399: Ben Hole – Jephthah

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Welcome to Good Christophian
Talks.

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Thank you for joining us this
week on this podcast.

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We select one talk a week to
help us get the Bible in our

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Daily News feed.
Each week we post a talk that we

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previewed from suggestions sent
in by listeners from around the

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world.
Then we record a short intro

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beforehand as a personalized
recommendation to you on why we

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are sharing the talk.
And now let’s talk more about

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this week’s talk.
Hello and welcome back.

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This is Brother Chris for this
week.

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We’re listening to a Bible class
that was given by Brother Ben

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Hole at the East Coventry
Ecclesia in the UK in November

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of 2024.
And the subject of this that

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Brother Ben is looking at is the
story of Jephta.

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This was sent in as a
recommendation as a really

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comprehensive look at the idea
of the story of Jephta and the

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different symbolisms and lessons
and meaning behind everything

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that happened in that story and
judges.

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Now it has surface level, the
story of Jephta can almost seem

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to be a bit of a weird one.
Sometimes it can even be used as

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an example of human sacrifice.
But Brother Ben does a really

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great job at looking at all the
nuance and all the symbolism and

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all the lessons and the biblical
principles behind the story of

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Jephta.
I myself have also done studying

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on the story of Jephta.
I’ve done an expectation on it

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and I found that Brother Ben hit
topics and ideas that I’ve never

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heard of before and to me is one
of the more comprehensive

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approaches to this story that
I’ve heard in a really long

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time.
So I found it to be a really

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encouraging one, A fantastic
listen.

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Brother Ben does a great job of
putting this all together.

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So I am really excited to be
able to share this with you and

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hopefully you find it to be as
encouraging and also kind of eye

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opening and all the different
lessons and things that we can

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find from the story of Jephta.
So with that, I will turn it

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over to our brother Ben Hole for
his class on Jephta.

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We want to consider then the
record of this judge chapter.

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There’s a few key questions that
we want to answer as we go

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through.
When we when we read through

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this, this record, it’s quite
unusual.

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It’s quite unique in the way
that it’s presented and it’s

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quite unusual in the way it’s
presented because the elements

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that are focused on aren’t
necessarily the elements that we

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would expect.
So we, we’ve read the end of, of

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Judges 10 because that
introduces the, the, the scene,

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I guess, of, of what’s about to
happen.

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And Judges 11 then deals with
the life of Jephthah or the,

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the, the incident in which
Jephthah intervenes.

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And so we’ll, we’ll go through
that through the course of the

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evening.
But, but as the scene has been

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set at the end of Judges Chapter
10, there is a big battle

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brewing.
That’s what’s happening.

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And we, we have the Ammonites
incamped against the Israelites.

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And then the, the, the people
are, are asking for a leader.

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Well, how are we going to fight
this battle?

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And so it looks like that the
builder is building us all up to

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this great battle.
And yet when we get to Judges

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Chapter 11, we’ve got 40 verses
that detail what Jepfa does.

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And, and two of those are about
the battle.

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The rest are about Jepfa’s
background, his selection as the

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leader by the elders of Gilead,
the conversation in essence,

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that he has with the King of
Haman, and then his vow that he

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makes.
And so having set the scene that

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there’s this big battle about to
take place, that’s not the focus

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at all of what Jephthah is
presented doing in the record.

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And So what we want to to
consider this evening as well.

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Why is Jachter presented to us?
And we’ll consider this in a

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second.
Why is Jachter presented to us

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as an outcast of the people?
We want to consider Why is

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Jachter’s main focus on the
dialogue that he has with the

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King of Amman and rather than
the battle?

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And then we want to consider,
well, what’s this vow all about?

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One of the most controversial
characters for that very reason

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that that divides opinion and
has done for many years.

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What is the vow all about?
Did he sacrifice his daughter or

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not?
So those are the, the, the

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questions that we want to answer
over the course of this evening

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just to I guess set the scene a
little bit a little bit more.

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So so we’re chronologically
we’re about 3/4 the way through

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the book of judges now.
And in fact, this is one of the

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only judges that we are able to
put a specific time marker down.

