Jephthah, the unwanted judge. The tribes west of the Jordan refused to be dominated by anyone from the east. His family labeled him the illegitimate son of a prostitute. But Jephthah was a survivor. He was a competent seasoned warrior, a resourceful charismatic natural leader with great potential and diplomatic skill. When he fled northeast to the land of Tob, a place where those without community assembled, he gathered and led a band of brigands. This article tells his story.
The children of Israel again did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and served the Baals, the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. They abandoned Yahweh, and didn’t serve him (Jdg 10:6).
For eighteen years, Israel was oppressed by the Ammonites from the east and the Philistines from the west. Then, the Ammonites crossed the Jordan and were poised to attack Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. Israel finally cried to Yahweh for help.
We have sinned against you, even because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Baals (Jdg 10:10).
Yahweh answers abruptly:
I will save you no more. Go and cry to the gods which you have chosen. Let them save you in the time of your distress (Jdg 10:13–14)!
This is a major departure from previous episodes. Yahweh has had enough. What would Israel do? They put action to their words of repentance.
We have sinned! “Do to us whatever seems good to you; only deliver us, please, today.” They put away the foreign gods from among them (Jdg 10:15–16).
Yahweh was utterly frustrated with their suffering. Still, he did not respond. As the Ammonites were gathering their troops at Gilead, Israel gathered at Mizpah, a few miles west of the Jordan. There was nobody to lead the defense.
Without Yahweh’s help, for the first time Israel would have to go it alone. The refugees from Gilead looked among themselves for a leader, offering rulership. None could be found. What happened to Jair’s thirty rich sons? We don’t know. Finally in desperation, they turned back to Jephthah whom they previously chased away.
When offered the opportunity to command the troops, Jephthah sarcastically refused. Gilead leaders were forced to promise, with Yahweh as the witness, that Jephthah would be acknowledged as ruler. There are similarities between Jephthah’s interactions with the men of Gilead and Israel’s interactions with Yahweh. First was an appeal. Both Yahweh and Jephthah reply with sarcasm. They appeal again. Yahweh refuses, Jephthah seizes the moment.
Jephthah’s first action was to open a diplomatic channel with the king of the Ammonites.
What do you have to do with me, that you have come to me to fight against my land? (Jdg11:12).
He never mentions the king’s name, a subtle slight. Jephthah is buying time needed to gather reinforcements; he is not bridge building. The Ammonite king replies with a false land claim, but doesn’t demand the region west of Jordan. Apparently there is room for negotiation; peacefully give up the land east of the river and avoid a fight.
Jephthah is well aware that diplomacy is futile, but replies anyway. His message to the Ammonite king demonstrates a good knowledge of Israeli history, but he misidentifies the god of the Ammonites (Chemosh of Moab rather than Milcom of Ammon). Was this a mistake, or an insult? We can’t know for sure.
In any case, Jephthah lays out his case and calls for Yahweh to settle the matter. Ammon is the prosecutor, Israel the defendant, and Yahweh the judge. The issue will be decided in heaven by the divine Judge. Jephthah shows that despite whatever else we might say about him, he is a man of faith (Heb 11:32). It is Jephthah’s finest hour.
Yahweh does indeed intervene and Yahweh’s Spirit empowers Jephthah who gathers reinforcements from the tribe of Manasseh and prepares for battle. Why doesn’t he recruit from the western tribes? Apparently those west of the Jordan don’t yet recognize his authority. Time is of the essence.
Jephthah doesn’t know that success is already guaranteed. For the first and only time, he communicates directly with Yahweh. Not with gratitude, but with a bribe of manipulation. He will offer as a blood sacrifice the first one to greet him when he returns home in victory.
This vow was deliberate, calculating, and thoroughly pagan. Idomeneus king of Crete did the same thing when caught in a shipwreck. He vowed to sacrifice to Neptune the first person to come out to meet him should he return safely. In that case, things did not end well for him.1 Both Chemosh and Milcom were thought to favor child sacrifice. Yahweh remained silent.
The Ammonites are routed, but the narrator provides us no details. Apparently, this is a secondary issue. We learn that his only daughter is the one who excitedly greets him with tambourines. Jephthah blames her for causing him grief. He makes no attempt to nullify his vow using the procedure laid out in Leviticus (Lev 5:4–6; 27:1-4). After a two-month reprieve, his daughter is indeed sacrificed. This is Jephthah’s lowest point.
Ephraim then raises their ugly head. They feel slighted because Jephthah didn’t confide in them before the battle. This tribe still considers themselves to have superior status in Israel. After all, Jacob proclaimed that they would dominate (Gen 48:17–20; 49:22–26). So, they travel east of the Jordan and threaten to burn down their deliverer’s house. After another failed negotiation, Jephthah, without appealing to Yahweh, launches an attack. Thousands of Ephraimites are slaughtered. Ironically, Ephraim who called Gileadites refugees, now were the refugees. They were killed while attempting to flee back home from across the Jordan. Yahweh is silent.
Jephthah judged Israel for six years and then died alone, with no legacy, and no mention of peace coming to the land. He did nothing to ease the Philistine pressure from the west and left Israel in worse shape than he found it. Yet, the memory of his unnamed daughter endured through an annual celebration.
Summary
Though Jephthah was empowered by the Spirit, there is no evidence that he ever sought Yahweh’s guidance. His attempt to manipulate God led to his downfall. It overshadows anything positive that he might have accomplished.
The Ephraimites come across as petty, arrogant, and easily offended. They are bunglers, incompetent in battle. It is hard to envision at this point in history how Israel could ever be the light to the nations as God envisioned (Isa 42:6).
Although Yahweh left Israel to their own resourses, he graciously intervened to give them victory. He will eventually accomplish his purposes even as Israel seems intent on tearing itself apart.
Application
If I could point out a single warning that the narrator of the Book of Judges wants to convey, it is “Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” This phrase shows up in a few times in other books of the Old Testament, twice in Proverbs.
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who is wise listens to counsel (Prov 12:15).
How many times do we all act without seeking council? It is easy to do.
Thanks for Listening
References
James G Frazer, Mem>Apollodorus: The Library, Volume 2, The Loeb Classical Library , William Heinemann, London (1921), 394–395.
Barry G. Webb, The Book of Judges: New International Commentary on the Old Testament , Eerdmans (2012), 299–343.
Daniel I. Block, The New American Commentary: Judges, Ruth , B & H Publishing (1999), 341–388.
John H. Walton, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary& Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel , Zonder 176–184.
Thanks for listening,Wrestling with Faith and Experiencing the Apocalypse ,
secondlooknow.com
Great summary! Its interesting how his ignotance of the law led to tragedy. A public oath fulfilled, in this case, was likely more about saving face, since oaths were public.
I Do “appreciate this article; the history of events that drive the Israelites towards what they think is “the Right” way……. but they do NOT seek the face of ADONAI…… the LORD….. the leaders are not linked up with anyone but themselves! They won’t seek the Help of ADONAI…… and they suffer the consequences in their nation…..
How easy it is to make choices in OUR own wisdom… and how even worse, are the consequences….. “we ” often think that “we” are experienced and wise ( that we think we have made choices in times of need….. that will save and protect us…..). …. but we learn the hard way, that what we have chosen to do is or was Not the best or wisest “path to walk.”….
VivHarvey