Fri.’s Devo - More Judges

Read: Judges 10-12
There were 13 judges in all. Most of them brought the people back to the Lord and helped Israel defeat their enemies. For example: Jair’s name means “enlightener”. He had 30 sons, 30 colts and 30 cities. As soon as he died the nation of Israel went back into sin. Theses judges brought spiritual revival but as soon as they died, the nation slowly died spiritually.
The story of Jephthah is always a hard one to understand for me. He was the son of a harlot that was exiled from his family until they needed him to lead them when they got threatened by the Ammonites. Jephthah knew Israel’s history and who the Ammonites were. They had refused to allow Israel to pass through their land so God gave them their land. He came back with the stipulation that if he helped them defeat the Ammonites, he would rule Gilead. They agreed and he got them their victory at the expense of losing his only child over a rash vow he made. The thing that surprises me the most is his daughter’s willingness to appease her father’s bad decision. I’m afraid I would have run away instead of coming home to my impending death. She paid the price of her life and never got to experience the joy of having children. Jephthah destroyed his own heritage to preserve the heritage of his brothers. I guess that makes him a hero. Jephthah’s name means “he will open”. He opened a way for his brethren to live in peace.
Lord, help us to be willing to sacrifice our own pleasure for the bigger picture.