Judges 12:1
This is a very similar response that the men of Ephraim had with Gideon. The Ephraimites once again see themselves as leaders that all others should consult. However, there is little evidence that they were involved and looking out for the other tribes. While you might expect a 'thank you Jephthah for taking the lead' or something similar, instead he was threatened because he had not involved them. These men seemed to always show up after the hard work was done. Where were they when the need was so great? Where were these men when the country was being oppressed for so many years? Why hadn't they stepped up and led the country against the Ammonites?
Real leadership rises to the occasion when things are tough. Israel lacked in leadership, presumably from their commitment to idolatry. They were compromisers, with no commitment to anything but their own skin. They were unwilling to put themselves in harm's way. They didn't mind someone else doing it and relishing in the victory.
Judges 12:2-6
Jephthah wasn't at all concerned about pleasing men. He stood up for his people and the Gileadites. They had been through a difficult conflict; these were the countrymen of Ephraim. Jephthah responded to the call from his people. Ephraim apparently had not responded to a call from Jephthah. Jephthah was the Lord's chosen vessel through whom He would work. The Lord had not chosen Ephraim for a reason. This reason was probably what the Ephraimites should have focused on. Instead, they chose to fight against Jephthah. This seems a little odd and a little risky to pick a fight with a war hero.
The Ephraimites claimed the Gileadites were fugitives. They were calling them disloyal, rebels and renegades. This angered Jephthah and the men of Gilead and they attacked Ephraim and took control of the Jordan crossing. The Gileadites set up a test to identify the Ephraimites. Apparently, the Hebrew dialect of the Ephraimites was such they didn't pronounce "Shibboleth" correctly. Anyone not saying it right was identified as an enemy and was executed. There were 42,000 men of Ephraim killed because of their response to Jephthah.
Judges 12:2-7
Jephthah went on to judge Israel for six years. It's not clear if he was just a regional judge. The leaders who offered him the job as their commander were apparently good to their word. He died among the people who at first rejected him. While he initially appeared to be seeking a kingship, there is no indication he ruled that way.
Judges 12:8-15
Without any word of the continued cycle of apostasy, we see three more minor judges. They are considered minor only because of the lack of information about their work.
- Ibzan: This judge clearly had a strong family. He would have had multiple wives or concubines. The thirty daughters were given away to form political alliances. This increases the geographical influence of a ruler and protected his reign. However, Ibzan was supposed to be a judge, not a king. His sons would not judge after him.
This is not considered Bethlehem in Judah but another Bethlehem in the territory of Zebulun in the hill country of Galilee. This is due to the next two judges being from this same area.
Ibzan judges for seven years and then he died. We see a cadence of 'he judged and was buried' among the minor judges.
- Elon: He was from the tribe of Zebulun and judged for ten years. He died and was buried. Aijalon is not the same was the city by the same name in Dan. This location is unknow.
- Abdon: Pirathon was six miles southwest of Samaria. He also had many wives and his sons and grandsons were powerful and influential, after all they rode donkeys. This is an indication of their wealth. He judged Israel for eight years. He died and was buried in Pirathon.
The Amalekites were a constant enemy of Israel. They apparently had been prominent in this area. They mostly considered to be associated with the Negev area. This may show they were semi-nomadic.
© 2015, 2022 Doug Ford, Calvary Chapel Sweetwater
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