What an amazing promise, right?
Come to Jesus and rest in Him.
! Have you felt that at all this week?
! Have you felt settled?
! Have you felt at rest?
Have you felt the sense of God's got this?
I can trust Him.
Or are you like I tend to be?
Where I want to be in a place of rest,
but I keep finding myself in a place of striving,
in a place of pursuing,
in a place of working things out,
trying to make things happen,
and not a place of rest.
God wants, He invites us to that.
We can find that in His Son, Jesus Christ.
It's not that the troubles go away.
It's not that the pressures are lifted.
It's that Jesus strengthens us to be able to move forward.
He gives us that settled confidence that we can trust Him.
That's where the rest comes.
Not in removing the problems,
but in presenting the solution in Christ.
And what a joy that is that we can find rest in Him.
It's what we have found as we've been working our way through the book of Judges.
And I would encourage you to please turn there.
In the book of Judges, if you're using the Pew Bible,
we're on page 211.
Judges chapter 10, 11, and 12 is where we're going to be this morning,
kind of working our way through this book
and reminding ourselves what it's supposed to look like
when we follow the instructions that God has laid before us.
It looks like rest.
And that's what the people experienced,
at least through the first four Judges.
God brought rest to the land.
It says the land had rest.
The land had rest.
Four times the land had rest.
From this point on, there is no rest in the land.
Partly because the people had abandoned the standard.
The moral depravity of the nation had collapsed.
And what we saw last week, we're going to turn to briefly again today.
The accusation of God against the people,
their apostasy, their rebellion.
And God says, I'm not going to drive the people out anymore.
I'm just not going to do it.
Because whatever token confession and repentance,
whatever token revival there seems to be,
I know the true heart of this.
I know the reality of what's true in your heart and life.
And that's kind of what we have been tracing
as we've been walking through this book.
And we'll get there in just a moment.
But what I've just really appreciated through this study
is seeing the faithfulness of the Lord.
It's called the study of faithfulness and failure.
That in spite of our unfaithfulness,
in spite of our failures,
God remains faithful.
Wow.
Marvel at the faithfulness of God.
The only way to really marvel at the faithfulness of God
is to have a very clear picture of what we deserve.
What we deserve.
And we're seeing that front and center
in our study through the judges.
We're seeing what we deserve.
How our rebellion pushes us away from God
and how that moral ruin leads to disaster
within our families and in our communities
and in the nation itself
and the outward opposition that's experienced.
And that's what God warned the people about.
He wanted them to enjoy rest.
But it only comes one way.
It only comes as we anchor faith in God Himself
and we walk by His standard.
I'm going to have the privilege here
in just a little under a month
to be able to teach the entire Old Testament
to a group of students,
pastors and Christian leaders in Central Asia.
I'm going to be traveling with Daniel Cain.
We heard about the Tri-M ministry,
mobile modular ministry,
and I'll have a chance to do that
in just a few weeks from now.
And I would just, will you pray for me?
Trying to get my arms around the Old Testament
and like, what does Leviticus have to offer?
You know, I can talk about sacrifices,
but I mean, how does Leviticus encourage
a group of pastors?
And let me tell you, we know it does
because we know that all Scripture
is given by inspiration of God.
It's profitable for doctrine, reproof,
correction, instruction, and righteousness.
It is profitable for us.
So help, please pray that God helps me
to get my arms around the Old Testament
and to be able to present it in a way
that is not just informative,
not just instructive, but is inspiring.
That they're inspired by the wonder
of God's initiative among His people,
drawing people to Himself,
making a people that's fit for God.
What an opportunity that is.
And pray for my family,
as I'm going to be away for a couple of weeks
and pray for Pastor David,
who will be preaching in my place.
It's a collaborative effort,
and I am grateful for your help with that.
And then at the end of this year,
in December, I'm going to be teaching again
next time in Central America.
So first in Central Asia,
now in Central America.
And that assignment is the New Testament.
So I thought it was just going to be one book.
It turns out to be the entire New Testament,
except for the Gospels.
And I, you know,
what a great opportunity.
You'll see the whole framework,
the whole storyline of the Scripture.
And it's the same, by the way.
Because the God of the Old Testament
that makes a people for Himself
is the same God of the New Testament
who, guess what,
makes a people for Himself.
He will build His church, right?
And the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
It is God's work.
And so we trust in God's strategy
to do God's work.
And when we do,
we can count on God's favor.
And not that everything goes well.
Not that our life is perfect,
but that we can trust God
to work even the hard things out
for our good and for His glory.
That's the joy.
What a joy I will get to have
because of your willingness to let me go
and to let me be part of this
and the investment that will happen
in two different parts of the hemisphere
because of the faithful ministry
that you are having here at Maranatha
and I get to be part of.