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We’re given a specific time
marker in Judges Chapter 11,

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which we’re going to consider in
a moment.

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But but this is about 3/4 the
way through the book of Judges

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chronologically.
And, and what’s happening now is

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the children of Israel go
through that cycle that they go

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through so regularly through the
book of Judges and they fall

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into sin, don’t they?
So that’s where we started in

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verse 6.
And there’s that long list of

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the gods that they begin to
serve.

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They live in Ashtaroth and the
Syrian gods and the Zeidonian

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gods and the Moabite gods and,
and the the list continues.

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And it’s the gods of all the
nations around them that they

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are worshipping now and this
time that they are sold into the

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hands of the Philistines first
and then of the Ammonites.

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And it’s the Ammonites who will
take centre stage as Israel’s

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opponents in this incident.
And so that there is 18 years of

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oppression on the other side,
Jordan on the east side of

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Jordan.
But the narrative really begins

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when when the Ammonites then
cross the Jordan and begin to

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attempt to take the land of
Judah and Benjamin and the House

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of Efraim.
And that’s verse 9.

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The children of Amman passed
over Judah to to Benjamin and

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Efraim and and the House of
Israel was sore distressed.

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And we need to consider for a
moment the the state of the

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people at this point.
This is before there was a king

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ruling over them all.
This is before they were a

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united people in that sense that
they were a tribal people at

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this point.
So they would have had localised

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rulership, they would have had
ruling families over over

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particular areas, they would
have had regional and tribal

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leadership in that sense.
And, and so, so these areas of

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of Ephraim in particular is
where this is going to focus and

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the local leadership of that
area.

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And so the children of Israel in
that area cried to God.

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Verse 10, we have sinned against
thee.

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And it’s interesting that they
give two confessions.

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So Judges 10, verse 10, we have
sinned against thee both because

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we are forsaken our God and also
survey them.

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Now it’s important that that
they make 2 confessions.

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And the reason it’s important
is, is because God’s response to

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them is unique, I think, to the
book of Judges.

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God’s response to them on this
occasion is no, I will not come

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to your aid.
And there’s a reason for that.

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So they cried to God, We have
sinned and now please help us.

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And and God says in verse 11, I
have done, I have delivered you

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from the Egyptians, from the
Amorites, from the Ammonites and

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the Philistines and the
Sidonians and the Malachias and

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the Mayonites.
I’ve delivered you from all of

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them and and what when you cried
unto me, and yet you have still

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served of the gods.
And so verse 13, I will deliver

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you no more.
And so God, I, I think here it

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is, is this is a a unique or at
least an unusual response in the

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book of Judges.
They cry to him and he says, no,

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I will not help.
And the reason is, but they

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hadn’t repented of both of their
sins.

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So they made two confessions,
didn’t they?

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We are forsaken by God and also
serve Balaam.

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And, and they’d repented of the
first, they were now crying to

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God.
And so they, they had realised

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that they, they, they had
forsaken God and and yet they

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were still serving the other
gods.

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It’s, it’s in verse 16 that they
put away the strange gods and

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serve the Lord.
And at that point, then at the

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end of verse 16, his soul was
grieved for the misery of

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Israel.
And so, so it’s only when they

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repent of both of those
confessions that God then

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responds to them.
And, and there’s, there’s a

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lesson in there for us, isn’t
there?

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There’s a lesson in there for
us.

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Crying to God is absolutely the
right thing to do.

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But if we think we can cry to
God but continue in our own

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ways, then God’s response is, is
us here.

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God’s response is, well, if you
think you can serve the other

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gods, then cry unto them.
That’s what he says.

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Cry to the gods that you have
chosen.

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And yet once they put those
strange gods away, well, then,

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then God will respond.
And so the, the people of Israel

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then or, or, or certainly the
people in this local area were,

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were perhaps struggling with
their faith even more than they

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had in previous times in the
book of Judges.

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They were finding it harder to
put those gods away from them.

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And, and yet they get to that
point, they get to that point

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and they are gathered together
ready to go and fight this

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battle and they look at each
other.

