Jephthah Went with the Elders - Judges 11:11

In the book of Judges we learned how Jephthah asked, “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? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to you now, that you may go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If you bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to your words”, and in chapter eleven and verse eleven of Judges, we learn how the elders of Gilead said “the LORD be witness between us” where we read,

Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.

The verse reads, “Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them:” The writer began with the words, “then Jephthah” which means “at that time Jephthah whose name means ‘he opens’ and was a son of Gilead and and a concubine and the judge who defeated the Ammonites” “went with the elders” or ”left and departed alongside and accompanying the aged and older men” “of Gilead” which means “belonging to 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 or ‘the land of Gilead’ or just ‘Gilead’. Divided into north and south Gilead”, “and the people made him head and captain over them” or “and the human beings of Gilead cause him, Jephthah, to be the top, summit, chief, best choice, ruler and commander above them, the people of Gilead.  The writer shared how “Jephthah” accompanied the aged men of “Gilead” and all the inhabitants of “Gilead” caused him to be their ruler and commander.

The verse goes on to say “and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.” The writer continued with the words, “and Jephthah” whose name means “he opens” “uttered all his words” or “declared and proclaimed every one of his, Jephthah’s, utterances and declarations” “before the LORD” which means “in front and in the presence of Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God” “in Mizpeh” or “within Mizpeh whose name means ‘watchtower’ and was a place in Gilead south of Jabbok”. The writer shared shared how “Jephthah” declared every one of his utterances in the presence of Jehovah God within “Mizpeh”. 

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn how “Jephthah” consented to the request of the aged men of “Gilead”, and he accompanied them back to their dwelling place. At that time “Jephthah” made declarations of every one of his statements within the presence of Jehovah God “in Mizpeh”. It is interesting to note that “Jephthah’s” first act was to make proclamations in the presence of Jehovah God. In other words, he prayed. This is a great example for us, and whenever God calls us to specific tasks, we should pray. When we receive His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was resurrected from the dead after three days, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth and teach us to prioritize our relationship with Him before we perform any task He has given us. (See John 3:16; 16:13; Philippians 4;6-7)

Next time we learn how, “Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon”, 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”.