We also, at the end of the service,
will have another baptism
and just another visible picture
of how God is bringing people into His family.
And they are coming to Christ
and we get to demonstrate this visible picture
of what it means to be part of Christ.
In Christ, kind of this baptizing them
into the Lord Jesus.
They are there,
but this is kind of the visible portrayal
of what God has already accomplished for them.
So we get to do that
at the end of this service today.
Well, we're continuing our study
through the book of Judges
and I want to just put this graphic
back up on the screen for you.
You have this on your outlines.
We covered most of this
last time we were together,
but I just want to,
for those of you who were not here
or for the rest of you
that kind of need a reminder,
here's what we talked about.
There were three patterns
that we developed
or that we saw kind of
are working simultaneously
in the book of Judges.
The first, you see that kind of
that downward slope
and that's meant to indicate
this moral decline
that's taking place among the people.
It's summarized for us
in Judges 2, verse 19,
where it says,
whenever the judge died,
they turned back
and were more corrupt
than their fathers,
going after other gods,
serving them
and bowing down to them.
They did not stop
any of their practices
or their stubborn ways.
And this is the testimony.
This is the cadence
of these individuals,
the moral collapse
that's happening among the people.
That second pattern
is that God,
He's been raising up judges.
He's been raising up deliverers.
And you kind of see
on the top left,
I guess this is your left, right?
The top left of that chart,
you see the point
of God raising up those deliverers.
We find in chapter 3, verse 9,
the Lord raised up a deliverer
for the people.
In chapter 3, verse 15,
the Lord raised up
for them a deliverer,
Ehud, the son of Gerah.
In chapter 4, verses 6 and 7,
Deborah is speaking to Barak.
She says,
Has not the Lord God of Israel
commanded you,
Go! Gather your men!
And I will draw out Sisera,
and I will give him
into your hands,
says the Lord.
Then God shows up
to Gideon in chapter 6.
The Lord appeared to Gideon
and said to him,
The Lord is with you,
mighty man of valor.
Go in this might of yours
and save Israel
from the hand of Midian.
Do I not send you?
I will be with you.
God raising up deliverers.
And the third pattern
is the pattern
of this conflict
that's getting closer
and closer to Israel.
It starts far away.
It starts in Mesopotamia,
700 miles away from Israel.
And it gets progressively closer
as the Moabites
are neighbors in Ehud.
Then it makes its way
into Israel
as the Canaanites
are now going to be
opposed by Barak.
And then it kind of
crosses the boundary
as it were
as now it's part of the family.
The Midianites
who are actually
sons of Abraham
are now bringing the conflict
right home to Israel.
And then from Gideon on out
there is this internal conflict,
this internal struggle.
Now the nations,
now Israel is fighting itself.
It's tribal warfare
that's taking place.
We noticed
last time we were together
the trajectory
where God-appointed deliverers
have now become
self-appointed saviors.
That God raised up deliverers
at the beginning of this book.
And now after Gideon,
we find this new pattern
of the judges
are raising up themselves.
We see that in chapter 10,
verse 1.
We see that
after Abimelech
there arose to save Israel
Tola,
the son of Puah.
And we notice
in chapter 10,
verse 3,
after him arose
Jer,
the Gileadite,
who served Israel.
And we notice
in chapter 12,
we notice the same pattern.
12, verse 8,
after him,
Ibsen of Bethlehem
judged Israel.
And on and on it goes.
Now self-appointed saviors
have taken place.
And God is nowhere
a part of the picture.
They assume the role
of leadership.
They're their own
self-appointed savior,
as it were.
And kind of coupled
with all of this,
we recognize this pattern
that's also beginning
to emerge.
Remember that Gideon
had 70 sons.
And that same pattern
of empire building
is showing up
in these new judges
as well.
where Jer,
in Judges chapter 10,
verse 4,
he has 30 sons
who rode 30 donkeys.
They had 30 cities.
This empire building,
this gaining influence,
this wanting to have
prominence in the land.
Ibsen,
when we go to chapter 12,
verse 9,
it says,
he had 30 sons
and 30 daughters
he gave in marriage
outside his clan.
30 daughters he brought
in from outside
for his sons.
So we've got a total
of 60 individuals
who've all been brought
in to help
empire build
for this judge
who wants to gain
prominence.
Then Abdon,
in chapter 12,
verse 14,
he had 40 sons
and 30 grandsons
who rode 70 donkeys.
That word,
the number 70
should sound
really familiar.
They might not have
been formally kings,
but they are acting
like kings.
We're meant to see
this pattern
both before Jephthah
and after Jephthah
to kind of provide
this sandwich for us,
these bookends
that help to frame
and understand
the life of Jephthah
himself.
