Judges 9
Some of the Judges of Israel are really well known, and children hear the stories. Like Gideon, Samson etc, but others are a lot less famous, and unfortunately I doubt that this humble blog post is going to change that (though it would be good if it did!)
Tola - Son of Dodo, says it all really. But he led for 23 years after Abinalek
Jair - all we know about Jair is that he had 30 sons who rode on 30 donkeys (I assume that is one donkey per son, and not each son riding a pile of acrobat donkeys in a pyramid), Jair governed for 22 years.
Next comes Jephthah, once again Israel had been back sliding and this time they are oppressed by the Philistines and the Amorites for 18 years before Israel asks God for help. God seems to be losing patience here and tells Israel "Look, every time you have been suffering oppression and called to me I have saved you, but time and again you go off and worship the Baals and other gods, I will not rescue you any more, You chose other gods, let them rescue you."
At this Israel got rid of the foreign gods and accept that God should do as he thinks best, until God cannot bear to see them suffering any more.
A guy called Jephthah comes forward to oppose the Amorites and rescue Gilead - he is offered command of the region if he succseeds.
Judges 11
We hear about Jephthah's background here Jephthah is a very talented soldier and his father, Gilead, is very wealthy but his mother is a prostitute Gilead's wife seems to have fogiven her husband for going to prostitutes, and she has other sons, who turn around to their half brother one day and tell him to get lost as he will not get any inheritance.
Some time later, the situation is got serious and his brothers ask Jephthah to come back and lead them, he takes a bit of persuading.
Jephthah then sends a message to the leader of the Amorites and Moabites who are invading asking what their quarrel is.
They say Israel stole the land, give it back or else.
Jephthah's response is a bit of a history lesson - When Israel left Egypt we asked permission to cross the land in peace and you refused and came out to meet us in battle..
Our God gave us this land, you take what land your god Chemosh gives you and after all we have held this land for 300 years, why wait until now, your claim is without merit.
Jephthah then went out to battle with the Ammonites, and he makes a vow that if God gives him victory he will sacrifice the first thing that he sees coming from his house as a burned offering.
Having won the battle, Jephthah got home but the first thing he saw coming from his house is his daughter, his only child.
Jephthah is devastated at this but his daughter tells him that he has promised and should fulfil his promise, but can she spend 2 months with her friends in the hills to weep and mourn that she would never marry.
She then went back to her father and was sacrificed.
This is a terrible story really - Did God really demand that Jephthah sacrifice his daughter? Could he legitimately have said God does not desire human sacrifice, can I redeem my daughter? I don't know.
Some of the Judges of Israel are really well known, and children hear the stories. Like Gideon, Samson etc, but others are a lot less famous, and unfortunately I doubt that this humble blog post is going to change that (though it would be good if it did!)
Tola - Son of Dodo, says it all really. But he led for 23 years after Abinalek
Jair - all we know about Jair is that he had 30 sons who rode on 30 donkeys (I assume that is one donkey per son, and not each son riding a pile of acrobat donkeys in a pyramid), Jair governed for 22 years.
Next comes Jephthah, once again Israel had been back sliding and this time they are oppressed by the Philistines and the Amorites for 18 years before Israel asks God for help. God seems to be losing patience here and tells Israel "Look, every time you have been suffering oppression and called to me I have saved you, but time and again you go off and worship the Baals and other gods, I will not rescue you any more, You chose other gods, let them rescue you."
At this Israel got rid of the foreign gods and accept that God should do as he thinks best, until God cannot bear to see them suffering any more.
A guy called Jephthah comes forward to oppose the Amorites and rescue Gilead - he is offered command of the region if he succseeds.
Judges 11
We hear about Jephthah's background here Jephthah is a very talented soldier and his father, Gilead, is very wealthy but his mother is a prostitute Gilead's wife seems to have fogiven her husband for going to prostitutes, and she has other sons, who turn around to their half brother one day and tell him to get lost as he will not get any inheritance.
Some time later, the situation is got serious and his brothers ask Jephthah to come back and lead them, he takes a bit of persuading.
Jephthah then sends a message to the leader of the Amorites and Moabites who are invading asking what their quarrel is.
They say Israel stole the land, give it back or else.
Jephthah's response is a bit of a history lesson - When Israel left Egypt we asked permission to cross the land in peace and you refused and came out to meet us in battle..
Our God gave us this land, you take what land your god Chemosh gives you and after all we have held this land for 300 years, why wait until now, your claim is without merit.
Jephthah then went out to battle with the Ammonites, and he makes a vow that if God gives him victory he will sacrifice the first thing that he sees coming from his house as a burned offering.
Having won the battle, Jephthah got home but the first thing he saw coming from his house is his daughter, his only child.
Jephthah is devastated at this but his daughter tells him that he has promised and should fulfil his promise, but can she spend 2 months with her friends in the hills to weep and mourn that she would never marry.
She then went back to her father and was sacrificed.
This is a terrible story really - Did God really demand that Jephthah sacrifice his daughter? Could he legitimately have said God does not desire human sacrifice, can I redeem my daughter? I don't know.
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