Author Archive for: meiling

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 12:1-15.  Let’s go!

Judges 12:1-4 (NIV)
1  The men of Ephraim called out their forces, crossed over to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, “Why did you go to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We’re going to burn down your house over your head.”
2  Jephthah answered, “I and my people were engaged in a great struggle with the Ammonites, and although I called, you didn’t save me out of their hands.
3  When I saw that you wouldn’t help, I took my life in my hands and crossed over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD gave me the victory over them. Now why have you come up today to fight me?”
4  Jephthah then called together the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. The Gileadites struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, “You Gileadites are renegades from Ephraim and Manasseh.”

On verses 1-4:  In the book of Judges so far, the Ephraimites come across repeatedly as complainers.  When Gideon defeated the Midianites, the Ephraimites complained as to why they did not participate more (Judges 8:1).  When Jephthah defeated the Ammonites, the Ephraimites complained as to why Jephthah didn’t involve them (Judges 12:1).  They even call Jephthah and the Gileadites “nothing but half-breeds and rejects from Ephraim and Manasseh” (Judges 12:4, MSG).  The Ephraimites would pay for their complaining and trash talking, as Jephthah decides to attack the Ephraimites.

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 11:28-40.  Let’s go!

Judges 11:28-31 (NIV)
28  The king of Ammon, however, paid no attention to the message Jephthah sent him.
29  Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites.
30  And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands,
31  whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”

On verses 28-31:  The king of Ammon ignores Jephthah’s attempt to resolve their dispute peacefully.  Verse 29 says that, empowered by the Spirit of the LORD, Jephthah advances against the Ammonites.  But whereas Jephthah was thoughtful and measured in the way he first corresponded with the king of the Ammonites (v12-27), Jephthah is not so careful when he makes a vow in verses 30-31.   He vows to the LORD that if the LORD gives the Ammonites into Jephthah’s hands, Jephthah will sacrifice as a burnt offering whatever comes out of the door of his house to meet him when he returns.  Notice that the LORD never required Jephthah to make such a vow.  Rather this was Jephthah trying to strike a bargain with God.  Here’s the thing with trying to strike a bargain with God: you can never win.  God can’t be bought.  And what was God’s response to Jephthah’s offer?  Apparent silence.

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 11:12-27.  Let’s go!

Judges 11:12-27 (NIV)
12  Then Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king with the question: “What do you have against us that you have attacked our country?”
13  The king of the Ammonites answered Jephthah’s messengers, “When Israel came up out of Egypt, they took away my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, all the way to the Jordan. Now give it back peaceably.”
14  Jephthah sent back messengers to the Ammonite king,
15  saying: “This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites.

On verses 12-27:  Before going to war against the Ammonites, Jephthah tries to sort out the dispute peacefully with the king of the Ammonites.  Jephthah sends correspondence to the king of the Ammonites in an effort to understand the situation and explain Israel’s perspective.

Before escalating a dispute and waging war against someone, make sure you understand the situation thoroughly and try to talk it out peacefully.  As Proverbs 19:2 says, “It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.”

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 10:1-18.  Let’s go!

Judges 10:1-5 (NIV)
1  After the time of Abimelech a man of Issachar, Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, rose to save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim.
2  He led Israel twenty-three years; then he died, and was buried in Shamir.
3  He was followed by Jair of Gilead, who led Israel twenty-two years.
4  He had thirty sons, who rode thirty donkeys. They controlled thirty towns in Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth Jair.
5  When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.

On verses 1-5:  Not much information is given about these next two judges, Tola (v1-2) and Jair (v3-5).  We don’t read of any particular trouble or crisis that these judges had to deal with.  In Jair’s case, there is mention of Jair leading 30 sons who rode 30 donkeys.  Some commentators take all this to mean that the reigns of Tola and Jair were likely times of relative peace and stability for the people of Israel.  If that is truly the case, then a lesson we can learn from this is:  Better to be a stable, consistent, not-so-flashy leader who brings security and stability to the people around you than to be a charismatic leader like Abimelech whose weaknesses impact the people you lead much more than your strengths.