How are we to
understand his life?
How are we to understand
his leadership?
Well, he's encapsulated
within this empire
building strategy
of the judges
and he serves
as kind of
this pattern
for us
to help us
interpret
what we see.
Last week,
we also saw
that the people
have confused
godly sorrow
with worldly sorrow.
These cycles
of rebellion
that have taken place
and they have become,
the people have become
more concerned
with removing
consequences
than they have
with being
consecrated.
They've been
more concerned
with getting rid
of their problems
instead of
being truly pure.
They're more
fascinated
with fixating
on their situation
than they were
with being
sanctified.
They want to
remove
the challenges.
They want to
resist
the problems.
They want to
move past
all the difficulties
that they're experiencing.
Whatever they can do
to remove
those consequences
to move on
with their life
to have some level
of comfort again.
We noted
the cycles
of rebellion
that marked
this people
in chapter 10
verses 6-16.
We saw
these six
cycles of rebellion
that kind of
culminate
in chapter 10
in this final
seventh
confrontation
of the Lord
against His people
in chapter 10
verse 6.
It says,
the people of Israel
again did what was
evil in the sight
of the Lord.
They served
the Baals
and the Ashtra,
the gods of Syria,
the gods of Sidon,
the gods of Moab,
the gods of the Ammonites,
and the gods
of the Philistines.
And they forsook
the Lord
and did not
serve Him.
At this point
the pattern
has become
tragically clear.
And what was
true of the
people of the nation
at the beginning
abandoning themselves
to the foreign gods
which are listed
the Baals
and the Ashtra
there are only two
that are present
up until
this point
in chapter 10
and now we have
the full list
of all the deities
of the nations
that have
polluted the people.
Seven deities
that are listed
here.
It's meant
to show
the totality
of the moral
collapse
that has taken
place among
His people.
In chapter 10
we will see
the last
cry
of the people
to the Lord.
In chapter 10
we will see
the last time
the people
will confess
their sin.
We're going to see
in chapter 10
the last time
sin will be
confronted
by God.
And while
the response
in chapter 10
seems sincere
it might seem
somewhat encouraging
God knows
the heart.
Look there
in chapter 10
verse 10
it says
and the people
of Israel
cried out
to the Lord
saying
we have
sinned
against you
because we
have forsaken
our God
and have served
the Baals
but God
knows
their true
heart.
Verse 13
you have
forsaken
me
and you
have served
other gods
therefore
I will
save you
no more.
Now
that might
be a little
confusing
because we're
going to see
in Jephthah's
story
that God
delivers
the people
from the
oppression
of the
Ammonites.
We're going
to see
in Samson's
story
that God
uses
Samson
to help
drive out
a portion
of the
Philistines
so in
that sense
God is
saving the
people
but what
kind of
salvation
is God
talking about?
I will
save you
no more?
What kind
of salvation
are we
talking about?
Well God
is not going
to save
them from
themselves.
Remember
the warning
going all
the way
back to
the earlier
parts of
this book
and the
warning
was this
the nations
will become
a snare
to you
they're going
to trip
you up
and Canaan
is going
to enter
the land
and that's
exactly
what we've
seen.
Canaan
has gotten
into the
people
has gotten
into their
theology
has gotten
into their
practices
has gotten
into their
thinking
has now
corrupted
their behavior
and so Canaan
has gotten
into them
there is no
driving them
out at this
point because
they are totally
immersed in the
culture of the
people.
There's no
deliverance to be
had until
unless the
people themselves
will give
themselves over
the Lord
and will repent
and be consecrated
in the way
that God really
wants.
Not just to put
off certain
foreign practices
but be totally
cleansed as a
people.
So the people
will not be
delivered from
the greatest
oppression
the oppression
of the
corruption
within them.
See God
has given
them over
to their
cravings
and that's
what we'll
continue to
see as we
move our
way through
that the
people are
set on
desire
their flesh
is driving
them
and that's
exactly by the
way what we
see in the
book of
Romans
where God
has made
himself very
clear to
the nations
to us
through his
revelation of
his word but
also through
the revelation
of himself
in creation
so that we
are left
without an
excuse but
what do we
do even
though we
know who
God is?
Well God
demonstrates a
three pronged
progression that
takes place in
the life
of culture
who set
themselves
against God
just like we
find in the
book of
Judges.
Romans 1
24 is the
first step
it says
God gave
them up
in the
lusts of
their hearts
to impurity
to the
dishonoring of
their bodies
among themselves.
Then it
moves on to
verse 26
so then God
gives them
up.
Chapter 1
verse 26
God gave
them up to
dishonorable
passions
for their
women exchanged
natural relations
for those
that are
contrary to
nature
and the
men likewise
gave up
natural relations
with women
and were
consumed with
passions for
one another.