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Who’s going to lead us?
They are sheep without a

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shepherd, aren’t they?
Verse 18 What man is he that

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will begin to fight against the
children of Ammon?

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None of them are there ready and
able to go and lead that farce.

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They had no leader, they had no
captain.

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And so they say, whoever it is,
whoever will step forward, he’ll

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be the head over all the
inhabitants of Gilead.

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And so the, the way the
narrative builds this up or

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who’s going to be our leader,
you expect it to, to follow in

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with, with this great
introduction to, to who their

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leader is going to be.
And, and, and yet what we’ve

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given is an outcast that the
narrative builds up to this

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point where there’s this, this
battle about to take place and,

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and the people of Israel are
without a leader and they are

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facing defeat and they are led
to consider the man that they

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had cast out.
And I think in that we can start

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to see a type of, of what’s
going on here, can’t we?

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A type of what will happen in
the future when the children of

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Israel are are gathered against
a great invader who is coming

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against their people and they
look at each other and they have

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no leader and they have no way
out.

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And they will be led to consider
the one whom they cast out as

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their head.
And so how then are we

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introduced to Jachter?
This was one of our questions,

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wasn’t it?
Why are we introduced to Jachter

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as an outcast?
And, and having built up to this

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point where we we have this
repentance and we have this

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battle that’s about to take
place.

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We then we then take a little
pause as we head into Judges

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Chapter 11 and the narrative
takes a little break and we have

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sort of verses 1 to 3 is is in
parenthesis really and and takes

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us back in time to give us
Jephthah’s background.

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So Judges 11 and the first 3
verses.

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Now Jephthah, the Gileadite was
a mighty man of valor.

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He was the son of an harlot,
Gilead.

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We got Jephthah.
So, so Gilead was his father.

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He was a Gileadite.
They are in the area of Gilead.

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And so we would suggest then
that this is likely to have been

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the the ruling family, the chief
family of this local area, the

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Gileadites.
But as two Gilead’s wife bare

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him sons, and his wife’s sons
grew up, and they thrust out

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Jephthah and said, You shall not
inherit in our father’s house,

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for you are the son of a strange
woman.

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Then Jephthah fled from his
brethren and dwelt in the land

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of and there were gathered vain
men to Jephthah and went out

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with him.
And so the narrative presents

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this man as the Saviour of the
people, the son of an harlot

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cast out with vain men gathered
to him.

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This is the man on whom the
hopes of the nation would raise.

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So why is he presented in this
way?

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Why are we given this detail of
Jephthah’s background?

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00:12:46,160 –> 00:12:48,400
Why not go straight into the
fact that he was selected?

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Why are we given this context?
Well, I think we are LED in this

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00:12:52,240 –> 00:12:56,960
context to see a number of types
again.

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Oh, and and echoes as to who
Jephthah is, who his family are,

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and who they represent from from
other areas of Scripture.

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Let’s pick up first of all, that
the fact that in verse 2, they

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thrust out Jephthah because he
was the son of a strange woman.

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Now, now let’s consider an echo
here.

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Who was thrust out because they
were the son of a strange woman.

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00:13:28,800 –> 00:13:32,720
If we come back to Genesis
chapter 21, I think we are led

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to consider the comparison
between Ishmael and Isaac.

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00:13:37,960 –> 00:13:39,640
So come back to Genesis chapter
21.

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We have the same word for thrust
out brought up again here in

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00:13:48,000 –> 00:13:52,520
Genesis 21 and verse 10.
And the context is the same as

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00:13:52,520 –> 00:13:55,000
well.
Importantly, it’s not just the

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00:13:55,000 –> 00:13:56,880
same word.
It’s the same word in the same

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00:13:56,880 –> 00:14:02,080
context.
And so in in Genesis 21 and and

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00:14:02,080 –> 00:14:09,000
we we we know the narrative
Ishmael had been born of Abraham

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00:14:09,000 –> 00:14:12,400
and Hagar, and yet the seed of
promise then had been born and

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00:14:12,400 –> 00:14:15,720
Isaac had been born.
And yet the persecution begins,

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00:14:15,720 –> 00:14:18,920
doesn’t it?
In verse 9 of Genesis 21, Sarah

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00:14:19,120 –> 00:14:21,440
saw the son of Hagar the
Egyptian, which he had born unto

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00:14:21,440 –> 00:14:23,800
Abraham mocking.
And when that’s quoted in the

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00:14:23,800 –> 00:14:25,960
New Testament, we know that that
is the beginning of the

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00:14:25,960 –> 00:14:33,160
persecution of Ishmael to Isaac.
And so Sarah says to Abraham,

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00:14:33,160 –> 00:14:35,720
cast out.
And that’s our same word for

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00:14:35,720 –> 00:14:38,680
thrust, cast out this bondwoman
and her son.

