This program of daily devotions is designed to take you through the Bible in three years. It is our desire to help you gain a better generalunderstanding of God's Word.
Please understand that in a study this brief, we will be concernedwith only the major emphases and context of the Scriptures.
Each day a devotion for one or two chapters is posted, beginning withchapter one of Genesis and going through chapter twenty-two ofRevelation. You are free to print each page as it appears. If you miss a day, you may contact us and request that devotion. Please send your request, along with $.50 (p&h) for each page to:
Bruce McGee,Pastor
205 Adams
Columbia, LA 71418
HERE
Bro. Bruce's commentaries for the books of Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus are
now available in hard copy for $7.50. Just mail your request for COMMENTARY ON GENESIS to the address above.
JUDGES CHAPTER 11 1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.2 And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of a strange woman.3 Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him. Now this is one of my FAVORITE Bible stories. So please forgive me if this is a little longer than usual.
Jephthah was born an illegitimate child, but was raised by his father with the rest of the sons.
Jephthah didn't quarrel about it, he just left and began to raise an army. The Word of God says that certain "vain" men were gathered to him.
There are many interpretations, by several Bible commentators, about this word "vain," and what it means. I'm of the opinion that that word "vain" means men who had no particular portion of land for some reason or another, and had to find other means of supporting their families. 4 And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.5 And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob:6 And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. Being in an army (or having one) was a legitimate occupation in those days. Those who had an army would make war against the people remaining in the land which Israel should have run out earlier. By this type of war, and by hunting in the countryside, they made their living and supported their families.
Notice that when Israel ran into trouble with the Amonites, the leaders of the area went out to Jephthah and asked for his help (verse 6). This is much the way we are today. We are made in the image of God with great powers, but we need a Captain to lead us in the fight against sin. We need Someone Who can and has defeated sin, and can show us the way! JESUS is that ONE! 7 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?8 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.9 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head?10 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh. Jephthah is just a little upset here! They had kicked him out of his father's home, and wouldn't even allow him to have a place of residence among them. But now they would come and dare ask him to SAVE them! AH! How odious we must seem to Christ, when we willingly crucify Him by our sins, then come and ask Him to save us FROM our sins! That's PRECISELY what Jesus says to us! In order for Him to be our Savior, we must first ask Him to be our LORD! (See Jesus' teaching in Matthew 10:38-39) In order for us to be LED to the completion of salvation, we must FIRST be willing to FOLLOW! Notice that a solemn, public oath was made between the leaders of Israel and Jephthah as a covenant(Verse 10). YES!! Praise God! Christ will make an oath with us, if we will make an oath with Him! 12 And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land?13 And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.14 And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon:15 And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:16 But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;17 Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh.18 Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.19 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place.20 But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.21 And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.22 And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.23 So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?24 Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess. Jephthah sent a letter to the leaders of the Ammonite army requesting reason for them coming to fight against Israel for the land. (verse 12) Jephthah sums up the true facts: 25 And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them,26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?27 Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.28 Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him. Further, Jephthah says that Balak (king of the Moabites), did not physically oppose Israel when he had the opportunity, and neither should these Ammonites. 29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands. Notice that God's Spirit comes in a special way upon Jephthah, and he prepares himself for war.
Now, it is my opinion that verse 31 might read this way: Now there are others who interpret differently: But I believe that this man Jephtha was a man of God, called of God, and especially endowed by God. And even though his vow was foolish and in haste, he certainly did not become an idol worshipper. And he certainly did not offer his daughter as a human sacrifice! 33 And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back. Jephthah, in very short fashion, fought a tremendous battle and was afforded the victory. 36 And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.37 And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.38 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.39 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,40 That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year. Obviously, this man of God had raised a godly daughter. For she said whatever he had vowed to God for her would be her desire. What a JOY to have a daughter (or son) who knew God, and knew their parents and were willing to do WHATEVER the parents said in their relationship to God!! This young lady had only one request: That she be allowed 2 months to mourn the fact that she would never bear children (verse 37). This was such a touching act of devotion to parents, God and children that a tradition came out of the experience. Every year, the virgin daughters of Israel would remember this daughter of Jephthah and this touching story. How will people remember us? Will it be for our devotion and consecration to God?
How will people remember YOU and YOUR family? Are you working toward rearing your children to explicitly trust God and walk the path that HE CHOOSES? Please continue to follow along with us in Bible Study.
The way God brought this "deliverer" to power was odd.
Evidently Jephthah distinguished himself because the Bible says he was "a mighty man of valour" (verse 1).
Perhaps the rest of the family believed that Jephthah was such an overwhelming personality that he would take over the whole family.
They NEEDED him.
Jephthah asks them a question: "If I fight to save you, will I become your MASTER?" (verse 9)
The people willingly agreed that he would become the "head" of their people.
"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."(Matthew 10:32-33)
They sent back a letter that said Israel had taken the land, and they wanted it back (verse 13).
Jephthah sent a letter that explained the manner by which the Ammonites had lost the land (verses 15-24).
1. Israel was refused passage by Edom and Moab (verse 17),
2. Israel was refused passage by the Amorites (verses 19-22),
3. God gave Israel power and they took the land (verses 22-23).
But the land was taken from the AMORITES, not the Ammonites! It never DID belong to the Ammonites! Israel was NOT GUILTY of any trespass against Ammon, and Ammon was now trespassing against Israel.
In effect, God (Jehovah) has delivered the land to Israel, and they are to dwell in it. The Ammonites, says Jephthah, should dwell where their god has given them space (which is NONE!).
But the king of the Ammonites didn't listen.
As Jephthah heads toward the place for battle, he does a very weird thing. He makes a RASH VOW!
(Yes. You can be under the power of God's Holy Spirit, and make RASH DECISIONS!)"..whatever first emerges from my house shall be dedicated to the Lord, and if it is animal then it shall become a burnt offering."
The reason I say that is because of verse 39. The one who came out first was Jephthah's daughter. She was consigned to a life of celibacy and devoted to service for God.
He KNEW that victory was by the deliverance of God! And he was very serious about being a man of his word (verse 35). He told his ONLY daughter (only child), that he could NOT "..go back" on his vow.
Can you imagine having a child that was THAT DEVOTED to God and THAT DEDICATED to parents?
You could tell that child you wanted them to be what GOD wanted. Not what their freinds, teachers, stars, heroes told them they could be, but what GOD wanted! And you'd NEVER get any back-talk!
Will it be for our devotion to and concern that our children grow up to be obedient to God?
Will it be for our own obedience and surrender to our parents will under God's divine plan?