[Brother V]

Judges 10-12

We will get to read several of the judges names today, some of them have lengthy biographies, others have just a verse or two.

Today we get:

• Tola
• Jair
• Jephthah
• Ibzan
• Elon
• Abdon

Judges 10

1 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.

2 And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.

That's all that's known about Tola. He judged for 23 years, then died.

After him was Jair.

3 And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years.

Wow, after Abimelech, there was no turning their back on God, it seems to immediately go to Tola, and then immediately to Jair.

Of course, after Jair, they go back to their old ways.

6 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.

When will these people learn?

7 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 sold them out for 18 years.

Then the people of Ammon crossed over Jordan to reclaim the land.

10 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.

God then reminds the people of all the times he's saved their sorry asses, and He's tired of doing it.

13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.

Sorry people, once too many.

14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.

Let's see what your statues can do?

15 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.

16 And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

When you put away your false gods, God will come to your rescue. He'll even feel a little sorry for the way He treated you, because remember, it was God who allowed everything to happen.

Then the people decide it's time to go look for the next judge.

Judges 11

1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.

Judge 9, is Jephthah. He's the son of a man named Gildea, and also from the area of Gilead. He's from the tribe of Manasseh. He has a daughter.

Jephthah's story is interesting, he's the son of a harlot, and when his father's real wife had children, she forced Jephthah to leave, so he went to Tob. There, he hooked up with a rowdy bunch.

Well, the leaders of Gildea decided that they needed a leader (judge) to go against the Ammonites, so they sent for Jephthah.

7 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?

Their years of serving Baal, and rejecting their real God had made them soft, probably.

8 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.

Jephthah asks again, if he'll be their head, and they say yes.

11 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 sends messengers to Ammon asking why they came to fight.

The replied, that it's their land and they want it back.

Jephthah responds, remember Moab and Edom, we were peaceful with them. BUT, Sihon attacked us and we destroyed them.

26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?

Why you waiting until NOW to claim back the lands you think are yours? Why not sooner?

So Jephthah makes a vow with God.

30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,

31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.

When they win, and he goes home, whatever goes to greet him, he will offer up as a burnt offering to God. Let's hope it's his favorite goat.

32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.

YAY!!! Go GOD!!!

34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

Daddy's home!!! YAY!!! Oh wait... oh crap!

35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.

That's right, you can't go back on your word to the LORD!

36 And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.

37 And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.

She seems to be most angry that she will die a virgin.

39And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,

We aren't told exactly that he offered her as a burnt sacrifice, it's pretty much implied.

Either way, this will be the first time that there's a burnt HUMAN sacrifice to the LORD. Why didn't God send a scapegoat, like He did with Abraham?

Judges 12

1 And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire.

So, because the people of Ephriam didn't get to fight against Ammon, they decide they are going to burn Jephthah's house down, with him in it.

4 Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.

After their little fight, some of the Ephraimites tried to escape back, well, the Gileadites set up some kind of toll booth, that asked the people if they were Ephraimites.

If the guy says, "nope, not an Ephraimite"; then...

6 Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.

Shibboleth Shibboleth Shibboleth Shibboleth. If you can't say Shibboleth, but say Sibboleth, well, you got killed, along with about 42,000 of your brethren.

After 6 years of Judging, Jephthah died.

8 And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.

What, no years of transgression? Ibzan was the 10th judge. His reign was seven years.

11 And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years.

Elon was number 11. Ten years he was the captain.

13 And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel.

Abdon, was judge 12. His rule was 8 years.

And that ends todays reading.

So what have we learned today?

1. If you can't say Shibboleth, you'll probably die trying to go home.
2. Don't offer just anything to God as a burnt sacrifice, you never know what is gonna be happy to meet you at the door.
3. God will forsake you, until you put away your idols.

YIC
V

[Brother Temperance]

Originally Posted by Brother V

God then reminds the people of all the times he's saved their sorry asses, and He's tired of doing it.

13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.

Sorry people, once too many.

I wonder what would've happened if the Israelites had forsaken God 490 times? Actually, I wonder if they did forsake Him 490 times. Can't be far off.

