Judges 11:12

Judges 11:12 says, And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land?  Jephthah didn't immediately engage in war against the people of Ammon, but first sent a messenger to the king of Ammon, who is not identified, asking him why he was coming to fight against Israel in their land.  We should be quicker to reason with those who are against us as followers of Christ today and slower to go to war with them.  We will never reach the lost for Jesus Christ if we only want to destroy them.  Verse thirteen adds, And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.  The king of Ammon sent a reply saying he was coming to fight against Israel because they had taken away his land.  The lost people of the world today may believe that by our following Christ in our everyday life that if He blesses us with material success that we are somehow taking something from them, but this not the truth.  Whatever God blesses us with was His to start with.  Verse fourteen states, And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon:  After receiving the reply from the king of Ammon, which was not the truth, Jephthah again sent messengers to him.  Jephthah may have been known as a wild man, but he was willing to continue to discuss the situation with the king of Ammon.  I believe this is because he was relying on God for guidance.  This is what we as Christians should do today as well.  Verse fifteen adds, And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:  Jephthah told the king of Ammon that the people of Israel did not take away any land from the people of Moab or Ammon.  If we are accused of taking away something that belongs to someone else as followers of Christ, we need to first make sure that isn't true, and then discuss things with them if at all possible.  Verse sixteen continues, But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;  Then, Jephthah told the king of Ammon what had really happened when the people of Israel left Egypt and came into the Promised Land.  If we are in conflict with someone today because thay feel that our relationship with God has somehow taken something from them, we can only share the truth of the gospel with them.  Verse seventeen says, Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh.  Jephthah said that during the exodus that the people of Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom and the king of Moab asking for the right to pass through, and they denied them that right, so the people of Israel abode at Kadesh.  They never demanded passage, but followed God's instructions concerning these nations.  However we react to those who seem to stand between what we want and us, we need to first make sure that God is leading us in how we act in the situation.  Verse eighteen adds, Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.  Jephthah said that the people of Israel at that time went around the land of the Edom and Moab.  

Judges 11:1

Judges 11:1 says, Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.  In answer to their question of who would lead them, God began to give them the answer.  Jephthah, the son of a harlot and Gilead, a very unlikely choice as a leader, was still known to be a mighty man of valor.  He was looked down on because of his parentage, as some people are today, though we as a society seem more and more willing to accept children born to parents who are not married as normal, though we do still tend to look down on those born to a prostitute.  We need to realize that children cannot control who their parents are.  Verse two adds, And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a strange woman.  When Gilead and his wife had other sons and they grew up, they told Jephthah that he would never inherit from his father, because he was born of a stranger woman.  Matthew Henry says this might have meant his mother was a Gentile, but no matter who she was, the other children and Jephthah had the same father.  No matter who our birth parents are as Christians, we have the same heavenly Father, and are all equal in His sight.  Verse three continues, Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.  Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, where he gathered a band of what are called vain men.  This does not mean conceited, but a group of men who for whatever reason had nothing.  We today are spiritually without anything until we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Verse four states, And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.  There came a time when the people of Ammon made war against Israel.  We can be certain that everyday the forces of Satan make war against Christians, though sometimes and in some places it is worse than others.  Verse five adds, And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob:  When the Ammonites made war against Israel, the elders of Israel went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.  They might have consented to his being driven out earlier, but now that they needed him, they called for him to return.  We may sit in judgment of others, even our fellow Christians, until we need them for something today, but this should never be the case.  Verse six continues, And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.  The elders asked Jephthah to come be their captain so that they might fight against the Ammonites.  We are not told that they consulted God about this, and they evidently had little faith in God being able to deliver them.  If we are in a bad situation today as followers of Christ, we need to first look to God to see what He would have us to do, and not just blindly put our faith in someone until we do.  Verse seven asks, And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?  Jephthah asked them some legitimate questions.  He asked if they were not the ones who drove him out of his father’s house, and why did they therefore come to him now.  Let's hope we never drive any Christian, who therefore has the same heavenly Father, out of our congregation, and if we do, let's hope we never have to go to them and ask for help.  They might view us the same way Jephthah viewed these elders of Israel.  Verse eight adds, And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.  The elders told Jephthah that they came to him asking that he lead them in the fight against the Ammonites.  They really didn't answer his question, but simply asked that he now, though rejected before, come back and be their leader in the fight against Ammon.  We have all rejected Jesus Christ at some point in life, but we will never be successful in our fight against sin and evil in the world until we ask Him to come into our heart as our personal Savior and Lord.  Verse nine says, And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head?  Jephthah asked them if he returned, and the LORD delivered the people of Ammon to him, would they make him the head of Israel.  Of course, if we are victorious over sin today, it is by the power of God, and He should always be our Leader.  Verse ten adds, And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.  The elders of Gilead said let the LORD be their witness that they would do as he asked.  As Christians, God' is always our witness when we make promises to anyone about anything.  How we follow through on that promise reflects on God, so we should always do our best to keep our promises.  Verse eleven continues, Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.  Jephthah returned with the elders and they made him their captain, and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD at Mizpeh.  Jephthah said he would only do this if the LORD was with him, and this should still be our attitude as Christians today.  We should never accept any position in the church, or even in our everyday life, without knowing God is with us in our decision. 

