Judges 11, specifically verses 1 to 28. We're going to split up the Jephthah cycle, because there's a lot of material there. So we'll just look at chapter 11, verses 1 to 28, under the two broad considerations, the agent of deliverance, which is Jephthah himself, and then secondly, the attempt at diplomacy. Jephthah seeks diplomatic means to try and quell the disturbance between Israel and the Ammonites.

And Jephthah shows himself to be quite a studied man and an able man when he presents these things to the king of Ammon. So we'll just pick up reading in chapter 11 at verse 1. Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot, and Gilead begot Jephthah. Gilead's wife bore sons, and when his wife's sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, you shall have no inheritance in our father's house, for you are the son of another woman.

Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tob. And worthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him. It came to pass after a time that the people of Ammon made war against Israel. And so it was, when the people of Ammon made war against Israel, that the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.

Then they said to Jephthah, come and be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Ammon. So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, did you not hate me and expel me from my father's house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress? And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, that is why we have turned again to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the people of Ammon and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, if you take me back home to fight against the people of Ammon and the Lord delivers them to me, shall I be your head? And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, The Lord will be a witness between us if we do not do according to your words.' Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them. And Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord and Mizpah. Now Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, saying, What do you have against me, that you have come to fight against me and my land?

And the king of the people of Ammon answered the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land when they came up out of Egypt from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok and to the Jordan. Now therefore, restore those lands peaceably. So Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon and said to him, thus says Jephthah, Israel did not take away the land of Moab nor the land of the people of Ammon. For when Israel came up from Egypt, they walked through the wilderness as far as the Red Sea and came to Kadesh.

Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom saying, please let me pass through your land. But the king of Edom would not heed. And in like manner, they sent to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained in Kadesh.

And they went along through the wilderness and bypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab came to the east side of the land of Moab and encamped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab. Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon. And Israel said to him, please, let us pass through your land into our place.

But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together and camped in Jahaz and fought against Israel. And the Lord God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them. Thus, Israel gained possession of all the land of the Amorites who inhabited that country.

They took possession of all the territory of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan. And now the Lord God of Israel has dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel. Should you then possess it? Will you not possess whatever Chemosh your God gives you to possess?

So whatever the Lord our God takes possession of before us, we will possess. And now, are you any better than Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive against Israel? Did he ever fight against them?

While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its villages, in Arar and its villages, and in all the cities along the banks of the Arnon for 300 years, why did you not recover them within that time? Therefore, I have not sinned against you, but you wronged me by fighting against me. May the Lord, the judge, render judgment this day before the children of Israel and the people of Ammon. However, the king of the people of Ammon did not heed the words with which Jephthah sent him.

Amen.

Introduction to the Jephthah Cycle

So in this particular cycle, we see the deliverer is Jephthah. He is the man chosen to free the children of Israel from the Ammonite oppression. As I've already mentioned or indicated, he seeks, first of all, by diplomatic means, instead of just launching a combat mission and going in and utterly destroying the Ammonites. He sends a delegation to the king of Ammon and then Jephthah basically schools the king of the Ammonites with reference to history, theology, and precedence, which we'll look at in just a few minutes.

But note first the agent of deliverance. The setting is given to us back in chapter 10. Remember that this was one of those cycles, one of those instances, one of those times where the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. After Tola and Jer pass away, the children of Israel engage in that wickedness, they revert, they go back to their corruption, back to their idolatry, they cry out to the Lord, the Lord God then reproves them and says specifically in verse 14 that they ought to cry to their idols, perhaps their false gods would bring deliverance for them.

They again renew their repentance, they promise to put away their idols, and at the end of verse 16 we see that God's soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel. So that same cycle, sin, oppression, here specifically by the Ammonites, and then this cry of distress, and then the Lord in His mercy responds to that by raising up Jephthah for them. So verses 17 and 18 indicate the particular setting that we find ourselves in. And the people of Ammon gathered together and encamped in Gilead.

