DEPRAVITY WITHOUT GOD PART 9: SAME SONG SUNG

Abimelech is no more.  On his heels come a couple guys we know little about. They are among the more obscure characters of Scripture. 

The first to arise to defend Israel is a man of the Issachar Tribe. He lived in Shanir, a town on Mount Ephrim, and his name was Todo…no wait, that was a dog, who is better known to the world than the guy Tola. Tola was the son of Puah…and get ready to chuckle. Puah was the son of Dodo. 

Now there was a Puah, who was one of the midwives who feared God (Exodus 1:15-21) and refused to abort the Hebrew male babies at the time Moses was born, but this is not the same Puah.  All we know bout this Puah is that he was a male and the father of Tola. Tola’s father was Dodo, one of three Dodos named in Scripture, but we know little of him, except what is given in Judge 10:1. 

Tola held the position of a Judge in Israel for 23 years, possibly from 1149 B.C. to 1129 B.C., then he died and was buried at Shamir.

Next came Jair the Gileadite. There are controversies over this Jair concerning a man named Jair in Numbers 32:40-42: 

And Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he settled in it.  And Jair the son of Manasseh went and captured their villages, and called them Havvoth-jair.

And also in Deuteronomy 3:14-15.

Jair the Manassite took all the region of Argob, that is, Bashan, as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and called the villages after his own name, Havvoth-jair, as it is to this day.) To Machir I gave Gilead, 

The question is weather this was the same man who became a Judge in Israel.

After him arose Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years. And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities, called Havvoth-jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. And Jair died and was buried in Kamon. (Judges 10:3-5).

There are some similarities, such as Gilead and the cities of Havvoth-jair. Lot of argument over whether these were that same Jair or not. I don’t think it matters too much.  The most interesting thing about Jair is he had 30 sons and they had 30 cities, which were called Havvoth-jair. Jair’s main claim to fame was being  Judge in Israel for 22 years before he died, and that he had 30 sons who rode on 30 donkeys and controlled 30 cities.

This is what a man who sat atop of Israel for 23 years has as his claim in history? Right here we probably can say the Jair of Deuteronomy and the Jair of Judges are different men. In Deuteronomy Jair was out leading men against Canaan and taking regions for Israel. God had commanded that the Israelites go in and possess the land and destroy those dwelling there. Judge Jair’s namesake was doing just that but what had Judge Jair done? He took over after Tola, who apparently settled things down after Abimelech, and he sire 30 sons. Are his sons out riding horses and occupying the land? No, they are settled comfortably upon their asses controlling their individual cities. Meanwhile, while Jair and his sons enjoy peace and their prosperity for 23 years the Israelites are treading back toward false gods and sins.

So when Jair has died, the Israelites in full throat sang the same old song:

The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, 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. Judges 10:6

Needless to say, God was rather displeased and once again sold Israel into the hands of their enemies, this time the Ammonites and the Philistines, and these oppressed Israel for 18 years. The Ammonites even came across the Jordan River to greatly distress the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. (Judges 10:9)

As before, the Israelites began to bemoan their fate to God. They finally set aside the foreign gods and began again to serve the Lord, who had become impatient with the misery of Israel.

The Israelites encamped in Gilead and cried out for a leader against the Ammonites. The Ammonites were not some extinct sea creature, but a tribe of people in Canaan who descended from Ammon. They occupied the territory east of the Jordan across from Samaria, their bottom tip opposite Jericho. Ammon sat above its sister kingdom Moab. It’s chief city was Rabbath Ammon, and was on the site of present day Amman, Jordan’s current capital.

The Ammonites had a evil beginning. They descended from Ben-Ammi, a son of Lot and his own youngest daughter. Lot’s daughters got him drunk in order to have sexual relations with him. The older

daughter also had a son by Lot named Moab. The decedents of both these sons became enemies of Israel. These conceptions occurred after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. (Doesn’t Gomorrah sound like it should have been located in Ireland?) The daughters didn’t think there was any who would impregnate them, except their father. This was not something they conferred with God about and thus we see again that without God we go to depravity. (Genesis 19:30-38) Ammon and Moab would be constant enemies of Israel for a long time, as would the Philistines.

Now who are these Philistines? The name has come to mean a lowbrow, anti-intellectual, uncultured, materialistic lout. We first hear of the Philistines in Genesis 10:13-14. Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. Ham had a son named Cush, who fathered four sons, One was Nimrod, who you may recall built the tower of Babel.  Ham’s other three sons Egypt, Put and Canaan, a couple of whom you’ve probably heard about. We read about Egypt progeny in verses 13 and 14:

Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorim.

