March 22

March 22

Judges 10–12

Scripture Text: Judges 10:1–12:15

Series: Read the Bible in a Year

After Gideon’s death and the death of his would-be-king son, Abimilech, come in succession two judges, Tola and Jair. Nothing is said of how long they judged or any disobedience of Israel or incursion of enemies. The few verses given them only mentions judging Israel, so things were going better for Israel. But we know what this likely means is coming next. The pattern has been that when all is going well, Israel forgets the Lord. Indeed, Israel forsook the Lord by turning again to the Baals and Ashtaroth. So, we know what is coming next: invasion, often by the very people whose false gods Israel had begun to worship, as is the case in chapter ten. Next in the cycle, Israel will remember the Lord and cry out him. He will provide a judge to deliver them. 

Jephthah was a man who had been driven out of his community because he was the son of a prostitute. This is ironic since Israel had been whoring after idols. Whoremongering Gilead, in the portion of Manasseh east of the Jordan, calls home Jephthah because he is a mighty warrior and the Ammonites were warring against them. They need his help, which he agrees to if they will make him their leader when victorious in the campaign against their invaders. They agree. 
The Spirit of the Lord is with Jephthah (Judges 11:29) and he prevails against Ammon—but at needless cost. Instead of simply trusting the Lord, he bargains with him, saying he would offer whatever or whoever came through the doors of his house at his homecoming if the Lord would make him victorious. The Lord gave him victory and arriving home, his daughter, his only child greeted him. Jephthah kept his foolish vow, at his daughter’s expense. 

Proud Ephraim holds Jephthah’s victories against him as they had done with Gideon. They are upset that he did not call upon them to help in the battle against the Ammonites. Ephraim threatens to burn his house, which must have chafed Jephthah who may have wished his house burned before he had to offer his daughter in fire. He reminds them that he did invite them, they offered no assistance. Weary of them, Jephthah leads the men of Gilead against Ephraim and 42,000 Ephraimites fall in battle. 

After Jephthah’s death, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon judged Israel, seemingly without drama from either Ephraim or invaders from the outside. 

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