And the children of Israel assembled together and encamped in Mizpah. And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one another, who is the man who will begin the fight against the people of Ammon? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead." So that's the context.

The Deliverer Identified

Now notice, secondly, the deliverer identified, verses 1 to 3. Jephthah, the Gileadite. Now Gilead is on the east side of the Jordan. So we're dealing with the trans-Jordanian tribes in this particular instance, in this particular historical setting.

Gilead was more of a political region, though back in the book of Genesis there is a Gilead that is the father of this particular people. So we see that Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor. This is an impressive statement. Where did he learn how to be a mighty man of valor?

It wasn't in the armies of Israel. Remember, he was excluded from the armies of Israel. He learned to be a mighty man of valor when he was living in Tob, raiding with these particular men, these worthless men that banded together with him. Nevertheless, he is described here as a mighty man of valor.

He's a strong warrior. He is in the book of Hebrews in chapter 11. He finds his place with the other judges referenced. He was not only a mighty man of valor, but he was a man of faith.

And then note what it says concerning his mother, but he was the son of a harlem. Now some have seen some parallels between Jephthah and Abimelech. This is not parallel. Remember that Gideon's concubine bore to him Abimelech.

A concubine had legal protection in Israel. She wasn't a prostitute, she wasn't a harlot, whereas Japheth's mother was a harlot. And then it says Gilead was the name of the man who begot Japheth. So we see that his family was a bit tattered.

And when we understand that he was the son of a harlot, it certainly indicates that things aren't well in Israel. Why would Gilead lay with a harlot? Was she an Israelite? If she was, then she was violating the 7th commandment and its specific detailed application in the law of the Lord.

If she was a Canaanite harlot, then why in the world would Gilead go and lie with her in direct violation to the Book of Deuteronomy? Remember in Deuteronomy 7, 1 to 5, they were told not to lay with Arlots when they went into the land of Canaan, but rather they were to utterly destroy all of the Canaanites, they were to dispossess the land of the Canaanites, they were to have no truck with them whatsoever. So we don't know all of the particulars but the reality is that he was the son of a harlot and this does not bode well either primarily on his father and I think as we move through the passage on Israel as a whole. His brothers didn't treat him very kindly either as we work our way through this particular passage.

Jephthah Excluded by His Family

Notice he's excluded by his family. In verse 2, Gilead's wife bore sons. So he was a married man He was having sons with his wife, but he also went into this particular harlot and he had a son with her, namely Jephthah. Now as these sons start getting older, the reality of inheritance becomes more alluring to them.

It's not just the reality that he was son of a harlot, but he did not have the same sort of pedigree and heritage that they had, and so they want him out of the picture so that there's more in terms of inheritance. For them, verse two, Gilead's wife bore sons, and when his wife's sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, you shall have no inheritance in our father's house, for you are the son of another woman. which in many respects is a violation of the law itself, because inheritance laws come through the father, has nothing to do specifically with the mother. So they concoct this and they cast him out, they exclude him based on this particular fact. So in the very first verses, as this Jephthah is introduced, Hopefully, we already have a bit of sympathy for him.

I mean, here's a man who was despised by his people, raised up by God, sent to be a champion in Israel. That's a theme that, as new covenant Christians, we ought to be somewhat familiar with. One who was despised, he came to his own. His own received him not.

Nevertheless, God had raised him up to be a champion or a deliverer. in Israel. We'll see more of that parallel as we move through the particular passage. So the brothers of Jephthah drove him out, the brothers did not want him to share in the inheritance, and then the brothers are not, or rather are symptomatic of the Canaanization of Israel, just like the reality that Gilead had this particular harlot. This is the kind of stuff that Canaanites do.

Brothers in Israel are supposed to show compassion, according to the book of Deuteronomy. They're supposed to, according to the book of Leviticus, love their neighbors as themselves. Now, do you think that the law of God specifies that you're to love your neighbor as yourself? But it really doesn't demand such from your brother or for your brother.