The Philistines will pop up a lot in the Old Testament. As a people, they settled on the south coast alongside Canaan in an area then called the Palestine Confederacy consisting of five cities: Gaza (which we hear a lot about today), Ashkelon (which since 1948 sits in southeastern Israel), Ashdod  (currently one of Israel’s main port), Gath (a city that has disappeared from the map, but we know it as the hometown of the giant Goliath) and Ekron (which was a stronghold in David’s time known for its worship of Baalzebub).

Thus Israel found themselves under attack on both the west and the east. The Ammonites showed up first with a challenge.

Then the Ammonites were called to arms, and they encamped in Gilead. And the people of Israel came together, and they encamped at Mizpah. And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said one to another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight against the Ammonites? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” Judges 10:17-18

This is a somewhat strange and twisted story, and maybe a sad one.  The first surprise in this narrative if who the leaders of Gilead turn to as a leader, one Jephthah. His name means to open or to release. It is given that Jephthah was a mighty warrior, which may have qualified him, but there was something else about him. He was the son of a prostitute. Most likely he was his father’s first born, but his half-brothers by his father’s wife told him he would receive no inheritance in the family. He then fled his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, probably Armenia, the name means good. Now it is quite possible that Jephthah was entitled to the inheritance as the first born and he fled from his brother in fear they would do him harm. 

This is somewhat reminiscent of Abraham and Sarah. Ishmael was technically Abraham’s first born, but Sarah out of jealousy had his mother Hagar and her son banished so Ishmael would have no inheritance with Isaac. A question raised here could be the status of Jephthah as a son of a prostitute. But the father apparently excepted Jephthah into his home and most likely his half-brothers banished him after the father’s death so he would not have an inheritance. His half-brothers saying he would receive no inheritance makes it their desire, not necessarily a standing law. Jacob made no distinction in inheritance between the offspring of his concubines and his wives.

Anyway, he began a new life and worthless fellows flocked to him and became his followers. They were probably just a band of robbers at this point. (Judges 11:1-3)

After a time the Ammonites made war against Israel. And when the Ammonites made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead 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.” But 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?” (Judges 11:4-7)

Seems like a logical question. They ran him off and now they want him back.

And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That is why we have turned to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the Ammonites and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you bring me home again to fight against the Ammonites, and the Lord gives them over to me, I will be your head.” And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will be witness between us, if we do not do as you say.”  So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and leader over them. And Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at Mizpah. (Judges 11:8-11)

Perhaps Jephthah and his men had a reputation as fighters and the elders of Gilead felt they needed such men. Perhaps there was no one else in Gilead they felt could be a leader against the Ammonites. He certainly got his inheritance back and maybe then some since they agree to make him leader of Gilead permanently. It says that Jephthah spoke these words before the Lord at Mizpah. Mizpah means a watchtower and came to mean an agreement between parties that had been at odd, such as Jacob and Laben (see Genesis 31). It also probably meant that this vow was made before a priest or in a tabernacle. Reference is made later to the Mizpah of Gilead and this is probably the one and the same.

Jephthah attempts to be reasonable with the Ammonites. He has a back and forth with the King of the Ammonites and we see the Ammonites still hold a grudge against Israel going back to when Israel was passing through doing the Exodus and requested to graze their livestock on Ammon land., and Ammon refused. 

The narrative that Jephthah gives the King of the Ammonites can be found in Deuteronomy 2:16-37 & Numbers 20:14-21.

12 Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites and said, “What do you have against me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?” 13 And the king of the Ammonites answered the messengers of Jephthah, “Because Israel on coming up from Egypt took away my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jordan; now therefore restore it peaceably.” 14 Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites 15 and said to him, “Thus says Jephthah: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites, 16 but when they came up from Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh. 17 Israel then sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us pass through your land,’ but the king of Edom would not listen. And they sent also to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained at Kadesh.

18 “Then they journeyed through the wilderness and went around the land of Edom and the land of Moab and arrived on the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the boundary of Moab. 19 Israel then sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him, ‘Please let us pass through your land to our country,’ 20 but Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory, so Sihon gathered all his people together and encamped at Jahaz and fought with Israel. 21 And the Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them. So Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country. 22 And they took possession of all the territory of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan. 23 So then the Lord, the God of Israel, dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel; and are you to take possession of them? 24 Will you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? And all that the Lord our God has dispossessed before us, we will possess. 25 Now are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend against Israel, or did he ever go to war with them? 26 While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, 300 years, why did you not deliver them within that time? 27 I therefore have not sinned against you, and you do me wrong by making war on me. The Lord, the Judge, decide this day between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon.” 28 But the king of the Ammonites did not listen to the words of Jephthah that he sent to him.

Jephthah's Tragic Vow

Jephthah is now pretty much forced to engage the Amonites. He marched across Gilead to meet them in battle and along the way he made a careless vow to the Lord.  

“If you will give the Ammonites into my hand,  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 up for a burnt offering.” Judges 11:31.

Jephthah went into the battle and God gave them into his hand, so he went home after his victory. (Judges 11:32-33)

34 Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor

daughter. 35 And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot take back my vow.”

