Focus Chapters:
- Judges 9:22-57
- Judges 10
- Judges 11:1-28
Standout Verse(s):
Judges 11:1-8 NLT
Now Jephthah of Gilead was a great warrior. He was the son of Gilead, but his mother was a prostitute. Gilead’s wife also had several sons, and when these half brothers grew up, they chased Jephthah off the land. “You will not get any of our father’s inheritance,” they said, “for you are the son of a prostitute.” So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Soon he had a band of worthless rebels following him.
At about this time, the Ammonites began their war against Israel. When the Ammonites attacked, the elders of Gilead sent for Jephthah in the land of Tob. The elders said, “Come and be our commander! Help us fight the Ammonites!”
But Jephthah said to them, “Aren’t you the ones who hated me and drove me from my father’s house? Why do you come to me now when you’re in trouble?”
“Because we need you,” the elders replied. “If you lead us in battle against the Ammonites, we will make you ruler over all the people of Gilead.”
Observation (s):
- Jephthah’s half-brothers drove him away out of greed.
Now Jephthah of Gilead was a great warrior. He was the son of Gilead, but his mother was a prostitute. Gilead’s wife also had several sons, and when these half brothers grew up, they chased Jephthah off the land. “You will not get any of our father’s inheritance,” they said, “for you are the son of a prostitute.”
- The tribe called Jephthah back into the fold because they needed his prowess.
At about this time, the Ammonites began their war against Israel.When the Ammonites attacked, the elders of Gilead sent for Jephthah in the land of Tob. The elders said, “Come and be our commander! Help us fight the Ammonites!”
- In order for Jephthah to return, the tribe offered him something they knew that he desired; acceptance and a spot among them.
But Jephthah said to them, “Aren’t you the ones who hated me and drove me from my father’s house? Why do you come to me now when you’re in trouble?”
“Because we need you,” the elders replied. “If you lead us in battle against the Ammonites, we will make you ruler over all the people of Gilead.”
Application:
We all have a strong desire to be accepted and belong. Jephthah’s half-brothers took that feeling of security from him in their attempts to cut him off from getting any of their father’s wealth. Shockingly, their tribe also seemed to side with the brothers. They did not need Jephthah. His presence restricted them, when everything was progressing smoothly, so they chased him away.
But there came a time when the tides changed. In the moments of light, they chased him away but in the moments of darkness, they sought and bribed him, using what they knew he desired most as bait. “Jephthah, come now! If you come now, we will accept you among us.”
The treatment of Jephthah is a stark correlation to the way we sometimes treat God. Oftentimes, we only want God for what He can do for us. When everything is going well, we chase God away because we feel restricted and that we don’t need Him.
Then come the moments of trouble where we seek and try to bargain with and bribe Him. “God, if You do ______________, we will do ______________.”
God’s presence should be constantly accepted in our lives. Don’t chase or push Him away in the good times and call upon Him in the bad. Maintain your relationship with God, all year round.
