In the book of Judges we learned how, ”Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What have you to do with me, that you are come against me to fight in my land?”, and in chapter eleven and verse thirteen of Judges, we learn how, “the king of the children of Ammon answered” where we read,
And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah,
Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.
The verse reads, “And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, …” The writer began with the words, “and the king of the children of Ammon” which means “and the royal ruler and leader of the offspring and progeny belonging to Ammon whose name means ‘tribal’ and were a people dwelling in Transjordan descended from Lot though Ben-ammi” “answered unto the messengers of Jephthah” or ”responded to the delegates and envoys belonging to Jephthah whose name means ‘he opens” with the following words. The writer shared how royal ruler of the “Ammonites” responded to the envoys dispatched to him by “Jephthah” with the following words.
The verse goes on to say, “… because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, …” The writer continued with the words, “because Israel” which means “since and on account that Israel whose name means ‘God prevails’ and is the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob” “took away my land” or “fetched, lay hold of and seized my, the royal ruler of Ammon’s region and territory”, “when they came up out of Egypt” which means “at the time and moment they, the people of Israel, ascended and arose from Egypt whose name means land of the Copts and was a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows”, “from Arnon” or “separate and apart from Arnon whose name means ‘rushing stream’ and was a river and surrounding valley in south Palestine which forms the border between Moab and the Amorites” “even unto Jabbok” which means “also and indeed to Jabbok whose name means ‘emptying’ and was a stream which intersects the mountain range of Gilead, and falls into the Jordan on the east about midway between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea”. The writer shared how the “king of Ammon” told the envoys dispatched by “Jephthah” that the were attacking “Gilead” on account that “Israel” seized their territory from the “Arnon River to the Jabbok” at the time they ascended from “Egypt”.
Finally the verse reads, “… and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.” The writer concluded this verse with the words, “and unto Jordan” which means “and toward the Jordan whose name means ‘descender’ and was a the river of Palestine running from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the Dead Sea a distance of approximately 200 miles (320 km)”: “now therefore restore those lands again” or “at this time wherefore, then and on this account return and give back the areas previously spoken about” “peaceably” which means “completely and with quietness and tranquility”. The writer ended this verse by sharing how the royal ruler of “Ammon” also accused “Israel” of taking their “land” to the “Jordan River”, and he told “Jephthah’s” envoys to return their property to them in a complete, quiet and tranquil manner.
When we consider the words in this verse, we discover the response the “king of Ammon” gave to “Jephthah’s” question concerning the reason that he attacked “Gilead”. The “king” said “Israel” seized his property from the Arnon River to the Jabbok and to the Jordan. The “king” wanted the property restored to him in a peaceful manner. We shall see how “Japhthah” responds in our next verse, but for now let us consider the difference between what the people of “Gilead” thought and what the royal ruler of “Ammon” was thinking. We should keep in mind that there was another who had thoughts concerning what happened, Jehovah God. God knows the plans and intents of our hearts, (See Hebrews 4:12) and when He sent His Son Jesus into this world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and raised Him from the dead after three days, He made the way through faith and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord” to be forgiven of our sins, granted everlasting life and equipped with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and give us the wisdom to understand how to respond to those who think differently from us and God. (See John 3:16; James 1:5)
Next time we learn how, “Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king”, 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”
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