In the book of Judges we learned how Jephtath 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 in chapter eleven and verse ten of Judges, we learn how how the elders of Gilead said “the LORD be witness between us” where we read,
And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us,
if we do not so according to your words.
The verse reads, “And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, …” The writer began with the words, “and the elders of Gilead” which means “and the aged and older men 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 'land of Gilead' or just 'Gilead'.” “said unto Jephthah” or ”uttered, declared and proclaimed to Jephthah 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”, “the LORD be witness between us” which means “Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name of the One True God exist as consenting, attentive and discerning in the midst and middle of us, Jephthah and the elders of Gilead”. The writer shared how the “elders of Gilead” told “Jephthah” that Jehovah God would bear testimony to the agreement made in the midst of them.
The verse continues “… if we do not so according to your words.” The writer added the words, “if we do not so” which means “whether and in case we, the elders of Gilead, in no way or manner produce and perform” “according to your words” or “”in keeping with your, Jephthah’s, utterances, declarations and proclamations”. The writer shared how the “elders of Gilead” told "Jephthah” that Jehovah God would be watching over them as to whether they do as “Jephthah” said.
When we consider the words in this verse, we learn how the “elders of Gilead” said Jehovah God would be overseeing whether they kept their agreement with “Jephthah”. God does watch, and He is aware of all agreements and commitments. He desires a personal relationship with us through His Son Jesus who was crucified on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was resurrected from the dead after three days. When we surrender our lives to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth and give us the ability to make agreements that He helps us keep. (See Hebrews 13:20-21)
Next time we learn how, “Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead”, 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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