Judges 10:6-11:28
Dear RTB’ers,
Today we meet another of the major judges, Jephthah, one who is less well known than Deborah, Gideon and Samson, probably because Jephthah does not show up in Sunday School stories. We’ll find out tomorrow why that’s the case!
The land of Gilead becomes important in today’s reading. Gilead is often associated with east-Manasseh, but Reuben and Gad are also part of a larger “Gilead”. Today’s reading begins in Gilead (see Jg. 10:8), but other tribes are also oppressed by the Ammonites (see Jg. 10:9), so the regional battle becomes more national in scope.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “God does not call the equipped, but rather He equips the called”. We certainly see that in Jephthah! He is the son of a harlot (and a father of nobility). He is driven from his home and surrounds himself with “worthless fellows” (Jg. 11:3). Then he is called back home to lead people who have no one else to whom they can turn. His past and his future are certainly bleak, but as noted above, “…God equips the called”.
Jephthah knows his Israeli history. It’s interesting for us to recall the stories from the book of Numbers as Jephthah dialogues with the king of the Amorites (Jg. 11:12-26). I see Putin and Russia playing the same game as the Amorite king, now more than three millennia later, with Putin wanting to bring Ukraine back into “his fold” after they’ve enjoyed their independence for more than thirty years.
Today’s reading leaves us hanging! We’ll forgive you if you read ahead. And while you’re at it, imagine the Sunday School lesson that you would put together for Jephthah!
Blessings!