It's now
embedded in
culture.
It's now
changing their
natural desires.
Natural things
aren't natural
anymore.
And you might
feel like that
is the last
step but it
goes one
step further
in verse 28
and 29.
So God
gives them
up to a
debased
mind to
do what
ought not
to be
done.
They are
full of
envy,
murder,
strife,
deceit,
maliciousness,
they are
gossips,
slanderers,
haters of
God,
insolent,
haughty,
boastful,
inventors of
evil,
disobedient to
parents,
foolish,
faithless,
heartless,
ruthless.
That's the
end of
moral decay.
Does that
sound familiar
to the
culture that
we're living
in?
Reveling,
glorying,
magnifying,
celebrating,
baseness,
ruthlessness,
independence,
resistance of
authority,
wanting to
build our
own comforts
and materialism
and consumerism
and all of
these manner
of things that
are so embedded
in our culture
and they
seem so
normal to
us because
it's what
we see
every single
day of
our life.
This is the
end of the
slide.
Disobedient
to parents,
what should
be so
natural
becomes
resistance,
ruthlessness.
That's what
we're going to
see in the
story of
Jephthah,
this coming
through.
And the
way that
we magnify
and celebrate
brutality in
this day,
the gladiator
games have
come close,
haven't they?
We celebrate
all manner
of brutality.
We're going
to see this
first turn in
chapter 12.
I want to
show you
kind of the
end of the
story so we
can kind of
use this as a
signpost to
help us
recognize what's
taking place
earlier in the
story.
This is how
it all plays
out in
Jephthah's
life in
Judges
chapter 12
verses 1 to
7.
We're going
to see
Jephthah's
true heart
is revealed.
His true
heart is
revealed.
It's what's
coming through.
You see,
to kind of
catch you up
to this
story,
we're going
to come
back to
it,
but bear
with me.
So God
has allowed
Jephthah to
be a
deliverer of
sorts,
this kind
of self-appointed
deliverer,
and God
mercifully uses
him to drive
out the
Ammonites and
to help
rescue the
nation.
That is
God's
mercy.
And the
Ephraimites
are not
happy about
it.
They were
afraid to
enter the
battle
themselves,
but once
the battle
has been
won,
and once
Jephthah is
being celebrated
by the
nation,
and the
Ephraimites
had no part
in it,
now they're
a little
upset.
So we
find in
chapter 12
verses 1
and 4
this.
The men
of Ephraim
were called
to arms.
Why?
Well,
they crossed
over to
Zaphon and
said to
Jephthah,
why did
you cross
over to
fight against
the Ammonites
and did
not call
us to
go with
you?
We will
burn your
house over
your head
with fire.
And
Jephthah said
to them,
I and my
people have
a great
dispute with
the Ammonites.
And when I
called you,
you did not
save me from
their hand.
And when I
saw that you
would not
save me,
I took my
life in my
hands and
crossed over
against the
Ammonites,
and the Lord
gave them
into my
hand.
Why then
have you
come up to
me to
fight against
me?
Then Jephthah
gathered all
the men of
Gilead and
fought with
Ephraim.
And the men
of Gilead
struck Ephraim
because they
said,
you are
fugitives
of Ephraim,
you Gileadites,
in the midst
of Ephraim
of Manasseh.
Okay,
now,
I know this
is really
unfamiliar.
Let me
help us
get into
this just
for a
moment.
We're
going to
find in
our story
in chapter
11 that
Jephthah is
driven out
of his
home,
he's driven
out of his
tribe,
he's driven
away from
Israel,
he has to
go live
in a
distant
land,
okay,
because of
some family
tension that's
taking place,
he's welcomed
back.
So,
he's a
fugitive,
as it were,
he's a
refugee,
as it were,
who's been
pushed out
of his
own tribe,
and that's
how the
Ephraimites
are weaponizing
this conflict
against Jephthah.
You're a
fugitive of
Ephraim,
Jephthah.
You're worthless.
You are
homeless.
You bring
nothing to
the table.
And of
course,
that amplified
Jephthah's
heart and
becomes the
very motivation
that Jephthah
is this
personal
vendetta,
he's going
after the
Ephraimites.
You are
fugitives of
Ephraim,
this name
calling.
And Jephthah
wants to
demonstrate who's
really in
charge.
So we get
to verse 5
of chapter 12.
The Gileonites
captured the
fords of the
Jordan against
the Ephraimites.
And when any
of the fugitives
of Ephraim said,
let me go over,
the men of
Gilead said,
are you an
Ephraimite?
When he said
no,
they said to
him,
then say
Shibboleth.
