Unjustly Attacked By His Fellow Jews

When Gideon had defeated the Midianites, the tribe of Ephraim had gotten mad because he didn’t ask for their4 help. They got even more aggressive with Jephthah, because he didn’t consult them, as Judges 12:1 describes.  “And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire.” 

 

Gideon had talked them out of their anger, by pointing out that by blocking the Midianites’ escape route, they had killed even more than his three hundred men had killed.  Jephthah pointed out that when he did ask for their help they hadn’t bothered to show up, in Judges 12:2-3.  “And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands.  And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?”

 

Jephthah did not take to their threats to kill him and their claims tha the people of Gilead were not really part of Israel at all, which was exactly what the transJordan tribes had feared when they built the Altar, in Joshua 22:10-29.  He gathered his army and attacked them, as Judges 12:4-describes.  “Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.  And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay; Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.”  The Gileadites used their different accents to distinguish the Ephraimites from the local people.  they killed forty two thousand Ephraimites. 

 

Frequently, when we serve God, the most troubling attacks come from people who have no real grounds for their attack.  Sometimes the attacks are a result of jealousy or a sense of guilt, or a desire to have control, while other times, they are just the result of a bad attitude.  Sometimes, like Gideon, we can defuse the conflict, Sometimes we just have to deal with their ungodly attitudes and behavior, trusting God to show the truth.  In any case, we need to go ahead and do what god said without concern for what others tell us. 

 

Jephthah only led Israel for six years.  Israel remained free under different judges, as described in Judges 12:7-15.  “And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.  And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.  And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.  Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Bethlehem.

And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years.  And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun.  And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel.  And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years.  And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites.”

 

The leader sets the pattern for what an organization will be like.  When they had Leaders who followed God, Israel followed God as well, and as a result, for thirty one years, Israel remained free, with no major upsets or conflicts, even though they had no powerful king to force them to do what was right.