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00:14:38,920 –> 00:14:43,320
For the son of this bondwoman
shall not be heir with my son,

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00:14:43,320 –> 00:14:46,640
even with Isaac.
And we can see the echo in the

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00:14:46,640 –> 00:14:48,960
words of Jephthah’s half
brothers, can’t we?

247
00:14:49,280 –> 00:14:52,440
They thrust out Jephthah.
Thou shalt not inherit in our

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00:14:52,440 –> 00:14:55,160
father’s house, for thou art the
son of a strange woman.

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00:14:56,120 –> 00:14:58,720
So perhaps they, they knew their
Bible.

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00:14:59,840 –> 00:15:03,880
Perhaps they thought that they
were the seed of Isaac and that

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00:15:03,880 –> 00:15:05,520
Jephthah was the seed of
Ishmael.

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00:15:06,320 –> 00:15:09,840
Thrust out this woman and her
son.

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00:15:10,480 –> 00:15:13,800
For she shall not be.
He shall not be heir with my

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00:15:13,800 –> 00:15:17,040
son, even with Isaac.
And Sarah’s words are confirmed

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00:15:17,040 –> 00:15:21,200
by God, aren’t they?
As as prophetic words and and

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00:15:21,320 –> 00:15:29,600
confirmed as true and righteous?
And so we have this comparison,

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00:15:29,600 –> 00:15:33,520
I think presented, and we could
consider the context a little

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00:15:33,520 –> 00:15:36,640
wider as well that it fits.
And I think we’re presented with

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00:15:36,640 –> 00:15:42,040
this idea that the Gilead’s sons
thought that they were, that the

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00:15:42,040 –> 00:15:45,720
seed of Isaac, they were the
promised seed, if you like, and

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00:15:45,720 –> 00:15:48,000
that there was the opposite,
that he was the seed of Ishmael.

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00:15:48,000 –> 00:15:51,880
And yet they, they had got the
point wrong, that they had got

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00:15:51,880 –> 00:15:54,640
the point wrong that that the
calling was not of birth, but

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00:15:54,640 –> 00:15:57,520
was of faith.
And that was the point that they

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00:15:57,520 –> 00:16:02,800
had missed.
And so when we consider then

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00:16:02,800 –> 00:16:08,080
again, this idea of someone
being cast out because they are

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00:16:08,080 –> 00:16:12,200
accused of being that the son of
a strange woman, the whole

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00:16:12,200 –> 00:16:15,600
narrative of Ishmael and Isaac
is also picked up of Christ,

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00:16:15,600 –> 00:16:17,320
isn’t it?
It’s the accusation of the

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00:16:17,320 –> 00:16:21,840
Pharisees to to Christ.
So you can drop Genesis 21.

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00:16:21,840 –> 00:16:23,880
Now come over to to John chapter
8.

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00:16:24,280 –> 00:16:29,480
Exactly the same accusation is
levelled against Christ in

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00:16:29,480 –> 00:16:32,480
Christ to in fact uses it as a
teaching opportunity to teach

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00:16:32,480 –> 00:16:35,800
the lesson that the Pharisees
were in fact the spiritual seed

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00:16:35,800 –> 00:16:37,480
of Ishmael, not the seed of
eyes.

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00:16:37,960 –> 00:16:39,600
He says yes, you are the
children of Abraham.

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00:16:39,600 –> 00:16:41,680
That’s the whole point of what
John chapter 8 is all about.

