Did You Not Hate Me? - Judges 11:7

In the book of Judges we learned how, “it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob. And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon”, and in chapter eleven and verse seven of Judges, we learn how,“Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not you hate me, and expel me out of my father's house?” where we read,

And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not you hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are you come unto me now when you are in distress?

The verse reads, “And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not you hate me, and expel me out of my father's house?” The writer began with the words, “and Jephthath” whose name means “he opens” and was “a son of Gilead and a concubine and the judge who defeated the Ammonites; after the victory because of a vow taken before the battle he sacrificed his daughter as a burnt offering” “said unto the elders of Gilead” or ”uttered, declared and proclaimed to the aged and older men from Gilead whose name means ‘rocky region’ and was a mountainous region bounded on the west by the Jordan, on the north by Bashan, on the east by the Arabian plateau, and on the south by Moab and Ammon; sometimes called 'Mount Gilead' or the 'land of Gilead' or just 'Gilead'. Divided into north and south Gilead”, “Did you not hate me” which means “was it not true that you, the elders of Gilead, considered me, Jephthah, as an enemy and foe and utterly odious”, “and expel me out of my father’s house” or “and cast, throw and trust me, Jephthah, from my, Jephthah’s, immediate male progenitor and ancestor’s, habitation, abode and dwelling place”?  The writer shared how “Jephthah” asked the “elders of Gilead” to recall how they considered him a foe and utterly odious as they threw him out of his “father’s” dwelling place.

The verse goes on to says, “and why are you come unto me now when you are in distress?” The writer continued with the words, “and why are you come unto me” which means “and for what reason and cause are you, the elders of Gilead, proceeding, walking and being brought near to me, Jephthah” “when you are in distress” or “at the time and moment you, the elders and people of Gilead, exist within straits, affliction and adversity”? The writer shared how “Jephthah” wanted to know the reason the “elders of Gilead” were approaching him at this time when they were facing adversity and trouble. 

When we consider the words in this verse, we see how “Jephthah” responded to “the elders of Gilead’s” request for him to become their commander. These same “elders” threw “Jephthah” out of their city and would not allow him to inherit his father’s dwelling place. We shall see what the “elders of Gilead” and “Jephthah” do with this dilemma in our next verses, but for now let us consider that God Almighty knows when we have been treated badly by others. (Galatians 6:7) We also should remember that His Son Jesus was also maltreated, and they crucified Him. Because Jesus suffered and died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was raised from the dead after three days, when we submit to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth and equip us with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and empower us to use the gifts He gives us in keeping with His perfect will and timing. (See John 3:16; 16:13; Acts 1:8; Romans 11:29; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

Next time we learn how, “the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to you now”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance”.