such man among them.
· Gilead is lost and without a savior (sound familiar?)
o Enter Jephthah.
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.”
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.
· Jephthah is an able man—A mighty warrior, and leader of men.
· But he is a rejected man.
o Considered of illegitimate birth, he was driven from his family and his home.
· He now lives in the wilderness with his band of outcast mercenaries.
· Jephthah here is a mirror of Israel’s rejection of their God.
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, when Gilead finds itself in distress and are looking for a savior, and after being unable to do it themselves, they come at last to Jephthah.
· But notice, they don’t offer for him to become their head, but only to lead their military efforts.
· A self-interested offer: “Come and we’ll give you the honor of pulling us out of the fire. Think of the glory we’re giving you in permitting you to save us. Aren’t we great?”
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?”
· Like God, Jephthah is no fool, and he calls them out on their hypocrisy.
o You rejected me until you had a use for me—Why should I bother to save you?
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.”
· Seeing the writing on the wall if they fail, they now offer him the headship they had previously hidden from him.
o Showing performative manipulation.
9 And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.
10 And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.”
11 And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines?
· While Jephthah suspects their falsehood, he nevertheless accepts their offer and holds them to a vow to do what they promised.
· Israel’s unworthiness to be saved is put on display in the way that Jephthah became judge.
· This exposes to us the sinfulness in Israel and Gilead.
o They are flailing because their situation is insecure.
§ Jesus likens them to the one who builds his house upon the sand. (Matt 7:26-27
26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
o Their motivation for seeking salvation from God and Jephthah were motivated not by faith or repentance, but a desire for selfish gain.
This is the underlying corruption that is in the human heart.
· Romans 1:21–23 (ESV)
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
· So, there is a clear parallel between God and Jephthah, except for one thing—Jephthah is not a perfect savior.
o He suffers from the same condition as those who sought his services—he is insecure and selfish.
o This becomes clear as the narrative continues from here.
And in this way, we come to see God’s redemptive story, because…
Jephthah Anticipates Jesus
Jephthah Anticipates Jesus
· Jephthah is an able leader and warrior.
o Further, he is clothed by the Holy Spirit.
· Everything is pointing towards deliverance and rest, as the judges cycle has conditioned us to see.
· But the degradation of Israel has progressed to the point where Jephthah’s victory will be overshadowed and submerged within a greater tragedy.
o The deliverance gets two verses: Judges 11:32–33 (ESV)
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.
o And the fault for this tragedy is laid right at Jephthah’s feet.
· The most important and remembered event of Jephthah’s life is not his victory, but a rash vow he made, and kept.
o Jephthah’s insecurity is revealed in his attempt to manipulate God and secure his good will ahead of the battle.
§ He showed a lack of faith in the promises and presence of God.
o His selfishness is shown after the battle in his reaction to his daughter.
· Judges 11:35 (ESV)
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.”
o His care is more for himself that her.
o Further, that he should actually carry out his vow. (He should have offered his life instead of his daughter’s)
· Less well-known is his interaction with the Ephraimites afterward.
o Now, the Ephraimites are big-headed, self-important jerks.
§ They consider themselves above the other tribes because they are the tribe of Joshua the Conqueror.
o They are mad because they were not consulted before Jephthah went to war with Ammon (they did this with Gideon too).
· In the midst of their confrontation, they make a disparaging remark about Gilead as being outcasts from the tribe of Ephraim and Manasseh.
o This is Jephthah’s soft underbelly as an outcast himself.
· Insecurity and selfishness lead Jephthah to wrath, and he ends up killing 42,000 Ephraimites. (Brothers killing brothers over a playground insult)
Jephthah’s failure is meant to point the reader to one conclusion…There has to be a better deliverer than this; someone who doesn’t succumb to insecurity and selfishness.
· God does promise such a man in the Scriptures, and this man would be an unexpected man, despised and rejected as well.
· Isaiah 53 (ESV)
1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lordbeen revealed?
· The God who is sovereign over history, has revealed his intention to redeem His people in a Savior…Jesus Christ is the culmination of God’s redemptive work in the book of Judges, and in the story of Jephthah.
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
· Jesus was not unlike Jephthah—He was of no account among his people.
o In fact, one of the most consistent themes of the gospels is that Jesus was rejected and despised by nearly everyone.
§ Rejected by his family and his hometown.
§ Rejected by the religious leaders.
§ Rejected by the Samaritans He ministered to.
§ Rejected by the crowds he miraculously fed.
§ Finally, rejected by the crowds who cried for his crucifixion.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
· More than this, as he bore the sins of those who rejected him, he experienced the wrath of God…the rejection and righteous anger of God against sin.
o He cried out from the cross, “My God, my God, why have your forsaken me.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
· Yet, because of this terrible, wonderful work, He brought us peace with God.
o The security of standing justified before the righteous judge.
o The blessing of removing the stain of sin from us.
· He looked after our security and interest at the cost of His own life.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lordhas laid on him the iniquity of us all.
· We all are mired in sinful selfishness and going on building our lives on shifting sand.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
· But Jesus did the opposite, He endured such sufferings with no regard for the fact that He was God (Phil. 2)
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lordshall prosper in his hand.
· This amazing statement brings us right back to the redemptive shape of Scripture and history.
o God the Father sent His Son into the world to make the atoning sacrifice for all sin, so that all who put their trust in Him would be forgiven and justified before Him.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
· God was pleased that this work would be sufficient.
· This is our security, that God was pleased with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our suffering servant savior, and the better Jephthah.
Conclusion
Conclusion
· Jesus died so that we could be free from the sinful self-interest and our desire to secure our position through works of righteousness.
· The writer of Hebrews exhorts and encourages us.
· Hebrews 13:5–6 (ESV)
5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
· Love of money is a powerful tempter because it gets at the very sins we saw on display in the text today.
o Our insecurities and selfish desires are often caught up in and fed by our love of money.
o That’s why Christ said,
· Matthew 6:24 (ESV)
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
· But, there is also an encouragement to us; to be content with what we have.
o Because we have a great deal in Jesus Christ.
§ Justification before God.
§ The sealing and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.
§ The fellowship of the church.
§ The sure promise of eternal life with Him.
o This is why the writer of Hebrews reminds us to be content, because God has said “I will never leave you or forsake you.”
§ We have security in the ongoing presence of the sovereign God of the universe who is bringing all things to His appointed end.
o So, we are encouraged to continue on because “the Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
· One of the things that Christ has provided for us is the Lord’s Supper, where we renew faith with Him and come to proclaim where our confidence and loyalty lay.