And he said
Sibboleth,
for he could
not pronounce
it right.
Then they
seized him
and slaughtered
him at the
fords of
Jordan.
At the time
42,000 of
the Ephraimites
fell.
Jephthah
judged Israel
six years.
Then Jephthah,
the Gileadite,
died and was
buried in his
city in Gilead.
You see the
brutality?
You see the
vendela?
It's all about
name calling.
And Jephthah,
instead of helping
to tamp down
the conflict,
elevates the
conflict and he's
like, okay,
you're going to
call me a
fugitive?
I'm going to
make you a
fugitive.
He separates
the army.
He scatters
them.
And in the
midst of him
conquering the
people, he
sets up this
little test.
Because the
Ephraimites
could not say
Shibboleth,
they said
Sibboleth.
And so what
does he do?
He slaughters
42,000 of his
own people,
the Ephraimites.
All because of
name calling.
This is the
heart.
This is the
Romans' one
heart, I might
say, of
Jephthah coming
through.
It's reached its
climax.
It's come right
out into the
open.
It's as clear
as can be.
And so this is
how we're meant
to interpret the
scene that we see
in Judges
chapter 11.
When we come to
the story of
Jephthah in
Judges chapter
11, we need to
see it in the
framework of
his life, the
true nature of
Jephthah coming
through.
Jephthah is
showing this
heart of murder
and strife and
brutality and
maliciousness that
all calls back to
Romans chapter 1.
Every single one
of those terms
being used there
to describe the
baseness of
humanity following
after their own
desires, doing
what's right in
our own eyes
rather than
following God's
compass.
And throughout
the entirety of
the course of
events of
Jephthah's life,
what stands
through it all
is that God
is silent.
Not once in
the narrative of
Judges, Judges
11 or Judges
12, will God
ever speak.
The silence is
deafening.
It helps us to
know that God
is present.
He has an
opinion, but
he's silent.
So now we
turn to Judges
chapter 11.
I need to work
through this
quickly for us.
But I want you
to see that
Jephthah is a
product of his
own culture.
He's a product
of his culture.
This didn't
happen out of
the blue.
This happened
through conditioning.
This happened
because God had
warned the people
that the nations
would be a snare.
And so as we
make our way to
this time in the
timeline of the
Judges, that's
exactly what we
see.
They have been
ensnared.
They've been
captured.
They've been
polluted.
They've been
corrupted by
culture.
And so everything
they do is kind
of embedded in
and guided by
that spirit of
the culture.
The crisis that
we see in
Judges chapter
10 has actually
created the man.
This crisis has
created the man.
In Judges
chapter 10
verse 9 we
see the
Ammonites,
they cross the
Jordan to
fight against
Judah and
against Benjamin
and against
the house of
Ephraim so
that Israel was
severely distressed.
So this conflict
is now coming
close.
What is Israel
going to do now
that conflict has
come?
Are they going to
turn to God
like they did in
Judges chapter 1?
Are they going to
look to God,
raise up a leader?
No.
They turn inward.
We find that in
verses 17 and
18 the Ammonites
were called to
arms and they
encamped in
Gilead.
The people of
Israel came
together and
they encamped
in Mizpah.
And the people,
the leaders of
Gilead said to
one another,
who is the man
who will begin
to fight against
the Ammonites?
He shall be head
over all the
inhabitants of
Gilead.
Rather than
look to God,
they looked
within.
They looked
to themselves.
They looked to
appoint a leader
among them.
And rather than
recognizing leadership
qualities like
we're trying to
do in this
nomination process
for deacons in
our church right
now, rather than
look for qualified
men, they're
looking for
volunteers.
And how are
they going about
it?
Do you notice
their strategy?
They're using a
certain collateral.
They're using a
certain compensation.
They're using a
certain incentive.
If you're going
to be head over
us, we will then
make you our
leader.
They're
incentivizing
headship because
that is what's
appealing to this
crowd now.
Who wants to be a
leader?
We'll make you
head.
Just help fight
our battles for
us.
And this Hebrew
word for head,
we only saw it
once before Gideon.
And then in
Gideon's story, we
see it six times.
In Abimelech's story,
we see it nine
times.
And then from this
point on, we're
going to see the
word head being
used ten times in
our text.
Because it's the
new collateral.
It's the new
compensation.
It's the new
thing that's going
to attract the
kind of leadership
that Israel is
looking for.
And being the
head is now this
compensation, this
incentive for this
self-styled
leadership.
Then we can
enter the story
of Jephthah in
Judges chapter 11
verses 1 to 3.
It says, now
Jephthah the
Gilead was a
mighty warrior.
Now that's a
fascinating word,
mighty warrior.