Of course it demands that you love your brother as yourself. So when we read this introduction, we see all of the trappings of Canaanite society upon Israel. They are living like the Canaanites. They are having idols, they are forsaking Yahweh, they're lying with harlots, they're not showing compassion, they're not showing kindness to brothers.

It's truly a terrible scene and it does legitimize the very presence of these Ammonites to bring oppression upon them via God Most High. Bloch says concerning their getting rid of Jephthah, by this act they also violate Israelite inheritance law, which depended not on the mother, but on the father. Jephthah's birth from a prostitute mother offers them an excuse for expelling him, but this aim required a legal decision of the court. Now, the way that verse 7 reads, it almost sounds like they did get a legal decision from the court.

In other words, in verse 7, Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, did you not hate me and expel me from my father's house? Seems to indicate that there was some sort of procedure involved. It wasn't just mob violence. If they did seek this through the legal system in Israel, again, just another marker and identifier that it's really a wretched time in Israel.

And then what was Jephthah's recourse after this? He's excluded from his home. We don't want to get too sympathetic for him because what he's doing probably wasn't the best thing in the world. Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tob.

Tob literally means good or goodness. Jephthah is excluded from Israel, or from Gilead rather, and he's living in the land of goodness. And it's in the land of goodness that these worthless men band together with Jephthah and they go out raiding with him. So it's a band of thugs, essentially.

These worthless men, the word used to identify them, are the same worthless men, or the same hitmen, or the thugs that Abimelech hired with the 70 shekels to go and eliminate all of the potential ascendants to the throne of Gideon. And so what we find here is that Jephthah is excluded from the children of Israel or from Gilead specifically. He goes, he dwells in the land of Tob and then he and these worthless men band together and they go raiding together. So that's the agent of deliverance.

The Deliverer Sought

Now notice the deliverer sought verses 4 to 11. It came to pass after a time that the people of Ammon made war against Israel. And so it was when the people of Ammon made war against Israel that the elders of Gilead went to Jephthah from the land of Tub. Then they said to Jephthah, come and be our commander that we may fight against the people of Ammon." Again, I think what we need to appreciate is that Jephthah is an intelligent man.

Jephthah knows what's going on. Jephthah understands the score. Jephthah knows the right questions to ask and he understands that these people have to stress and they simply want to use Him to get them out of a particular problem. Sounds just like what happens in chapter 10.

The children of Israel suffer distress, they cry out to Yahweh, not because they're genuinely repentant, not because they're genuinely sorry, but because they're genuinely distressed and they want God to deliver them. Right? This is what's happening here. If you remember in chapter 10, verse 18, they promise that the man who delivers them will be the head over Gilead.

They've brought that down a notch. This is their first sort of bid to Jephthah. Notice in verse 6, come and be our commander. Now this is still a high and noble calling, being the commander of a military, but it's not being the head of Gilead.

So this is their first attempt to try and make it such that Jephthah will come and play on their side so that they can take out Ammonites. They don't like the distress that they find. They don't like the difficulty. Jephthah has proven himself to be a mighty man of valor.

He and these men from Tob, as they go out raiding the countryside, they've seen that Jephthah has a natural leadership ability. They see that he's a strong man, that he knows his way around weaponry, and so they have recourse to go to him. They offer him the job of being the commander. Now notice in verse 7, So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, did you not hate me and expel me from my father's house?

Why have you come to me now when you are in distress? Sounds just like Yahweh in chapter 10, right? They cry out to the Lord. And what does the Lord say?

Really? You're going to come to me now? Why don't you go fetch Moloch? Why don't you go after Baal?

Why don't you go after the Ashtoreth? you only come crawling back to me when you want something. See, Jephthah knows that these people are doing this. Notice what they then say. Verse 8, the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, that is why we have turned again to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the people of Ammon and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

Now it's not just commander anymore, they're sweetening the pot. They know they're dealing with Jephthah and he knows what's going on, so they up the ante a little bit, okay? If it's being the head over Gilead that you want, then we'll throw that into the mix. Then verse 9, So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, If you take me back home to fight against the people of Ammon, and the Lord delivers them to me, shall I be your head?

