Judges 12:1-15
Jephthah's woes continue as we get to Judges 11. After a victory over the Ammonites, the men of Ephraim gather and confront Jephthah. They're basically mad because Jephthah defeated the Ammonites without them. No resolution is reached, and Jephthah and his men end up fighting with the men of Ephraim. The whole situation is sad, and the fighting is foolish because it's a fight between relatives. Emotions are high on both sides, and the situation ends in complete tragedy with Jephthah and his men slaughtering 42,000 men.
So what does this sad final chapter of Jephthah's time of judging show you about dealing with conflict, and especially conflict within the family? What about taking action in the heat of the moment when consulting God isn't part of the mix? Tami W.
This reminds me the Holy Spirit is with us all the time; I need to listen and respond appropriately. It's my listening and response that matters. God is always with me. What a comfort!
It reminds me not to be rash, and not to let the past take hold of you. When I was saved, Jesus forgave me of all the bad parts of my past, and striving to be like him, I should not let petty quarrels influence my thought and actions. This passage is eerily alike to the American Civil War, with the different accents determining whether a man should live or die.
Yes war is sad but I find it interesting that in 6 years a man who was not wanted at all in his home town became the ruler and leader of that town. He was laid to rest with honor all because he followed GOD first.
I think that this chapter reflects just how far from God the Israelites had drifted. The actions portrayed by both parties in this story do not represent the character of God in any way, shape or form. This is what happens when we neglect God in our lives, only returning to Him when the situation is so far out of hand that we can no longer cope, seeking refuge, finding it, only to return to relying on ourselves once things calm down a bit. That is not the abundant life that God has planned for us. We were created by God, for God...for companionship. God does not want to be your bail bondsman, He wants to be your bff. When you realize this and you want what God wants, your whole attitude changes and you say things like David M did in "striving to be like Him"...we don't see this in this story. When conflict arises, especially within our families, both at home and within the Body of Christ, we would to well to follow Celia's recollection of Holy Scripture...remember that we are called to live the Spirit filled life, turn to our Indwelling Helper for guidance, listen and then respond appropriately. This story serves to show us how tragic the results can be when we take action in the heat of the moment and consulting God isn't part of the mix.
Jepthah was blessed by God. He was consumed in his pride and felt justified by his actions. His pride and misguided anger led him to do such an awful thing to his people. I am sure he would have loved the people to show him mercy years before when he was thought so ill of. Pride and anger can destroy a person and unfold events that can cause pain and suffering to others as well as ones self. I Struggle with Pride and Philippians 2:3-4 "Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind; let each esteem the other better then themselves." Even if we do well it is never of our own power but by the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that we are able to commit such work. He is worthy of our continued praise and if the credit was given where it was due Jepthah and the people could have experianced a different outcome.
When you said: "the fighting was foolish because it's a fight between relatives, that reminded me of the Civil War, which then reminded of the fact that we are all descendants of Noah and therefore all fighting among the human race should be foolish, senseless, unnessasy, unnecessary, but here we are 2000 years later---still fighting! Sad. Via con Dios amigos.
Wow, the power of pronouncing a word with the appropriate dialect. Wow, using The Bible's words at the right time and with the right people = God's power.