It is the exact
same two Hebrew
words that Gideon
has called the
mighty man of
valor.
The same two
Hebrew words used
of Jephthah.
And we're to be
reminded of how
God raised up that
leader.
We're to be
reminded of what
God did through
that leader.
And now Jephthah
is following a
whole new strategy.
So he was a
mighty warrior, but
he was the son of
a prostitute.
That was a
problem.
And Gilead was
the father of
Jephthah.
Gilead's wife also
bore him sons.
And when his
wife's sons grew
up, they drove
Jephthah out and
said to him, you
shall not have an
inheritance in our
father's house, for
you are the son of
another woman.
Then Jephthah fled
from his brothers,
lived in the land
of Tob, and
worthless fellows
collected around
Jephthah and went
out with him.
He's known as this
mighty warrior.
And because of his
father's indiscretion,
because of his
father, his
immoral practice,
the brothers of
Jephthah will then
make Jephthah a
fugitive.
They will throw
him out of the
house.
The inheritance
that would have
been his is now
abandoned.
So where does he
have to go?
He goes into this
land of Tob, which
is about a day's
journey away from
Gilead.
It's out in no
man's land, as it
were.
And that's where he
needs to now build
his own credentials,
his own reputation.
He needs to exert
himself and develop
his man of valor
reputation.
And that's what he
does.
Tob was to the
north, east of
Gilead.
He's in no man's
land.
He attracts to
himself worthless
fellows, it says.
These are outcasts,
homeless men.
Of course, it's a
reminder to the same
kind of men that
Abimelech gathered
around himself,
worthless fellows.
They seem to find a
common bond, a
common status
together.
And Jephthah has an
enterprising spirit.
He gains a
reputation.
He gathers men
around him.
He gains this
reputation, this
reputation of being
a mighty warrior.
Well, how do you
get a reputation of
being a mighty
warrior?
Well, you war,
right?
You raid, you
battle, you
threaten.
Violence now
becomes your
tool to exert
yourself over
whoever is in
your way.
And that's the
reputation that
Jephthah will
then begin to
have, not only
in the land of
Tob, but also in
the expanses of
the region of
Gilead.
To the extent
that we find in
Judges chapter
11 verses 4 to
6, that after a
time the Ammonites
made war against
Israel, and when
the Ammonites made
war against Israel,
the elders of
Gilead, they
went to bring
Jephthah from
the land of
Tob.
And they said to
Jephthah, come
and be our
leader that we
may fight against
the Ammonites.
Now there's a
little nuance here
in the text, it's
hard to pick up on.
If you remember
going back to
chapter 10, they
promised that the
person who would
conquer for them
would be their
head, and now
they bring Jephthah
close, and they
take it a step
down, not be our
head, but why
not just be our
commander, our
leader of this
military campaign.
Now this becomes
an opportunity for
Jephthah.
Jephthah is going
to capitalize on
this opportunity to
make sure that he
gets what he has
coming to him.
He says in
verse 7,
Jephthah said to
the elders of
Gilead, did you
not hate me and
drive me out of my
father's house?
Why have you come
to me now when
you are in distress?
And now this
turn, and the
elders of Gilead
said to Jephthah,
well that's why we
have turned to you
now, that you may
go and fight with
us and be our
head.
Notice how that's
changed.
The reader has
learned this
Abimelech style
of negotiating.
And Jephthah does
what's natural for
him.
He begins to
position himself.
He's capitalizing
on the opportunity.
He's taking
advantage of the
conditions and he's
vying for power.
So Jephthah will
then negotiate
terms.
Terms of a
treaty, a pact
between he and
these elders of
Gilead.
And then what
we'll find in
verses 9 to
11 is this
pact, this
treaty that
has been
established by
Jephthah and
these human
leaders now
become kind of
a pact.
They're going to
call God down
to watch and
to ensure that
their agreement
among one
another is now
something that
God has to
codify.
Jephthah is a
man of his
culture.
Next we see
that Jephthah
seeks to secure
what God has
already promised.
This is perhaps
the most alarming
of all.
He seeks to
secure what God
has already
promised.
And I want to
move through this
quickly.
We begin to
read Jephthah's
story and what
stands out as you
read through this
is the name
Yahweh that
shows up 14
times throughout
this chapter.
14 times the
name of the
Lord is used.
Capital L,
capital O,
capital R,
capital D.
That's the name
Yahweh, the
covenant keeping
God.
And Jephthah and
the people are
free to use
this divine
name.
But don't be
mistaken.
When they speak
of the name of
the Lord, they
may invoke the
name of the
Lord, but their
worship is entirely
other than the
name of the
Lord.
Because their
hearts are so
bent, their
hearts are so
twisted away from
God.
