Judges
Week 27 — A Crime Boss (Warlord?) Deliverer
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A rough
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Jephthah’s rise to power.
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The _______ before the sword.
12 Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites. They said, “What is the problem between me and you? Why have you come against me to wage war against my land?” 13 The king of the Ammonites said to Jephthah’s messengers, “The problem is that Israel took my land when they came up from Egypt, my land between the Arnon and the Jabbok and extending to the Jordan. So now return the land peacefully.” (Jdg 11:12–13)
Tim Keller: One (the more positive) is that he is accommodating himself to the Ammonites' worldview-namely, that each nation's god "gives" that nation a portion of the land—even though as an Israelite he knows this is a mistaken view, because the Lord is the only God, and rules all nations.
23 The Lord, the God of Israel, has taken possession of the land of the Amorites for the sake of his people Israel—and now you want to take possession of it! (Jdg 11:23)
24 Shouldn’t you possess whatever Chemosh your god gives to you, but we should possess everything that the Lord our God takes for us to possess? (Jdg 11:24)
_____________ was chiefly the god of _________, while _____________ was the god of ___________.
The EHV Study Bible: They [Chemosh and Milcom] may have been essentially the same god, a form of Baal.
Moab and Ammon were closely related peoples, both descended from Lot (Genesis 19:36–38). Ancient inscriptions (such as the Mesha Stele, though we don’t depend on it for doctrine) show that Chemosh functioned as a dominant regional deity, sometimes overlapping with Ammonite worship. Scripture itself occasionally reflects this overlap: 1 Kings 11:5, 7: Milcom/Molek linked with Ammon, but Chemosh still appears nearby geographically and theologically.
28 But the king of the Ammonites did not listen to the message that Jephthah sent him. (Jdg 11:28)
22 He did not commit a sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. 23 When he was insulted, he did not insult in return. When he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. (1 Pe 2:22–23)
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A _________________ vow.
29 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh. Then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he went out against the Ammonites. (Jdg 11:29)
… the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah:
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God was actively working in Jephthah.
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The Spirit is giving him strength, courage, and leadership ability.
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His mission to fight the Ammonites is under God’s direction and power.
30 Jephthah had made a vow to the Lord. He said, “If you indeed give the Ammonites into my hand, 31 then whoever or whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet [קָרָא (ca-ra)] me when I return in peace from the Ammonites will belong to the Lord, and I will offer it up as a whole burnt offering [עֹלָה (ō-lah)].” (Jdg 11:30–31)
When you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not delay fulfilling it, because the Lord your God will require it of you and you will be guilty. (Dt 23:21)
Biblical Vow:
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It is voluntary.
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It is an act of worship, not merit.
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It is often connected to devotion, thanksgiving, and/or repentance.
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God never commands vows as a requirement for salvation.
12 How can I repay the Lord for all his benefits to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation, and I will call on the name of the Lord. 14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord, now in the presence of all his people. (Ps 116:12–14)
Leviticus 27 does _______ command Israelites to make vows. It ___________________ them because sinners will make them anyway, often impulsively. So, in Leviticus 27 God gives regulations to _________________ reckless spiritually and to _______________ people from thinking God is for sale.
God ___________________ vows because he is a God of ____________ dealing with _______________, not a ___________ negotiating ___________________.
13 … the Lord, who said, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. The land on which you are lying, I give to you and to your descendants. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your seed all the families of the earth will be blessed. 15 Now, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back again into this land. Indeed, I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised to you.” (Ge 28:13–15)
The Lord said to her: Two nations are in your womb. Two peoples will be separated from your body. The one people will be stronger than the other people. The elder will serve the younger. (Ge 25:23)
20 Jacob took a vow, “If God will be with me to keep me safe on this journey I am making, and if he gives me food to eat and clothing to put on, 21 and I come back to my father’s house in safety, the Lord will be my God, 22 and this stone that I have set up as a memorial stone will be God’s house, and I will certainly give you a tenth of everything that you give me.” (Ge 28:20–22)
16 Jacob woke up from his sleep, and he said, “Certainly the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and he said, “How awe-inspiring is this place! This is nothing other than the house of God, and this is the gate to heaven.” (Ge 28:16–17)
I will never leave you, and I will never forsake you. (Heb 13:5b)
God’s grace is not the _____________ for ____________ faith. It is the _____________ weak faith _________________.
I am not worthy of even a bit of all the mercy and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant. (Ge 32:10a)
It is finished! (Jn 19:30)
8 Indeed, it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast. (Eph 2:8–9)
Points to Ponder
- What is one thing that stood out for you from this week’s message?
- Why does Jephthah begin with diplomacy instead of war?
- What are the three arguments Jephthah uses?
- What tension do we see in Jephthah?
- How do we see this same tension in ourselves?
- What is the purpose of vows in Scripture?
- What is wrong with “if…then” thinking in our relationship with God?
- How does the gospel answer our weak faith?
Read: Judges 11-12