1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.

Judge 9, is Jephthah. He's the son of a man named Gildea, and also from the area of Gilead. He's from the tribe of Manasseh. He has a daughter.

Jephthah's story is interesting, he's the son of a harlot, and when his father's real wife had children, she forced Jephthah to leave, so he went to Tob. There, he hooked up with a rowdy bunch.

Sort of kind of reminiscent of Abraham and Hagar and Ishmael. Good thing that Jephthah didn't go on to have a race of children as evil as Ishmael's kids - can you imagine the world today if it had two flavours of Arab in it?

So Jephthah makes a vow with God.

30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,

31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.

When they win, and he goes home, whatever goes to greet him, he will offer up as a burnt offering to God. Let's hope it's his favorite goat.

32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.

YAY!!! Go GOD!!!

34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

Daddy's home!!! YAY!!! Oh wait... oh crap!

35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.

That's right, you can't go back on your word to the LORD!

Now, you see, this is what real faith means. Can you imagine today's hippy-dippy false Christian killing their children just because they told God they would? "Yeah, I have opened my mouth to the Lord, but you have to understand the vow I made in context, and as a metaphor, and, um, John 3:16!"

36 And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.

37 And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.

She seems to be most angry that she will die a virgin.

Moral of this story is that (as well as being prepared to kill your kids for God) you should get your daughters married off as soon as possible. That way, if you do end up having to kill them, they won't have to spend two months crying about how they never got any tallywhacker in their short lives.

After their little fight, some of the Ephraimites tried to escape back, well, the Gileadites set up some kind of toll booth, that asked the people if they were Ephraimites.

If the guy says, "nope, not an Ephraimite"; then...

6 Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.

Shibboleth Shibboleth Shibboleth Shibboleth. If you can't say Shibboleth, but say Sibboleth, well, you got killed, along with about 42,000 of your brethren.

And the hateful false "Christians" who flock here say we shouldn't be allowed to criticise crippers or mongoloids. If someone came up the passages of Jordan, and the Gileadites told them to say "Shibboleth", and they replied "Suh-suh-suh-suh" and drooled a bit, I don't think the Gileadites would've been very impressed.

[Father Thomas Martin]

Pretty cool...When do we get to Tobit?

[Brother Temperance]

Originally Posted by Father Thomas Martin

Pretty cool...When do we get to Tobit?

Why do you bring Tobit up now? I suppose in your ideal version of this story, Jephthah's daughter would get married off, and then still have to spend two months bewailing the fact that she was still a virgin.

[Pastor Billy-Reuben]

Originally Posted by Brother V

We aren't told exactly that he offered her as a burnt sacrifice, it's pretty much implied.

The Bible doesn't spell it out, but it's pretty clear to me what happened. Jephthah vowed that whatever comes out of his house to greet him "shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering." We know he kept his vow, because he said, "I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back." Finally, we know his daughter went along with it, because she said, "do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth".

Liberal theologians are incredibly troubled by Judges 11:29-40. They struggle and twist and weasel to come to the conclusion that Jephthah broke his vow and that his daughter was not offered as a burnt sacrifice. They make a lot of hay out of the verses where she bewailed her virginity and knew not any man, and claim that Jephthah sent her to a nunnery instead.

This stance is on very shaky ground, scripturally and historically. All of the early writers believed she was sacrificed. The view that she was made into a nun didn't come about until the middle ages. When performing exegesis, following the law of "least scripture twisting" always gives the best understanding of the Bible. In this case, the understanding that she was sacrificed is exactly what you get if you follow the law of "least scripture twisting".

One final point is this. The liberal theologians try to claim that Jephthah's vow was rash, and that if Jephthah had sacrificed his daughter, that it would have been an abomination to God. Both of these claims are hogwash, and scripture proves it:

Judges 11:29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.
Judges 11:30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,
Judges 11:31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.

Jephthah's was under the influence of the Holy Spirit when he made his vow. It wasn't a rash vow at all. God wanted him to make this vow. Now who reading this thinks God didn't know that Jephthah's daughter would be the one to run out and meet Jephthah when he returned?