Jephthah's not a dummy. You want to sign. Let's have a contract. Let's make a covenant.

Let's know what we're entering into. Again, as we read through chapter 11, whatever Jephthah learned in the land of Tov or in the city of Tov, he was certainly a shrewd and a wise particular man when it comes to this sort of hard bargaining. And so he gets them to confirm this. Verse 10, the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, the Lord will be a witness between us if we do not do according to your words.

Now I should say that one of the commentators that I especially like is pretty tough on Jephthah. I part ways with Daniel Block on this particular theme. He really is negative when it comes to Jephthah. Well, one of the things that he points out is that the people go after Jephthah.

He's not God's man, but later on in verse 29, the Spirit of the Lord does come upon Jephthah. The marks of God are all over this particular passage. Daniel block notwithstanding what we find in Jephthah is God's man. And here particularly in verse 10, the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, the Lord will be a witness between us if we do not do according to your words.

Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead and the people made him head and commander over them. And Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord in Mizpah.

Parallel: Israel, Gilead, and Yahweh

Now, I've already alluded to some of the parallels along the way, but let's look at them in more detail. There is rejection, verse 6 and verses 1 to 3. My Bible's good because, I mean, it's the Cambridge, but both columns are lined up here. So you can see the narrative with Yahweh in Israel and then Japheth in Israel.

And as Davis says, it's an acted parallel. The parable, the way the Gileadites treat Jephthah is an acted parable of the way Israel approaches God. So there's rejection, verse 6 in chapter 10, and then verses 1 to 3 in chapter 11. There is distress, verses 7 to 9 in chapter 10, and verse 4 in chapter 11.

So we see rejection of God, we see rejection of Jephthah, and then there is this distress or suffering or difficulty. Then there is repentance, verse 10. And there is repentance, verses 5 and 6. The fact that they say, we're returning to you, is indicative of the fact that they are repenting or expressing such a thing to them.

Then you have objection, both on the part of Yahweh, verses 11 to 14, and on the part of Jephthah in verse 7. Now you want me to come? Now you want to be my friend? Now you want me to participate in your lives?

Same sort of thing going on. We have appeal, verses 15 to 16a in chapter 10. We have sinned. Do to us whatever seems best to you.

Only deliver us this day we pray. Again, more than likely, they're going through a particular motion to get what they want out of God. It is manipulation, it is tactic, it is strategy, and the reality that God does deliver them indicates not the success of tactic and manipulation. It demonstrates the kindness and the mercy and the grace of God Most High, who delivers, even when His children function in such a manner as this.

And then we see in verse 8 this whole appeal with reference to Jephthah, verse 8 of chapter 11. That is why we have turned again to you now that you may go with us and fight against the people of Ammon and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. And then it ends with acquiescence. Verse 16b, his soul can no longer endure the misery of Israel.

And then of course in verses 9 to 11, Japheth agrees to undertake on behalf of Israel. In summary, Davis says it this way, the parallels between Israel's way with Yahweh and Gilead's way with Jephthah seem too close to be accidental. When the Israelites are in a jam, they cry to God to bail them out, as the elders of Gilead do to Jephthah. Both God's reply and Jephthah's show that they know someone is trying to use them.

The way the Gileadites treat Jephthah is an acted parable on the way Israel approaches Yahweh. This is good storytelling. It makes for interesting reading when you see these parallels being set forth in the scripture. Matthew Henry saw this as well.

He said in the 1700s, the particular case between the Gileadites and Jephthah was a resemblance of the general state of the case between Israel and God at this time. They had thrust God out by their idolatries, yet in their distress begged his help. He told them how justly he might have rejected them, and yet graciously delivered them. So did Jephthah.