The first three
instances that we
see of the
divine name in
verses 9 and
then 10 and
then 11 is
this pact that's
negotiated between
people and then
God has to be the
one to validate
it in their
minds.
The next couple
of times where
the name of the
Lord is used,
Jephthah is
talking and
speaking with
negotiating with
the king of
the Ammonites.
And what's
telling about his
negotiation process
is what we find
in verse 24.
Judges 11, 23 and
24.
See if you can
pick up on the
theological and
doctrinal error
in Jephthah's
mind.
He says,
speaking to the
king of the
Ammonites,
so then the
Lord, the God
of Israel
dispossessed the
Ammonites from
before his people,
Israel.
And are you to
take possession of
them?
Will you not
possess what
Chemosh, your
God, gives to
you to possess?
And although the
Lord, our God,
has dispossessed
before us, we
will possess.
Can you see the
theological trouble
in verse 24?
Can you see the
doctrinal error that
Jephthah is exposing
there?
Who does he assign
the territory of
the Ammonites?
How did they get
it?
Who gave it to
them?
In Jephthah's
discourse, the
gods of Chemosh
gave it to them.
But we know
better.
Because Yahweh,
the Lord, is the
one who is
sovereign over
nations.
He is the one
who dispossesses.
He is the one
who grants.
And so the
theological issues
in Jephthah's
heart and mind
are even embedded
in his own
sentence, his
own resistance
to the kings
of the Ammonites.
He demonstrates
an awareness of
Yahweh.
But he also
recognizes, we
see through his
discourse, the
deep theological
errors that are
also there.
Then we come to
verse 29.
And this is the
most troubling of
all.
It says,
Then the spirit
of the Lord was
upon Jephthah.
And he passed
through Gilead and
Manasseh.
And he passed
on to Mizpah of
Gilead.
And from Mizpah of
Gilead he passed
on to the Ammonites.
And Jephthah made
a vow to the
Lord and said,
If you will give
the Ammonites
into my hands,
then whatever
comes out from
the doors of
my house to
meet me when I
return in peace
from the Ammonites
shall be the
Lord's and I
will offer it
for a burnt
offering.
The Ammonite
king would not
listen to the
discourse, the
negotiating power
of Jephthah.
He would not
listen.
So Jephthah goes
through Gilead and
through Manasseh to
recruit troops.
That's what we
find.
And we find that
what enabled his
success in verse
29 is the spirit
of the Lord was
upon Jephthah.
God graciously
allowed Jephthah
to enjoy success
but I'm convinced
that Jephthah was
totally oblivious
to God's work.
Why?
Because Jephthah
had operated this
way from the
beginning.
Jephthah had
recruited the
troops in Tob.
Jephthah had
established his
reputation.
Jephthah had
made a name
for himself.
Jephthah had
exerted power.
Jephthah had
become the
mighty man of
valor in Tob.
Jephthah was
then negotiating
terms with the
elders of Gilead.
Jephthah is now
placed as the
head over the
nation.
And all of
that was also
by the spirit of
the Lord.
Just not named.
Because God is
over all these
things.
And I believe
Jephthah is
totally oblivious
to the success
that God is
granting him.
But the one
who's writing
the story
wants us not
to forget.
This is not
because Jephthah
was particularly
gifted in
negotiation.
It was because
God graciously
allowed him to
enjoy success.
Jephthah was
totally oblivious
and that's why
we find in
verse 30
what Jephthah
will do.
Jephthah makes
a vow to
the Lord.
A vow that
was completely
unnecessary.
But a vow that
we're going to
find, we don't
have time,
a vow that as
we look deeper
into the
scripture we find
that it was
laden with
Baal logic.
It was the
kind of
negotiation
that the
nations would
do with their
deities.
We will offer
you the greatest
token of our
sacrifices, the
greatest gifts
that we have to
give, the
greatest tokens
of our dedication
to you and
based upon that
you need to
pay me off.
Pay me off
with success
over this
enemy.
That's the
Baal logic
that now
he's employing
on a greater
scale.
And now it
becomes very
personal.
Very personal.
Because now
whatever will
come out of
his house to
meet him, he
will offer as
a burnt
offering.
He's willing to
lay down at
least a member
of his family.
You see,
Jephthah is
still negotiating.
He's still
securing.
He's still
manipulating God
and seeking to
wrest concessions
and favors
from God
like he had
from the
Gileadites
and from
the Ammonites.
He is still
operating underneath
the same
pattern of
life.
I will do
whatever sacrifice
I need to do
in order to get
what I think
I need to get.
And if he was
aware of the
Spirit at all,
he would never
have to make
this vow.
Because he
was trying
to secure
what God
had already
graciously
handed to him.
The Spirit of the
Lord was
on him.
