Following the death of Gideon, Abimelech Gideon’s son by a concubine attempted to set himself up as a king and did rule over the city of Shechem for a brief time. God did not call him to judge Israel; he killed all his brothers but the youngest, who told a parable of the trees wanting a king. The olive, fig, and grapevine declined. The bramble accepted. This gave Abimelech the name among some as the bramble king. After him came two minor judges,
Tola and Jair, each have two verses in chapter ten. Jephthah is the next judge of note. He follows a period of relative peace, during which Israel sinned greatly. They worshiped all the gods of all the nations remaining in Canaan. The only God they did not worship was the LORD God of Israel. The LORD had two nations attack them at once, the Philistines in the west and the Ammonites in the east.
The Gilalidtes east of Jordan were in the direct line of attack, but Ammon penetrated over the Jordan into Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. They cried for deliverance but were told by a prophet (see 6:8) to cry to the gods they were worshiping and let them save them. They confessed they had sinned and put away the foreign gods from among them (10:16), and the LORD “became impatient over the misery of Israel” (10:16). The Giladlites raised an army but needed a leader. They asked Jephthah, son of a prostitute, who had been driven away from his father’s house by his brothers. He had gained notoriety as a fighter leading a group of “worthless fellows.” He agreed to lead the army if he would be made ruler of all of Gilead and swear with an oath to confirm him. They agreed.
He first negotiated with the King of Ammon. He said to the King, “Will you not have what Chemosh your god gives you? And all that the LORD our God has dispossessed before us, we will have.” (11:24) Israel had all the lands in question for three hundred years (11:26), given to them by the LORD when he dispossessed the Kingdoms of Og and Sihon, two Amorite kings.
Jephtha attacked the Ammonites and prevailed. Before he had left home, he “made a vow to the LORD and said, ‘If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return shall be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” (11:31). When he returned, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and dances. She was his only child.
Did he not know that his daughter would rush to meet him? Or did he just not think? Foolish men make foolish vows. She asked for two months to weep for her virginity with her companions. He said go. She returned and he did as he vowed.
Even in victory, there was grief and wickedness.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PRAY FOR YOURSELF
Father, I know how easy it is to be caught up in the sins of those in this dark world. I pray that You and Your Holy Spirit will keep me in the straight and narrow way of walking in the steps of Jesus and not be like Israel of old. In Jesus’ Holy Name, AMEN.
MY PRAYER FOR YOU (and for myself)
Father, l pray that each of us will think before we take any vow, or even make a promise, for our word is to be our bond. When we make promises, let us keep them; let us qualify our promises by saying, “If the LORD wills, we will do” this or that.” In the Holy Name of Jesus, AMEN.
Filed under: Judges | Tagged: Abimelech, Bramble King, Ephraim's Anger with Jephthah, Jephthah, Rash Vows, Shibboleth | Leave a comment »