After Abimelech died, there were 2 judges who judged Israel. Under their leadership, Israel stayed faithful to God for 45 years! But, sadly, after they were gone, Israel went back to worshiping idols and false gods.
Judges 10:7-8- And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
God, again, had to punish His people. This time, it was the Philistines that He used to do so.
Judges 10:9-10- Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed. And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.
After 18 years and the threat of war, Israel finally repented, again, of their sin. But, God was still upset.
Judges 10:11-14- And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.
God told them that He had delivered them from all these different enemies, and yet they still went back to worshiping idols. Now, God wanted them to go plead with their idols to save them.
God was trying to teach them that the things they were worshiping couldn't help them. If they would only learn that every time their help came from God, maybe they wouldn't sin with idols anymore!
Judges 10:15-16- And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.
It seemed like the Hebrew children learned. They put away their idols and only served God. This got God's attention! When we want something from God, we need to first put the things down that are taking our attention away from Him.
Judges 11:1-3- Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. 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. 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.
The next person that God uses to help Israel was going to be someone that the Hebrew children didn't want. His name was Jephthah. You see, Jephthah was not born to a godly family. He was kind of a mistake!
God always has something for us to learn! Just because our past has a lot of mistakes in it doesn't mean that God can't use us if we are willing. But, the children of Israel didn't think God could use mistakes. They made Jephthah leave.
Judges 11:4-6- And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. 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: And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.
The Ammonites were starting a war, and the Israelites were desperate to find someone to lead the battle. They knew Jephthah was a mighty man and that he could lead them, so they asked him to come back.
Judges 11:7-11- 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? 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. 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? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words. 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 wanted their assurance that he would be able to stay if they won. The elders gave him their promise that he could, and he came back to lead the army.
First, he was going to try to get the Amorites to leave peacefully.
Judges 11:12- 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?
Jephthah asked the Amorites why they were doing this. They said it was because Israel stole their land when they came out of Egypt. They were lying.
Do you remember when Moses asked 2 different kings if he could pass through their land? Moses told those 2 kings that they would pay for any food or water that they used, but those 2 kings told them "no". God said to go around the one because He didn't want Israel fighting with them. That was the Moabites.
The second was the Amorites ruled by Sihon, king of Bashan. God allowed Israel to fight them and defeat them. They then inherited that land. Now, the Amorites wanted to lie and take away Israel's land. I guess they were hoping that Israel didn't know their history.
Judges 11:23-27- So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it? 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. 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, 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? 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.
Jephthah pointed out that it was the Lord who had given them that land. The Amorites would go to war and take other people's land without giving it back. They would say that their false god gave them that land and it was their's to keep.
jephthah reminded them that Israel had been living there for 300 years now! And, it was their land to keep because God had given it to them. But, they didn't like that answer.
Judges 11:28-33- Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him. 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. And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, 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. So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands. 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.
The Amorites wanted a battle, so Jephthah gathered his army to fight. God helped Jephthah to win!
But, Jephthah made a vow, a promise to God, that if God would let him win this battle he would sacrifice whatever came out his house to the Lord as an offering when he got home.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 5:4-5, When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. You're better off not promising God anything than you are making a promise to God that you won't keep!
Maybe Jephthah didn't really think about this promise. Perhaps, he hoped that the dog would greet him first when he got home! He could have worded it that whatever animal greeted him first would be sacrificed. But, he didn't.
Judges 11:34-35- 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. 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.
Poor Jephthah never knew it would be his one and only daughter that was first to greet him when he came back from battle. He had made a promise to God, and he was a man of his word.
Not only was he a man of his word, but he raised a daughter that was willing to do right no matter the cost.
Judges 11:36-40- 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. 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. 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. 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, That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.
Jephthah gave his daughter 2 months to prepare to die, and then he kept his promise to God. But, his troubles weren't over.
Judges 12:1-4a- And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire. And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands. And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me? Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim:
There was one tribe in Israel that got mad that they weren't invited to the battle! They started a war with Jephthah's army because of it.
Judges 12:6b-7- and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand. And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.
That tribe lost 42,000 men because of their arrogance!
Poor Jephthah! He only lived for 6 years after that.
Be careful what you promise God. You will be required to pay it!