Many slight God and good men, till they come to be in distress. And then they are desirous of God's mercy and good men's prayers." I think that's a very perceptive comment when you look at chapters 10 and 11 sort of side by side. So we see parallel between Jephthah and with Yahweh in the Old Testament.

Jephthah as a Type of Christ

But as we move our way into the New Testament, That deliverer that God sends to be a champion for Israel shares some similarities with Jephthah. Not that he was the son of a harlot, not that he was the son of Gilead, not that he was an actual sinner, not that he was an actual criminal, not that he went to Toph and gathered with him worthless men and went on raids. but the reality that he came to his own and his own received him not. Isaiah 53.3 describes Christ in this way. He is despised and rejected by man, a genuine Jephthah in Israel, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

And we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised and we did not esteem him. We reference that particular text in Matthew 13 in the city of Nazareth, when the prophet is without honor in his own country, when the prophet is despised within his own country. The same motif is present with our Lord Jesus.

So Jephthah not only typifies Christ in the deliverance that he brings to Israel, but also sort of in the manner by which he does it. He is someone that people are not looking to initially as the one who would bring deliverance. John 1, 10 and 11. He, Christ, was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him.

He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. And then in the sermon on the day of Pentecost, in the book of Acts, chapter 2, verse 23, Peter says, Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken, by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death. In other words, you have taken Jephthah, and you have sent him to die. But it's Jephthah that you need to bring deliverance because of these pesky Ammonites.

That's what Peter goes on to say in verse 38. Verse 23 indicates that they have crucified him by lawless hands. And in verse 38 he says, repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Japhta typifies Christ both in deliverance and somewhat in the manner by which he will bring deliverance.

And if we look at the wisdom of a Japhta and we look at the wisdom of the Lord Jesus, there's a lot more parallels going on between these two men. then perhaps we have realized up to this particular point. So that's the agent of deliverance.

The Attempt at Diplomacy

Now let's move secondly to the act of diplomacy or the attempt at diplomacy.

Jephthah's Historical Background

Notice what Japheth does. As soon as he is installed, as soon as he is ordained, as soon as he has made head and commander over the people, he gets to work. It's beautiful. I mean, and this is an inauguration ceremony.

Verse 11, Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, the people made him head and commander over them. Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord and Mizpah. Probably an oath, ratification, all the sorts of things we're used to in a political inauguration. And as soon as this happens, what does he do?

He sends a delegation to deal with the king of Ammon. He doesn't go golfing. He doesn't go look at his new palace or mansion. He doesn't go and do all the things that royalty often does.

He gets to work. He rolls up his sleeves. He wants to deal with this Ammonite threat. So while he may have been hard bargaining with these particular elders, it wasn't for nothing.

This man means business. Jephthah's going to bring deliverance and he's going to do it effectively and swiftly. So verse 12, Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon saying, what do you have against me that you have come to fight against me in my land? Basically, what gives?

What's your issue? Why are you here, Ammonites? Now we, as careful readers, knowing chapter 10, realize that this is the plan of God. God is angry with Israel, so what does he do?

He sends Ammonites and he sends Philistines. Jephthah didn't have chapter 10. He didn't have the book of Judges in his lap. He didn't understand that God sovereignly ordained this.

But even had he understood this, that God sovereignly ordained this, which he would have being an Israelite, nevertheless, he would have still undertaken in this particular way. He asks the king of Ammon, what is your problem? What have we done? What has brought on this calamity, this distress, this trial, this difficulty?

The Ammonite Claim Examined

Notice verse 13, the king of the people of Ammon answered the messengers of Jephthah, because Israel took away my land when they came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok and to the Jordan. Now, therefore, restore those lands peaceably." This man could not have been further from the truth. This is absolutely inaccurate completely through and through. That's why the extended response from Jephthah and that's why the emphasis upon history Because Jephthah, diplomatically, is appealing to the king of Ammon to say, you have no idea what you're talking about.