Judges 10:10

Judges 10:10 says, And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.  Once again, after they were defeated, the people of Israel called out to God.  This cycle of obedience followed by turning to other gods repeats itself once more.  We too can be guilty of forgetting about God when things are good, simply to find ourself calling out to Him only when things go bad.  The people of Israel confessed to sinning against God, and so must we if we have allowed other things to become more important than God.  Verse eleven adds, And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?  Verse twelve continues, The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.  God asked the people of Israel if He had not already delivered them from multiple oppressive groups. What we as followers of Christ need to realize today if we find ourselves to be oppressed physically is that God has already given us an everlasting victory spiritually, so we need to simply remain faithful to Him.  Verse thiteen states, Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.  God said that since they continually rejected Him that He was no longer going to deliver them.  We better hope we never find ourselves in that position.  Verse fourteen adds, Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.  God told the people Israel, His chosen people, to go to the gods that they had rejected Him for and ask them to deliver them.  Of course these false gods couldn't do it, any more than any false god we allow to come between God and us today can deliver us from the power of sin and evil in our life today.  Verse fifteen says, And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day.  The people of Israel once again confessed their sins to God and asked Him to do what He must to them, but to deliver them from the evil that they were enslaved by.  Of course, they didn't really need to tell God to do whatever He desired to do to them, because He always had that power.  We need to always remain faithful to God, in the good times and the bad.  Verse sixteen adds, And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.  Even though God had said He wasn't going to deliver them again, the people of Israel put away their strange gods, or idols, and served Him again.  Even if we don't feel like God is delivering us from a bad situation today, we must continue to be faithful to Him. We are also told that God grieved for their situation.  God will never delight in the suffering of anyone, especially those who are His people by their having accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Verse seventeen continues, Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh.  The forces of Ammon gathered in Gilead, while the people of Israel gathered at Mizpeh.  The people of Israel were now united against their common enemy, and so must we be as Christians today.  Verse eighteen concludes. And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.  God had been raising up a Judge for the people of Israel, but now they were asking themselves who would lead them against the Ammonites.  God may not always simply appoint someone to be a leader in the church today, but He will always guide us to that person as long as we are being obedient to Him. 

