I know that some of you got the word that I lost my internet connection at home. It's true! I was using my Sprint phone as a modem, and the company decided I was getting it for too cheap, and blocked the connection. So for now, I'll be typing to you from the comforts of my nearest Chick-fil-A, complete with indoor playground and free wifi connection. Cheers!
Chapter 10
Verse 1 I love the wording here. Tola arose to save Israel. It really speaks to the fact that his work as judge over Israel was completely orchestrated by God. Planned to the smallest detail.
Verse 3 The nation gets through two successive judges without falling away.
Verse 4 Thirty sons, 30 donkeys, 30 cities. Jair was a famous and wealthy judge.
Verse 6 After 2 great runs, the nation goes downhill again.
Verse 8 For 18 years they afflicted Israel. God will not tolerate his people's love going to false gods!
Verse 10-15 Dialog between God and His people. In verse 14, it looks like the nation has reached the end of God's love and patience. But they cry out again, this time accepting whatever punishment God has in store. They are truly broken, and can't stand separation from Him any longer. This is true repentance. Agreeing that you have sinned, and that you deserve correction, And God, our merciful Savior, always forgives and delivers in the face of true repentance.
Verse 16 "So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord; and He could bear the misery of Israel no longer." God's mercy is quick, and He does not hold grudges.
Chapter 11 The beginning of this chapter names many of the characteristics of Jephthah, our next judge. He is the son of a harlot. He is hated by his family. He's an embarrassment. He has no money or inheritance. He has worthless friends and keeps bad company. On the other hand, he's a valiant warrior! This guy has one thing going for him. He's strong and brave. God uses all kinds, doesn't He?
Verse 9 He seems skeptical.
Verse 13 The king of the sons of Ammon wants Israel to peaceably give the land "back" to them.
Verse 23 Jephthah warns them. "God gave us this land. Are you sure you want to try for it?"
Verse 27 One of the great names of God, the Judge.
Verses 30-31 Jephthah makes a bargain with God. Why would he do that? He had the Spirit of God fighting through him. There were set offerings in place to offer God after a victory battle, and yet here is Jephthah, in a word, bribing the Lord for a victory.
Verse 34 The "thing" that came out was Jephthah's daughter. His only child.
Verse 35 He projects the blame onto his daughter. "You have brought me very low."
Verse 36 She bears the burden of her father's deal with God. She is noble and responsible. Such a contrast. She doesn't hate him for it, and there is no bitterness in her reply.
Verse 37 She and her friends are mourning fact that she will never marry, and that her family will never have an heir. Not did Jephthah lose his beloved daughter, but his bloodline will be stopped cold.
I struggled with a life lesson to take from this chapter. At first glance, it's a horrible gory narrative, with no "...and the moral is..." at the end. But here's one thing I will be taking with me. I sincerely hope that I am never desperate enough to make a bargain with the Lord. Everything I have, He gave to me. On loan. He already owns it--I'm just a tenant on the Lord's property. If He gives me victory over my enemies, it'll be because it was His plan, not because I offered Him something in return. When we bargain with God we take the perceived power away from Him, and put it onto ourselves. I guess this was how He proved that He is the only one with true Power. I pray that He never has to prove that to me.
Next time: Judges 12-13
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