You have no clue what's going on in the Transjordan. You have no understanding whatsoever of Moab, of Edom, of Ammon, and of the Amorites. You are completely out to lunch, which, by way of an aside, we ought to understand that not every political figure is always accurate and always honest with everything they say. Now, hopefully that doesn't need to be said, but we oftentimes listen to people and we don't check what they're saying.

There's a whole group of people today, I don't know where they are, I don't know how they function, I imagine it's a handful of guys with a computer that have Google, they're called fact checkers. So that when a president or a prime minister or there's a debate, somebody says something, these fact checkers go to work to see if what they're saying is actually true or not. Well, Jephthah's a fact checker right on the scene. Jephthah knows Israelite history.

He knows the penetration and the acquisition of land in the Transjordan. And this king of the Ammonites could not be more wrong. So that's what's going on in this particular context. So the king of the people of Ammon answered the messengers of Jephthah, because Israel took away my land when they came up out of Egypt from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok and to the Jordan, now therefore I restore those lands peaceably.

You see, what he says is that we were minding our own business. We Ammonites were just doing our thing. We were growing our grains, we were feeding our cattle, we were wiping our children's rear ends, we were keeping to ourselves, we were working hard, and then these nasty Israelites came in and they dispossessed us and we want our land back. That's what's going on.

Now notice, Jephthah's rejoinder. Verses 14 to 26. He gives, first of all, background. Historical background.

Verses 14 to 22. Verse 14, so Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon and said to him, thus says Jephthah, Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the people of Amen. This just isn't the case. That's a thesis statement right there.

He answers the king of the people of Amen. The people of Israel did not do this, and here's why I know they did not do this. Verse 15, thesis, here's what I'm asserting to you, king of the people of Ammon, and here's the supporting statements, the supporting facts, the documented evidence as to how I know that the children of Israel did not take away the land of Moab nor the land of the people of Ammon. Note first, he says they respected Moab and Edah.

It is simply not the case that they invaded Moab and Edah. You need to have a bit of background in terms of Deuteronomy and you need to have a bit of background in terms of numbers, specifically 2021, 22 to 24 when he references Balak. But basically what happened? The children of Israel were going to go into the promised land via the east.

Initially, those lands on the east had not been given to them by God. They were just passing through. They appealed to those particular kings, they said, may we pass through safely, may you just leave us alone because we're going to cross the river Jordan and our destination is on the west side of the river. So he says, our interest was not those particular parcels of land.

He then says the Israelites had no interest, basically, in that land. They just wanted to pass through. Notice in verse 16. For when Israel came up from Egypt, they walked through the wilderness as far as the Red Sea and came to Kadesh.

Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom saying, please let me pass. through your land. But the king of Edom would not heed, and in like manner they sent to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained in Kadesh, and they went along through the wilderness and bypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab, came to the east side of the land of Moab, and encamped on the other side of the Armin." They really didn't go in and take those lands. They didn't engage in combat.

They didn't engage those particular enemies. And then verse 19, then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, king of Eshbon. And Israel said to him, please let us pass through your land into our place. You remember that, right?

We've gone through Deuteronomy. We read Deuteronomy 2. You've probably read the book of Numbers. You've seen the children of Israel marching along in the wilderness wanderings.

They were not out looking for battles when they didn't have to fight them. They didn't want to fight people any more than you and I want to fight people. They say to Moab, they say to Edom, we just want to pass through. Notice the absence of Ammon.

He's probably doing this to give them what for. He's probably doing this, leaving them out conspicuously, to almost suggest, you didn't even merit. Our attention was with Edom and Moab. This was one big region.

It was divided up between these peoples, to be sure, but the children of Israel did not engage these as enemies. But when they made this appeal to Sihon, king of Bashan, notice in verse 20, But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory, so Sihon gathered all his people together and camped in Jahaz and fought against Israel. And the Lord God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them. Thus, Israel gained possession of all the land of the Amorites who inhabited that country.

