Judges 10 – 12

Judges 10 – 12

Information about the next few judges is a little spotty.

Chapter 10 seems to imply that Abimelech was a judge. So far, we’ve had Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, and Gideon. Alkthough Abimelech did rule over Shechem, he certainly didn’t rescue anyone. He was a vile person who murdered his own half-brothers. The text makes it clear though that Tola was the next person to rescue Israel. He judged Israel for twenty-three years. There is no indication what he rescued Israel from.

Following Tola came Jair, who had thirty sons who rode around on thirty donkeys and owned thirty towns in Gilead.

After Jair dies, the people turn from God and do evil in His sight. God sends the Philistines and the Ammonites to oppress them. In fact, the Ammonites cross to the west of the Jordan to attack Judah, Benjamin and Ephraim. Israel cries out to the Lord, but He refuses to help them until they put aside their foreign gods and serve Him.

Chapter 10 says the Lord was grieved by their misery. Isn’t that something? Even though they brought all of this on themselves by serving other gods, God still was grieved by their misery. Never think God is not moved by you problems, by your misery, whether you brought it on yourself or not. He loves you. His heart goes out to you.

Just as Israel is involved in conflict over land today, such was the case here. The Ammonites attack Gilead and the people of the town cry out to Jephthah for help. Jephthah, who was the son of a prostitute, had been driven out of the town of Gilead by his half-brothers, the sons of his father’s wife. Now, the people of Gilead are willing to make him their ruler if he will rescue them from the Ammonites.

When Jephthah asks the king of Ammon why they have come to fight, the Ammonite king cites history, saying Israel had stolen land belonging to them and they were there to take it back. Jephthah straightens him out on his history, saying Israel has been living her for 300 years. He even mentions “settlements” – sound familiar? Jephthah challenges the king of the Ammonites to keep whatever land their god Chemosh gives them and Israel will keep whatever the Lord gives them.

Jephthah then makes a foolish vow to sacrifice as a burnt offering whatever comes out of his house to meet him when he returns in triumph. He triumphs and ends up having to sacrifice his one and only child, his beloved daughter. She asks to be allowed to spend two months in the hills before she dies. What a way to start a custom!

Apparently, Ephraim liked to fight. Remember how they were upset when Gideon went out to fight because he didn’t let them know and help. The same thing happens with Jephthah. They threaten to burn his house down with him in it. Since the tribe of Ephraim had land on both sides of the Jordan, they crossed back and forth quite a bit. Jephthah’s men captured the shallow crossing of the Jordan River and would stop people going across. If they correctly pronounced “Shibboleth” they were allowed to cross. If not, they were killed. In fact, 42,000 Ephraimites were killed at that time.

With the three judges after this we have: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Abimelech?, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon.

Tomorrow, it’s Judges 13 – 15.

Until next time…