Jephthah: Unmerited Mercy
We’re jumping ahead to judge number nine- Jephthah. Judges tells us—
Judges 11:1 | Now Jephthah of Gilead was a great warrior.
The great warrior Jephthah had a rough start to his life. His father Gilead wasn’t married to Jephthah’s mom. Instead, he was married to another woman who he already had several sons with. Apparently, these boys didn’t like Jephthah much.
Judges 11:2b | When these half brothers grew up, they chased Jephthah off the land. “You will not get any of our father’s inheritance,” they said [for you are the son of another woman].
Jephthah’s own family rejects him and he runs away from his brothers to the land of Tob.
You may have guessed that if Jephthah is going to become Israel’s judge, they must be in trouble. The Bible says—
Judges 11:4 | At about this time, the Ammonites began their war against Israel.
The Ammonites were very cruel oppressors. Throughout the Old Testament we see their shockingly inhumane practices. It must have been pretty bad because —
Judges 11:5-6 | When the Ammonites attacked, the elders of Gilead sent for Jephthah in the land of Tob. The elders said, “Come and be our commander! Help us fight the Ammonites!”
The leaders of Gilead want Jephthah the mighty warrior! This seems like a great opportunity for Jephthah, right? But Jephthah is like, ‘not so fast.’
Judges 11:7 | But Jephthah said to them, “Aren’t you the ones who hated me and drove me from my father’s house? Why do you come to me now when you’re in trouble?”
It turns out that these guys not only knew about what was happening to Jephthah as he was younger, but they were even part of the experiences that hurt him. And Jephthah hasn’t forgotten.
Jephthah wants to know, why did you want nothing to do with me before and now all of a sudden you want me to be your leader? The answer from the elders of Gilead was an honest one—
Judges 11:8a | “Because we need you,” the elders replied.
Poor Jephthah! He was kicked out of his home, abandoned by his family, and rejected by his town. They treated him poorly and really didn’t care anything about Jephthah until they were in trouble.
If you were Jephthah, would you want to help the people who hurt you? They haven’t even apologized!
Despite his personal feelings, Jephthah does what is right. He agrees to help his people, even after they made themselves his enemy.
Judges 11:29 | At that time the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he went throughout the land of Gilead and Manasseh, including Mizpah in Gilead, and from there he led an army against the Ammonites.
Judges 11:32 | So Jephthah led his army against the Ammonites, and the Lord gave him victory. He crushed the Ammonites, devastating about twenty towns from Aroer to an area near Minnith and as far away as Abel-keramim. In this way Israel defeated the Ammonites.
Because Jephthah showed mercy to the very people who hurt him, the Israelites followed God for the six years he was their judge.
It couldn’t have been easy for Jephthah to show love, compassion, and mercy to those who abandoned him. Like Judge Jephthah, there may be people in your life who have hurt you and don’t deserve mercy, but remember,
Luke 6:36 | Be merciful, just as your father is merciful.
We ourselves didn’t deserve God’s mercy, but it was lavished on us when He sent His Son Jesus to die in our place. We sin against Him and go our own way, even though we know His way is not only right, but better. Despite our mistreatment of Him,
Titus 3:5-7 | he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.
Jephthah’s mercy reminds us of the mercy we received from Jesus. Following their examples, obey the instructions of Jesus, even when they are undeserved—
Luke 6:27b-28 | Love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.
What difficult experiences did Jephthah have growing up? Why did he think he couldn’t trust people from his hometown when they came to him for help?
Have you ever been mistreated by people like Jephthah was? If so, how?
Did the Israelites in Gilead deserve Jephthah’s help? Why or why not?
When we help someone or show them kindness when they deserve the opposite, we are showing them grace and mercy. What undeserved grace and mercy have you received?
What can we learn from Jephthah’s story?