The fact is the Ammonites have nothing to do with any of this whatsoever. The fact that he hasn't referenced them indicates that they don't even merit in this historical discussion. Japheth is really letting these people have it. letting this king have it big time. And then notice in verse 22, they took possession of all the territory, this is Israel, of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.

This is the piece of land in question. This is what Ammon says was taken from them 300 years ago and now they want it back. That what Jephthah says is, that's just not accurate. We did not engage.

We tried to pass through. We appealed to Sion. He then engaged. God delivered him into our hands.

And that's when the Lord gave us the land east of the river Jordan. Bloch says the land between the Arnon and the Jabbok, the desert and the Jordan, had previously belonged to the Amorites, not Ammon. When the battle was over, this territory passed directly into the hands of the Israelites. Accordingly, Israel has never claimed any land belonging to Edom, Moab, or Ammon.

The Ammonites have no historical claim to this land whatsoever. So you see Japheth, while on the one hand, son of a harlot, son of Gilead, cast out of his father's house, he's not a dummy. He's not a village idiot that just fell onto the sea. When these elders of Gilead selected Jephthah, they selected correctly.

This man is waxing eloquent historically on what's really gone on with that parcel of land. And in so doing, the king of the people of Ammon has no claim whatsoever to take it. And then notice, he not only lays out this historical background, he brings out some specific implications in verses 23 to 26. Some specific arguments.

Arguments Against the Ammonite Claim

First, the argument from history. Verse 23, and now the Lord God of Israel has dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel. Should you then possess it? Will you not possess whatever Chemosh your God gives you to possess?

We'll look at that in just a moment. an historical argument. This is legit. When this king of the people of Ammon says, that's my piece of land, and Jephthah is able to say, no, this is how we acquired it. We didn't want a battle.

We wanted to pass through. They engaged us. And as a result, we decimated them. And then God, the Lord, gave us this land.

Now remember, in this context, It wasn't just Israel who believed that the God of the people gave them the land. This is why he refers to Chemosh. This was accepted. Your God, your particular deity, gave you the piece of land that you were in.

And so Jephthah's argument is historical. But secondly, it's a theological argument. He says the Lord God of Israel gave us this land. You want to try and take it from us?

You want to fight against the living and true God? And then notice when he says this. Will you not possess whatever Chemosh, your God, gives you to possess? Again, that dear brother thinks that he's actually citing Chemosh.

He thinks that this appeal to Chemosh means that Jephthah accepts the reality of these pagan deities. I don't think that's what's going on. I think he's using a reductio ad absurdum. He's doing similar to what Gideon's father did.

Remember when that altar of Baal had been torn down and the people of the town wanted to destroy Gideon? And what does Gideon's father say? Let Baal contend. If Baal's a god, then Baal can deliver himself.

Baal will deal with Gideon. I think that's the emphasis here with Jephthah. Will you not possess whatever Chemosh your God gives you to possess? This is the theological argument.

The God of Israel has given us these transjordan lands. What will your God, Chemosh, give to you? Now interestingly enough, if you keep up on your Canaanite deities, Chemosh was more specifically the God of the Moabites. Milcom, or Molech, was the god of the Ammonites.

And again, people say, well, Jephthah got it wrong. No, the primary agent and player in that part of the world was Moab. So they would have agreed that it was Chemosh that would have given them this particular land. Jephthah knows his stuff, both historically and he knows his stuff theologically, and he tells them.

So whatever the Lord our God takes possession of before us, we will possess.

The Argument from Precedence

And then note the argument from precedence, verse 25. He says, and now, are you any better than Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive against Israel? Did he ever fight against them?

Are you better than Balak? Are you more preeminent than Balak? The idea being is that Balak far outweighed the significance of this king of the people of Ammon. And Balak, though he resisted Israel and wanted Balaam to curse Israel, It wasn't over the land.

