Jephthah’s Call to Leadership
October 20, 2022
Commentary
The eighth judge of Israel was a man of great character, by the name of Jephthah. In his early life he was despised by his half-brothers as an illegitimate son of their father, and he became an outcast, exiled to the land of Tob (vv. 1-5). It was a normal practice to send away illegitimate children in those days so they would not share in the inheritance. Jephthah acquired the skills of a fighter and became notorious for his ability to wage war. It was this reputation that caused the tribes to contact him when they desperately needed a leader against the Ammonites (v. 6). He would not accept their invitation until they solemnly pledged full allegiance (v. 7). The elders of Gilead had swallowed their pride in approaching him to be their leader (vv. 8-11).
Once in Command, Jephthah opened talks with the king of the Ammonites. He wanted to know what justification the Ammonites had for attacking his land (v. 12). The king claimed that the land in question had once rightly belonged to the Ammonites before the Israelites stole it after their exodus from Egypt (v. 13). Jephthah contradicted this claim, laying out the history as recorded in Numbers 20-21. Israel had asked permission of Edom and Moab to travel through their lands on their way to Canaan, but they had been denied passage. Israel then returned to Kadesh (vv. 14-17).
Application
What I am is more important than where I have come from. Many people today depend more on their degrees than on their character. A good question to ask is: What am I doing now that will cause people to listen to what I have to say in the future?
Judges 11:1– 17 (NET)
1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a brave warrior. His mother was a prostitute, but Gilead was his father. 2 Gilead’s wife also gave him sons. When his wife’s sons grew up, they made Jephthah leave and said to him, “You are not going to inherit any of our father’s wealth, because you are another woman’s son.” 3 So Jephthah left his half brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Lawless men joined Jephthah’s gang and traveled with him.
4 It was some time after this when the Ammonites fought with Israel. 5 When the Ammonites attacked, the leaders of Gilead asked Jephthah to come back from the land of Tob. 6 They said, “Come, be our commander, so we can fight with the Ammonites.” 7 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “But you hated me and made me leave my father’s house. Why do you come to me now, when you are in trouble?” 8 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That may be true, but now we pledge to you our loyalty. Come with us and fight with the Ammonites. Then you will become the leader of all who live in Gilead.” 9 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “All right. If you take me back to fight with the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me, I will be your leader.” 10 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will judge any grievance you have against us, if we do not do as you say.” 11 So Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead. The people made him their leader and commander. Jephthah repeated the terms of the agreement before the Lord in Mizpah.
12 Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king, saying, “Why have you come against me to attack my land?” 13 The Ammonite king said to Jephthah’s messengers, “Because Israel stole my land when they came up from Egypt—from the Arnon River in the south to the Jabbok River in the north, and as far west as the Jordan. Now return it peaceably!”
14 Jephthah sent messengers back to the Ammonite king 15 and said to him, “This is what Jephthah says, ‘Israel did not steal the land of Moab and the land of the Ammonites. 16 When they left Egypt, Israel traveled through the desert as far as the Red Sea and then came to Kadesh. 17 Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please allow us to pass through your land.” But the king of Edom rejected the request. Israel sent the same request to the king of Moab, but he was unwilling to cooperate. So Israel stayed at Kadesh.
Illustration: Phil Donahue Mine disaster in West Va
At a mine disaster in West Virginia, Phil Donahue, a young television reporter, arrived just as the local pastor arrived. He was rough-hewn and didn’t speak well but gathered all the families in a circle, and they held each other in their arms while he prayed for them. As they were praying, Donahue was unable to get his camera to work and was very frustrated because he couldn’t film this poignant scene. Finally, after the prayer, Donahue managed to get his camera operating. So, he asked the pastor to please pray again so he could film it for the evening news. He said this had happened before with other well-known pastors and they were always willing to redo a scene in order to get on the evening news. However, this simple West Virginia preacher told Donahue. “Young man, we don’t pray for the news. I’m sorry, but we have already prayed, and I will not pose.” Donahue says, “You don’t forget this kind of character, no matter who you are. (Jay Kesler, Being Holy, Being Human).