Judges 10-11:1-28
Judges 10-11:1-28
10:1-5 We are introduced to the next two judges who follow the tragedy that was Abimelech. Tola and Jair are minor judges and little is shared on their stories. They seem to be good, though their stories do little to give light on the Gospel which plays throughout the whole narrative of the Bible. These characters are stepping stones to the next significant judge.
10:6-9 We see that Israel falls into idolatry and disobedience, bringing punishment upon themselves once again. This time they will be oppressed for 18 years by the Philistines and the Ammonites.
10:10-18 The writer here says that God is becoming impatient with the misery of Israel. He seems to get more and more distressed the more he saves them and they return to their sins. He says that he will no longer come to save them but that they should go and serve the gods they had chose over the one true God. Still, they put away their idols and serve the Lord.
What does v. 16 mean when it says the Lord became impatient over their misery?
What does the Bible say about repeated sins? Does he grow tired of us?
11:1-3 We are given the origin story of Jephthah. He is the illegitimate son of Gilead and is pushed away by the other brothers. We know that this actually proves to be for his benefit, as all the other brothers are killed by Abimelech. However, he gathers around himself worthless fellows, following in the same path as Abimelech. This story arc has proven to lead to negative consequences.
11:4-11 Israel and the Ammonites go to war, so the elders at Gilead turn to Jephthah to be their military leader. Jephthah responds by making the elders vow to make him their leader if he is able to have victory over the Ammonites.
11:12-28 Jephthah tries to reason with the king of Ammon by explaining how it was that Israel came to be in the land that the Ammonites want to claim as their own. He explains that had the Ammonites allowed Israel to to cross their land, God would not have taken their land.
How is the raising up of Jephthah as leader differ from previous judges?