It wasn't because of a piece of property. And so what Jephthah in essence is saying is if this man had no beef with us, then who do you think you are trying to bring this to us now?

The Argument from Chronology

And then he argues from chronology, verse 26. While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its villages, and Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities along the banks of the Arnon for 300 years, why did you not recover them within that time?" If any political leader today answered any other political leader the way Japheth did, he'd get my vote. He knows his stuff. He's informed.

He's wise. He is arguing legitimately. He is seeking to diplomatically stop the king of the Ammonites from advancing against the Israelites. This is masterful.

This is wisdom. This is good. Now, of course, whenever masterful, wise, and good arguments are presented, everybody just submits and acquiesces to that, don't they? No.

Not at all.

Jephthah's Legal Disclaimer

Verse 27, Therefore I have not sinned, this is Jephthah. And this is legal in terms of himself, of him distancing himself from any guilt, responsibility or culpability from the war that will ensue. if the king of the people of Ammon does not accept these terms. Therefore, I have not sinned against you, but you wronged me by fighting against me. May the Lord, the judge, render judgment this day between the children of Israel and the people of Ammon.

In other words, what Jephthah is saying is, you need to fish or cut bait. You need to accept what I've told you, and you need to back down and back off and quit harassing us. Or if you are going to step it up, I am not the aggressor in this transaction. I am the one that is judicially innocent with reference to this situation.

If you, king of the people of Ammon, cross this particular line, you will lose, and you will lose big. That's verse 28. However, the king of the people of Ammon did not heed the words which Jephthah sent him. There is the typical political response to wisdom, to good argument, and to something that should be a no-brainer.

The king of the people of Ammon should have said, forget it. You're right. I'm wrong. We do not have a claim to that particular land.

And so what happens, of course, is that the spirit of Yahweh comes upon Jephthah and they engage the enemy in war. So God uses Jephthah. He raises him up out of these noble beginnings and uses him as the deliverer for Israel over the threat of these people from Ammon. that sought to take a parcel of land that they had no claim to whatsoever that had been gifted to them by the living and true God of Israel. So that's the first section in the Jephthah cycle.

God willing, next week, we will look at Jephthah's victory and his vow. So make sure you do your homework. We may have the brawl for it all next week as we deal with Jephthah's vow. Everybody understands Jephthah's vow.

He either sacrificed his child or he sacrificed her virginity. That's, or not sacrificed, made sure her virginity was always in place. So that's a huge difference in terms of interpretation. I told Roger, I may Matthew Henriette and come and say, here's the two positions and not tell you where I belong or what I think.

Anyways, powerful passage of scripture next week.

Closing Prayer

Well, let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for this reading of scripture. We thank you for your grace and mercy to your ancient people. We see, God, that they only want you when they are distressed.

May we learn from this, God. not to be fair-weather fans, not to be those, Lord, who do not serve You if things do not go our way, but help us to be faithful in trial, help us to be faithful in persecution, help us, God, to always draw near to You and to see You as our God, as our Father, as our Lord, in the midst of all circumstances. Nevertheless, in our distress, we will cry out to You, trusting that You are merciful, trusting that You are gracious, but keep us from a manipulative a technique-driven mentality. God, may we humbly submit to your rule and to your lordship in our lives. Go with us now, we pray.

In Jesus' holy name, amen.

Scripture References

• Numbers 20:21-24
• Deuteronomy 2:1; 7:1-5
• Judges 10:6; 10:7-9; 10:10; 10:11-14; 10:15-16; 10:16; 10:17-18; 11:1-3; 11:4; 11:5-6; 11:7; 11:8; 11:9; 11:10; 11:11; 11:12; 11:13; 11:14-22; 11:14; 11:15; 11:16; 11:19; 11:20; 11:22; 11:23; 11:25; 11:26; 11:27; 11:28; 11:29
• Isaiah 53:3
• Matthew 13:57
• John 1:10-11
• Acts 2:23; 2:38
• Hebrews 11:1