Judges 9:50

Judges 9:50 says, Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.  Abimelech next went to Thebez and captured it.  He was expanding his kingdom, but without following God.  Verse fifty-one adds, But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.  Though Abimelech took control of the city of Thebez, he did not capture the people who fled to a strong tower within the city.  As followers of Christ, we may have everything we own taken away, but we are always spiritually safe in our great tower, Jesus Christ.  Verse fifty-two continues, And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.   Abimelech went strongly against the tower, planning to burn it down.  People today may come strongly against us as Christians planning to destroy our Tower, our faith in Jesus Christ, but as long as we remain faithful to Him, they will never be successful.  Verse fifty-three states, And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull.  We are told a certain woman on the wall of the tower dropped a piece of millstone on Abimelech's head and broke his skull.  She is not even identified by name, though she effectively put Abimelech out of commission, even if he did not die immediately.  As we do what God calls us to do today as His people, we should not do it for self glorification, but for the glory of God.  Even if we do not immediately kill off all the sin in the world, if we remain faithful to Jesus Christ, we can stop its effectiveness in our life.  Verse fifty-four adds, Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.  Abimelech was still worried about what people would think about him after he died.  He called his armor bearer and told his armor bearer to kill him with his sword, so that people would not say that he was killed by a woman.  Those who live for their own glory today are often more concerned with their legacy than they are with life itself.  We as Christians should never be that way, because we should live for God's glory and not our own.  The armor bearer did as Abimelech commanded him to do, and killed Abimelech with his sword.  Verse fifty-five continues, And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place. When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they gave up the fight and went home.  They had entered into an unholy alliance with Abimelech to start with, and once he was dead, they had no desire to continue the fight.  Often, people who follow a leader today are only committed to the fight for as long as that leader is alive.  Fortunately, as followers of Christ, our leader will never die, so no matter what happens in this world, we need to continue to be committed to the fight against sin and evil in this world.  Verse fifty-six declares, Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:  Though Abimelech declared himself the king of Israel by killing his seventy brothers, God had never declared him to be.  We are told instead that by the death of Abimelech that God had put an end to his wickedness.  The woman on the wall may have dropped the millstone and the armor bearer may have killed Abimelech with a sword, but it was God Who directed these events, just as He will one day put an end to all the evil in the world and to those who live outside of His will, choosing the ways of the world over Jesus Christ.  Verse fifty-seven adds, And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.  The men of Shechem who had empowered Abimelech in his killing of the sons of Jerubbaal, or Gilead, may have returned home, but God still held them accountable for their actions, just as He does everyone today.

Judges 9:42

Judges 9:42 says, And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.  Abimelech was told what those who opposed him were planning.  The element of surprise was gone.  Verse forty-three adds, And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them.  Abimelech divided his forces into three groups, and laid in wait until the people of the city came out, and then he slew them.  We as Christians today should not be surprised if the world around us today waits to entrap us in evil.  Verse forty-four continues, And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields, and slew them.  Abimelech and the third of his forces with him entered the city while the other two thirds fought those outside the city.  There is no place in this world where we are totally exempt from encountering sin, but as long as we remain faithful to God, it will never overpower us.  Verse forty-five states, And Abimaelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.  Abimelech fought against the city all day, but eventually defeated it and totally destroyed it.  Verse forty-six adds, And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.  When the people of Shechem heard this, they went into the hold of the house of the god Berith.  Instead of looking to the one true and living God, these people who were supposed to be a part of God's people went to a false god seeking safety.  When we are under attack as Christians today, the only place of safety is in the arms of God.  Verse forty-seven says, And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.  Abimelech was made aware of where the people were gathered.  Verse forty-eight adds, And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.  Abimelech then went up on Mount Zalmon and cut a branch off a tree and told the men there with to do the same.  When people of the world are fighting against us as followers of Christ, they will always invite others to join them.  Verse forty-nine continues, And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.  Abimelech and those with him used the branches they had cut to set fire to the hold of the god of Berith, which did not help those seeking safety there at all.  False gods will never offer us any protection today, but will only lead to our destruction if we put our faith in them.

