What I Noticed Today (Judges 10-11)
Judges 10
After Abimelech died, verses 1-5 tells of two judges, Tola an Ephraimite, and Jair a Gileadite:
- Tola judged Israel 23 years and was buried in Shamir.
- Jair judged Israel 22 years and was buried in Kamon.
- Tola and Jair led Israel for a total of 45 years. Nothing remarkable is said about them, but the land enjoyed peace. In all likelihood, they were good administrative leaders.
In verses 6-18, after the death of Jair, once again the Israelites reverted to their evil ways worshipping a number of false gods, including Baal, Ashtoreth, and the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, Ammonites, and the Philistines. God gave them up to their enemies the Philistines and the Ammonites, and they were oppressed for 18 years.
Note: The Philistines were in the west, and the Ammonites were in the east.
- They finally cried out to God to save them (Judges 10:10), but there was no repentance. God rejected them telling them to plead to their false gods to save them.
- When they cried out to God again to save them (Judges 10:16), they also repented by getting rid of their false gods and resumed worshipping God.
- The Ammonites came together prepared for battle and camped at Gilead. The leaders of Gilead looked for someone to lead the fight against the Ammonites and promised to make him their leader.
Note: The Israelites did not seek the Lord’s wisdom in seeking a military commander. Instead, they promised to subject themselves to whoever would step into the leadership role.
Judges 11
In Judges 11, when their enemies came near the Israelites looked around for a military leader and came to Jephthah. Jephthah was the son of a harlot who the people had chased out of the city, but when the enemy approached the elders of Gilead came to him and promised to follow him if he would lead them.
In verses 12-28, Jephthah led negotiations with the enemy kings as though he was king.
- Stating the Lord God had given the land to the Israelites, and if the gods of the Moabites and Ammonites were strong, they could have given the land to their people.
Note: It seems that he was a sincere believer and that he knew or was at least acquainted with the scripture. In those days, it was presumed that if your god gave you the land, it was yours to possess.
In verses 29-40, the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah (v. 29) as he traveled through the land. At some point, he made a vow to God that if God would give him the victory, he would dedicate to God and make a burnt offering of whatever came out of his house first when he arrived home (Judges 11:30-31).
Note: This was a rash vow! Jephthah already had the spirit of God leading him, and he should have known that making such a vow was unnecessary.
Note: Now this is where this account gets problematic. Jephthah could not know who or what would come out of his house first. What if it was a neighbor? He did not have the authority to kill a neighbor. Besides, human sacrifice was a practice of the foreign gods, not of the Lord. What if an unclean animal came out first? God would not have accepted an unclean animal as a burnt offering!
Note: Verse 31 states, “Whatever comes out of the house…will belong to the Lord and I will offer it as a burnt offering.” At issue among scholars is the word “and.” Some say the word should be translated “or.”
- Jephthah returns home in victory, and his only child, his daughter, comes out of the house first. He must fulfill the vow.
- Jephthah’s daughter was given permission to wander the countryside and be with her friends.
Note: I personally doubt his daughter was offered as a burnt offering. First, the conclusion of the chapter reveals that the memory of his daughter is celebrated by the Israelites. If she were martyred, it would have been more appropriate to offer a lament rather than a celebration. Second, the book of Hebrews 11:32 refers to Jephthah as a man of faith and courage. It is unlikely that he would have been referred to this way if he had gone against God’s law by sacrificing his daughter. The solution offered by some scholars is that Jephthah could have simply redeemed his daughter’s life by paying the redemption price to the priests and committing her to serve the Lord for the rest of her life.
Some thoughts for further consideration:
- Man tends to look on outward signs, like parentage and status when selecting leaders, but God looks at the person’s heart, at their character. We would do well to select leaders today based on their love for God and their character rather than on their outward appearances!
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