This is a great warning to us to be careful in what we may promise to God during a point of high emotion. Obviously Jephthah made this vow without thoroughly thinking it through. What had he in mind to be the first thing to come out his front door when he returned? His favorite chair? His pet goat? If you have been away a time, especially facing danger such as war, what would you expect to be the first to run out and greet you, but a loved one; you’re spouse or child or sibling?

Jephthah realizes he can not go back on a vow to God and his daughter realizes this even more than him and takes it well, I would say.

36 And she said to him, “My father, you have opened your mouth to the Lord; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that the Lord has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites.” 37 So she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: leave me alone two months, that I may go up and down on the mountains and weep for my virginity, I and my companions.” 38 So he said, “Go.” Then he sent her away for two months, and she departed, she and her companions, and wept for her virginity on the mountains. 39 And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made. She had never known a man, and it became a custom in Israel 40 that the daughters of Israel went year by year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year. Judges 11:34-40.

Jephthuh did with her according to his vow. What was his hasty vow?

“If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, 31 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 up for a burnt offering.” Judges 11:31.

Would God have honored a vow of child sacrifice, especially by fire. This was the practice of the Ammonites, killing their children as offerings to Moloch, God specifically forbade sacrifices to Moloch and forbade the Israelites from child sacrifice in general. Yet it says Jephthah did according to his vow. Does that not mean he burnt her wholly?

There is argument about this, some saying he did kill his daughter, but I side with those who say he did not. The key is in the phrase “Shall be the Lords [and] I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” The conjunction is very arbitrary. It could be either “and” or “or”. If we look at Young’s Literal Translation I think we can see this. 

And she saith unto her father, `Let this thing be done to me; desist from me two months, and I go on, and have gone down on the hills, and I weep for my virginity -- I and my friends.'

And he saith, `Go;' and he sendeth her away two months, and she goeth, she and her friends, and she weepeth for her virginity on the hills;

and it cometh to pass at the end of two months that she turneth back unto her father, and he doth to her his vow which he hath vowed, and she knew not a man; and it is a statute in Israel:

from time to time the daughters of Israel go to talk to the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite, four days in a year. Judges 11:37-40.

Jephthah kept his vow of giving her to the Lord. She became something of how we would view a Nun, married to the Lord and thus a perpetual virgin. From time to time the daughters of Israel come to talk to her, four times a year. Whom do they talk to if she is only long dead ash risen in smoke to blow away?

We are not quite done with Jephthuh; in fact, we are going to look at something from his life that even if you never heard his name, you probably have heard this.

But first, here come those jealous Ephraimites again. Same old complaint. The Ephraimites confront Jephthah and are angry because he didn’t call them to fight against the Amomites. They threaten  to burn his house down. Jeththah comes right back at them and says when he called them, they didn’t come. Jephthah isn’t as glib as Gideon, so the next thing we know we got a alley fight between the Ephraimites and the people of Gilead. The Gileads were able to capture the fords of the Jordan and cut off passage to the Ephraimites. 

Ephraim attempted to send men across, but every time the Gileans stopped the guy trying to cross and told him to say “shibboleth”, Hebrew for river. Problem for the Ephraimites is they couldn’t pronounce this word. They couldn’t form the “sh” sound. It always came out sibboleth, then they would seize the poor fellow and kill him in the river. Eventually, 42,000 Ephraimites were killed in these skirmages.  Judges 12:1-6

Jephthah ruled Israel a mere six years, then he died and was buried in Gilead. Judges 12:7

We have a line of Judges, who didn’t rule very long, come in short order. These were Ibzan, Elon and Abdon. We know very little about these guys, except in two cases where we are told the number of prodigy and how many donkeys they had. Donkeys seem very popular during this time of the Judges.

For instance, Ibzan had thirty daughters and thirty sons, and thirty daughter-in-laws for his boys that he brought in from other clans than his own. He was from Bethlehem and was buried in Bethlehem when he died. It is not thought that this is the same Bethlehem where Jesus was born, because that one was in Judah in the south. He Judged for seven years.

Next came Elon, a Zebulunite. We know even left about him. We aren’t even told how many kids or donkeys he owned. He judged 10 years, died and was buried in Aijalon of Zebulun.

We return to sons and livestock with Abdon, son of Hillel the Pirathonite. He was very fertile and had forty sons and thirty grandsons and they all rode about on 70 Donkeys. He ruled for eight years, then died and was buried at Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, and curiously, in the hill country of the Amalekites. It’s exact location is no longer known, but it does have one other note of fame; Benaiah, one of David’s mighty ones was originally from there. (2 Samuel 23:30; 1 Chronicles 11:31; 27:14)

Then the next chapter of Judges in Israel begins with the usual theme:

And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. Judge 13:1

 I wonder what next.