Jephthah July 1, 2015
God’s Grace in Action
Judges 11 Page 1
We met Jephthah last week
The son of a prostitute
More than likely the oldest in the household
When dad died, his half-brothers, with the help of the government, kicked him out with nothing
He went to Tob with others and became a mighty warrior, or a highwayman
Judges 11:1–11
So here is the scene: The leaders of Gilead, the same ones who kicked Jephthah out, now realize they need his skill on the battlefield, a skill he developed probably because they kicked him out
I am sure they approached his gang headquarters in Tob with great concern for their______
How badly do they need him?
They offered him a deal that only a gang leader could appreciate…be our______
Jephthah though is looking for more, he rejects chief, but says yes to ______
Notice something about Jepthah’s words though
He is a changed man, tough yes, but changed
He is the one who brings the______into the discussion
It was the Lord who would give the victory, not Jephthah; and the agreement between him and the elders must be ratified before the Lord at Mizpah. Jephthah didn’t see the challenge as a political opportunity for himself but as an occasion for trusting the Lord and serving Him.
Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Available, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1994), 94–95.
He is even referenced as a man of faith in Hebrews 11:32
He was______by his people the first time, but when things got really tough,he comes to______them the second time
Where have we heard that before?
Joseph – Kicked out by his brothers, wound up______
Jesus – Kicked out by his brothers, will be coming back again to______
Jephthah will be returning with the elders to Mizpah of Gilead, not to be confused with the Mizpah 13 miles north of Jerusalem
The major reason for the need for someone to fight becomes obvious during the upcoming negotiation, Ammon is determined to______.
Judges 11:11
Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the LORD at Mizpah
Page 2
Jephthah is appointed in three stages:
First, the statement of the______
Second, the______
Third, the______This ceremony added a religious sanction to his appointment and also gave the campaign the element of a holy war.
Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Ariel’s Bible Commentary: The Books of Judges and Ruth, 1st ed. (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2006), 137–138.
Now we see if negotiations between nations was any different during the time of the Judges versus today
Judges 11:12–28
Jephthah gives a______lesson
It appears that Ammon wants the land back that was taken by the Amorites and then taken by Israel when the Amorites attacked them
Israel ______directly with Ammon nor did they take the land from Ammon, it had already been conquered and taken by the Amorites over 300 years ago
This sounds a lot like negotiations in Israel today
Jephthah then points out that it is God who gave the land to them as they dispossessed the Amorites
He also points out they have been there for centuries and never made a claim for this even when Moses was there
He concludes by pointing out they are fighting ______.
Ammon declared war on Israel, not the other way around
Judges 11:29–33
God is with Jephthah
He______him for service
Unlike Gideon, there is______with Jephthah
As he heads out to engage the enemy, he finishes raising his army in order to engage the enemy
Then he makes a rash decision, he makes a vow
Remember vows?
God talked about them in Leviticus
In Numbers 30 Moses outlined the law of vows
Numbers 30:2
“If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or takes an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.”
Is a vow a requirement?
Does Jephthah really have to do this?
In reality, he is making a deal with God
Do we do this?
Usually the prayer starts this way…Lord, if you will do this then I will do this
Do you do it?
Moses warned about vows
Page 3
Deuteronomy 23:21–23
“When you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for it would be sin in you, and the LORD your God will surely require it of you. “However, if you refrain from vowing, it would not be sin in you. “You shall be careful to perform what goes out from your lips, just as you have voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God, what you have promised.”
We are a nation of______
What is the number one most broken vow today?
Ecclesiastes 5:1–6
Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few. For the dream comes through much effort and the voice of a fool through many words. When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Do not let your speech cause you to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hands?”
Judges 11:30–31
“And Jephthah vowed to the Lord and said, “If you should surely give the descendants of Ammon into my hand, then it shall be that whoever may come from the door of my house for meeting with me at my return in peace from the descendants of Ammon, he shall be the Lord’s; I will offer it as a whole burnt offering.”” (LES)
This is prayer expressed in the aspect of a vow. Jephthah pledges his own fulfillment to God if God will give what he asks. As God is to act without failure, so is the one framing the vow. In Jephthah’s case, feeling the human pressure of producing for the people he leads, it is a foolish and unnecessary pledge. God had often responded to prayers that did not extend vows. It is unwise to bargain with God when one cannot control details to meet his hopes.
If God gives victory over Ammon, Jephthah will offer to God the first thing that meets him from his home when he returns.
James E. Rosscup, An Exposition on Prayer in the Bible: Igniting the Fuel to Flame Our Communication with God (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2008), 370.
So the battle is over
Prayers have been answered
A vow has been made
Who or what comes out of the house when Jephthah returns home?
Judges 11:34–40
Did he make her a burnt offering?
He offered her up to God for God’s______
The father fulfilled his vow upon her, and she knew no man; i.e., he fulfilled the vow through the fact that she knew no man, but dedicated her life to the Lord, as a spiritual burnt-offering, in a lifelong chastity. It was this willingness of the daughter to sacrifice herself which the daughters of Israel went every year to celebrate,—namely, upon the mountains whither her friends had gone with her to lament her virginity, and which they commemorated there four days in the year.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, vol. 2 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 283.
Page 4
Could this have been avoided?
Either by not making the vow to begin with, or by having knowledge of the Torah
Per the law, by paying a redemption price, the vow could have been fulfilled without Jephthah’s daughter being dedicated to the Lord for the rest of her life
Repeat After Me…Shibboleth
Civil War
Judges 12
Remember the problem Gideon had with the people of Ephraim after he returned from battle?
Ephraim wanted some of the______.
Well, they still like to complain about not getting the goodies, this time to Jephthah
But they forgot that Jephthah has a totally different background…______
Judges 12:1–7
This time Ephraim not only accused of not being called to war, they intended to prove a point as they crossed in force from the other side of the Jordan
The people of Ephraim are______. They are always wanting to assert their rights. Their rights must be asserted even if it means totally______your rights
Ephraim wanted tolerance but were not willing to be tolerant themselves
They are so bugged by the lack of respect they feel they should have, that they want to not only fire Jephthah, but literally fire him and his home
Jephthah is not______
He knows one form of response to bull headed people…______
Ephraim implied that Gilead were wimps.
Actually, the tribes east of the Jordan River—Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh—had been granted their land by Moses and Joshua (Num. 32; Josh. 22). Thus the words of the Ephraimites were an insult to the Lord and His servants.
Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Available, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1994), 101.
By the end of the battle and the cleanup…42,000 from Ephraim were dead
Most from not being able to pronounce a______
The jealousy of Ephraim cost them and ended the games they had been playing
Jephthah judged only six more years.
Next we have three judges we know little about
Ibzan = their witness
Elon = strong, might
Abdon = a faithful servant
These are three faithful men who the Lord wants us to know about simply because they were exactly that, faithful
Judges 12:8–15
Page 5
Did you notice that with these three men we have a short period of relative peace in the land…6+7+10+8 = 31 years
But four, counting Jephthah, Judges
But there is still a problem…
Ibzan – 30 sons and 30 daughters
Abdon – 40 sons and 30 grandsons on 70 donkeys
The fact that several of the judges fathered large families points to their living like the eastern potentates of their day. This is further evidence that Canaanite culture was influencing the Israelites adversely. The judges’ lives evidence mixed success and failure.
Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Jdg 12:13.
They also had begun to exercise an ostentatious display of wealth
All of this sets us up for another round of apostasy
Next week we will meet a man who was prepared from prior to birth, to be a judge:
Samson
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