Judges 10:1

Judges 10:1 says, And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim.  After Abimelech, Tola of the tribe of Issachar became the judge of Israel.  Unlike Abimelech, Tola had not promoted himself to be king of Israel, but was instead evidently called by God to be their judge.  Verse two adds, And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.  We aren't told much about what happened during Tola's reign, but the nation of Israel was evidently at peace, and Tola reigned twenty-three years.  Verse three states, And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years.  After Tola died, Jair of the half tribe of Manasseh, on the other side of the Jordan, who was also a Gileadite, became the judge of Israel, and he judged for twenty-two years.  Verse four adds, And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.  Jair had thirty sons who rode on donkeys throughout Israel to help him in judging Israel.  He did not attempt to do everything himself or for his glory.  We as followers of Christ cannot do everything that needs to be done in God's kingdom today, nor should we believe that we can.  We need to acknowledge that we need the help of our fellow Christians in doing God's work, and we should not be doing it for our glory.  Verse five continues, And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.  After judging Israel for twenty-two years, Jair died.  That was forty-five years of peace that Israel had under these two judges.  We might think that the people of Israel would be devoted to following God by that time, but as we will see, they weren't. Sometimes, when things are going peacefully in life,we can tend to forget about God Who brings us that peace.  Verse six declares, And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.  After these two judges died, the people of Israel who were called to be God's people, began to do evil in His sight and to worship many false gods.  If we do not put our faith in God today, we can easily be led to follow many false gods and to do evil in God's sight, even though it may not be evil in the view of the world.  Verse seven adds, And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. God's anger was hot against the actions of the people of Israel, and He allowed them to be defeated by the Philistines and the Amorites.  If we turn away from following God today, we can easily be defeated by those who are in power around us.  Verse eight continues, And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.  For eighteen years, the two and a half tribes on the other side of the Jordan were vexed and oppressed by the Amorites, though it was where Jair had come from.  Just because some people devoted to God come from where we live doesn't mean that everyone in our area is devoted to God.  Verse nine concludes, Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.  The Amorites weren't content in just conquering the two and a half tribes, but crossed over the Jordan to fight with much of the rest of Israel as well.  If the forces of evil are successful in defeating a group of Christians today, we should not be surprised if they expand the war to fight against other Christians. 

Judges 9:34

Judges 9:34 says, Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.  After being told about Gaal's plan to overthrow him, Abimelech and those who were with him rose by night, and he divided them into four groups and surrounded  Shechem.  Verse thirty-five adds, And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait.  When Gaal got up, he went out to the city gate, and Abimelech and his forces rose up so that Gaal could see them.  Neither  Gaal, nor Abimelech, were following God in their plans, but Abimelech evidently had the larger army, which definitely could matter.  Those who do not follow God are often in opposition to one another today, and the strength and determination of their forces often matter as to who wins.  Verse thirty-six continues, And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.  Gaal told Zebul, who was still loyal to Abimelech, that he saw men coming down from the mountains, and Zebul told him that he only saw shadows that he thought were men.  Matthew Henry says that instead of securing Zebul, the head of Abimelech's army, that the people of Shechem had left him free.  We as followers of Christ today can never allow sin to continue to run free in our lives.  Verse thirty-seven states, And Gaal spake again and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim.  Gaal then told Zebul that he saw men coming from many directions,  and that he wasn't just seeing shadows as Zebul had suggested.  Gaal told Zebul, thinking he was an ally instead of being true to Abimelech, that he saw two other companies of men, and he knew they weren't just shadows. The truth could no longer be overlooked.  Verse thirty-eight adds, Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.  Zebul asked Gaal where his bold words asking who Abimelech was that they should serve him,  adding they could now be answered, because Abimelech and his forces were there.  Zebul told Gaal that it was now time to back up his bold speech.  If people brag about how strong they are, eventually there may come a time when they have to back up their talk.  Verse thirty-nine continues, And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.  To his credit, Gaal led the men of Shechem into battle against Abimelech.  We find today that those who speak the loudest against someone that they see as evil quickly turn and run when they come face-to-face with the one they are crying out against, but this wasn't the case with Gaal.  Verse forty says, And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.  Of course, when facing Abimelech and his forces, Gaal soon did flee, and many of those with him were wounded.  Verse forty-one adds, And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.  Abimelech returned to Arumah after the battle, but Zebul, whom Gaal thought to be his ally, cast Gaal and those who had followed him out of Shechem.  Sometimes, we may discover too late that those that we thought to be our allies have been secretly working against us all along.