Judges 12:1-15 Click here for Bible Verses
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.
When we speak with complaining and abrasive words, we’re asking for a fight. Instead, may we speak with gentleness and tact so as to avoid unnecessary trouble for ourselves and others.
Judges 12:5-6 (NIV)
5 The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a survivor of Ephraim said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he replied, “No,”
6 they said, “All right, say ‘Shibboleth.'” If he said, “Sibboleth,” because he could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time.
On verses 5-6: Pronouncing “Shibboleth” correctly was the password that Jephthah and the Gileadites used to make sure that no undercover Ephraimite would get past them, since Ephraimites had trouble pronouncing “Sh” and would say “Sibboleth” instead. Just as pronouncing one word meant the difference between life and death for the Ephraimites, so one word means the difference between life and death for us. That word is Jesus. Romans 10:9-10 says, “if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Of course, including saying “Shibboleth”, whether a person is able to say “Jesus is Lord” has nothing to do with your cultural accent and everything to do with the condition of your heart.
On the day that we stand before God, hoping to cross from earth to heaven, God will ask us what name we trust in order to cross over. If our answer is Jesus, God will mercifully let us in. If our answer is any other name then we’ll locked out. For “there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Judges 12:7-15 (NIV)
7 Jephthah led Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died, and was buried in a town in Gilead.
8 After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem led Israel.
9 He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He gave his daughters away in marriage to those outside his clan, and for his sons he brought in thirty young women as wives from outside his clan. Ibzan led Israel seven years.
10 Then Ibzan died, and was buried in Bethlehem.
11 After him, Elon the Zebulunite led Israel ten years.
12 Then Elon died, and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.
13 After him, Abdon son of Hillel, from Pirathon, led Israel.
14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. He led Israel eight years.
15 Then Abdon son of Hillel died, and was buried at Pirathon in Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.
On verses 7-15: These verses list three judges that led Israel after Jephthah: Ibzan (v8-10), Elon (v11-12), and Abdon (v14-15). Abdon’s sons and grandsons rode on donkeys (v14). I wonder if Elon’s rode Teslas? In any event, notice that though Jephthah’s reign only lasted 6 years and was shorter than the reigns of Ibzan, Elon and Abdon, the book of Judges gives Jephthah’s story a much lengthier treatment. In the book of Judges we learn quite a bit about Jephthah’s background, his victories and failures, his strengths and weaknesses, and as a result we are able to benefit more from Jephthah’s life than the other judges about whom there are much fewer details.
What’s a lesson here? If you want the generations after you to benefit from the stories and experiences of your life, don’t be afraid to share them. Don’t just share your success stories and strengths. Share your failures and weaknesses as well. You will help the next generations coming after you more by being open about your life than being silent. As we like to say at THRIVE, let’s live out loud.
Father, thank You that when it comes to crossing from here to eternity, You give us the one word, the one name, that means life for us. Jesus, thank You for our password to heaven. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
Copyright © 2021 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