And God
was going
to give
them victory.
But Jephthah
is totally
oblivious.
We find
this three-linked
chain
through this
discourse.
We see
that Jephthah
is negotiating
with the
Gileadites
and he gets
all that he
wants.
Then he
negotiates
with the
Ammonites
and at least
he gets
a response
but their
response is
not favorable.
Then he
negotiates
with God
and God
is utterly
silent.
He's silent.
And we
find from
Jephthah's
story,
God does
graciously
give him
victory.
But then
in chapter
11 verse
34,
then Jephthah
came to
his home
at Mizpah
and behold
his daughter
came out
to meet him
with tambourines
and with
dances.
And then
this,
she was
his,
what do you
see?
She was
his only
child.
Because
besides her
he had
neither son
nor daughter.
And we've
just learned
from chapter
10 that
the gods
of the
nations had
embedded
themselves in
the culture
and particularly
the gods
of Moab
and the gods
of Ammon
which engaged
in child
sacrifice.
this
narrative
clue
is not
a coincidence.
I'm
convinced
that Jephthah
knew exactly
what the
conditions
of his
vow
would lead
to.
It was
going to
lead to
a sacrifice
of his
one
and only
daughter.
But it
was worth
the cost
in this
Baal-like
mindset,
his logic.
What do
I need
to do
to barter
with God
to get
what I
need?
How do
I go
about
securing
a victory?
If Jephthah
had known
the law,
he would
have known
that there
are ways
not to get
around the
law but
to work
within the
law to
remove
these rash
vows.
From Leviticus
chapter 27
or maybe
even in
laying down
his own
life for
the sake
of his
daughter.
But what
he ends
up finding
is this
greatest
victory
becomes
his
greatest
defeat.
I wonder
how many
times we
do that
the same
thing to
God.
I wonder
how many
times we
use God's
name
but it's
only a
facade for
doing what
we really
want to
do.
I wonder
how many
times we
say,
well,
let me
pray about
this.
Let me
see what
God has
to say
about this.
I want
to consult
the Lord
on this.
And then
what we
come back
with is,
well,
I really
feel like
God wants
me to
do X,
Y,
or Z.
We use
the name
of God
but we
have never
consulted
God.
We have
never prayed
to God.
We have
never run
to his
word.
We've
never
consulted
godly
individuals.
And so
we do
this little
bartering
that Jephthah
is doing.
How many
times have
we said,
God,
if you
just do
this for
me,
one more
thing,
then this
is what
I'll do
for you.
It's the
same spirit.
It's not
distant
way back
when,
when people
were corrupt,
when judges
ruled the
nation of
Israel.
No,
it is here.
It's present.
It's in us.
The same
spirit is
embedded in
every one
of our
hearts.
that we
use the
name of
the Lord
to actually
do the
very things
we want
to do
and not
the hard
things that
God calls
us to.
What's the
solution?
The solution
is the same
every time.
It's to
recognize the
problem in
us,
to confess
that sin,
but more
than just
giving lip
service to
confession
and recognizing
that there's a
problem and
wanting God to
fix those
problems so
that we can
move on with
life.
No,
it's coming
to a place
sincerely saying,
God,
I recognize
this problem
and I repent.
I turn away
from this issue
in my life
and I turn to
you.
Help the
word of God
to be central
in my focus.
Help it to be
the stabilizing
force guiding
my future.
And God,
do a work in
me to sanctify
me,
to cleanse
me from
all my
unrighteousness
so that my
life is
a figure
of the
wonder
of God's
forgiveness
and God's
work.
A trophy.
A trophy
to what God
wants to
really do.
That instead
of becoming
glory robbers,
we become
glory presenters.
Look at the
wonder of the
glory of God.
And so,
that's one of
the things that
we're going to
do right now
in baptism.
Kind of
setting the
work of God.
God is the
hero of our
stories.
And one of the
ways we get to
see that is
through baptism.
How God has
brought someone
to repentance
and the work
of Christ
in forgiveness
and raising
that individual
up to newness
of life.
That's already
happened,
but this is just
kind of a picture
of that work
of Christ
playing out.
Let me pray
for us.
We'll sing a song,
we'll do a
baptism,
and then we'll
dismiss.
Father, thank
you.
Thank you for
your patience
with us.
Thank you that
even when we
find ourselves
falling on our
faces again,
blowing it
again,
that you're
patient and
gracious,
and that if we
confess our sins,
that you are
faithful and
just to forgive
our sin,
and to cleanse
us from all
unrighteousness.
The things we
see and the
things we don't.
God, I pray
that our lives
would be a
trophy of your
grace,
and a trophy
of your power,
and a testimony
to your work
in our lives.
In Jesus' name,
amen.