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00:16:41,840 –> 00:16:45,640
You are the children of Abraham,
Yes, but you’re of Ishmael’s

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00:16:45,640 –> 00:16:48,200
life spiritually, not of Isaac’s
life.

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00:16:48,480 –> 00:16:51,360
And this, I think is the lesson
that we’re being given in Judges

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00:16:51,360 –> 00:16:55,000
Chapter 11.
So John chapter 8, I said to go

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00:16:55,000 –> 00:16:58,960
to the whole narrative that’s
going on here is that the

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00:16:58,960 –> 00:17:01,920
Pharisees and the leaders of the
people keep making this point

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00:17:01,920 –> 00:17:07,119
that we are Abraham’s seed and
sort of subtext that’s not

285
00:17:07,119 –> 00:17:09,720
really there.
And who are you is sort of the

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00:17:09,839 –> 00:17:12,119
the challenge that they’re
levelling to Christ.

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00:17:13,160 –> 00:17:20,359
And they, they raise the tone of
that challenge when they say in

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00:17:20,359 –> 00:17:24,880
verse 41, let’s let’s go back to
the context, verse 39.

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00:17:25,040 –> 00:17:28,040
They’re making a point again for
the 19th time, it seems in this

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00:17:28,040 –> 00:17:29,760
chapter.
They answered and said unto

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00:17:29,840 –> 00:17:33,760
Jesus, Abraham is our father.
Jesus said if you were Abraham’s

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00:17:33,760 –> 00:17:36,680
children, you would do the works
of Abraham, but you seek to kill

293
00:17:36,680 –> 00:17:39,760
me.
Who’s told you the truth which

294
00:17:39,760 –> 00:17:42,000
I’ve heard of God and this
didn’t you know this did not

295
00:17:42,000 –> 00:17:45,600
Abraham ye do the deeds of your
father and there we talk to him

296
00:17:45,600 –> 00:17:48,320
is we be not born of
fornication.

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00:17:48,840 –> 00:17:51,960
That is the accusation that they
levelled against Christ that he

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00:17:51,960 –> 00:17:58,200
was the son of a strange woman,
that he was born of fornication.

299
00:17:59,000 –> 00:18:02,840
It’s a challenge that they level
against him a couple of times.

300
00:18:03,520 –> 00:18:06,920
And so Jesus uses the teaching
of Ishmael and Isaac and we

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00:18:06,920 –> 00:18:08,840
won’t go through all that now,
but you can see it all the way

302
00:18:08,840 –> 00:18:13,080
through John chapter 8, verse 35
in particular is is where Christ

303
00:18:13,080 –> 00:18:16,240
is referencing Ishmael and Isaac
and he uses that same passage to

304
00:18:16,240 –> 00:18:18,440
to prove the point that they
were of the seed of Ishmael and

305
00:18:18,440 –> 00:18:20,720
not the seed of Isaac.
And so that’s I think is what’s

306
00:18:20,720 –> 00:18:23,880
going on with Jephthah here.
We’re introduced to him in this

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00:18:23,880 –> 00:18:27,880
way as an outcast, the Sullivan
Harlan, the son of a strange

308
00:18:27,880 –> 00:18:33,560
woman, because he is counting
his lineage in a spiritual

309
00:18:33,560 –> 00:18:38,120
sense, not a natural sense, and
yet his half brothers have

310
00:18:38,120 –> 00:18:40,640
failed to see that.
And so he flees to the land of

311
00:18:40,640 –> 00:18:41,960
Tobe.
What does that mean?

312
00:18:41,960 –> 00:18:48,120
It means good, quite simply.
And so here we have the good

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00:18:48,120 –> 00:18:55,320
seed gathered together, rejected
by the people of the world.

314
00:18:57,880 –> 00:18:59,520
Yeah, the question is still
there, that they were gathered

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00:18:59,520 –> 00:19:02,000
unto him, vain men.
So we’re back in Judges Chapter

316
00:19:02,000 –> 00:19:04,320
11 now.
And and in in verse three, they

317
00:19:04,320 –> 00:19:06,920
were gathered vain men to
Jephthah and went out with him.

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00:19:06,920 –> 00:19:09,640
And that sounds contrary to
everything we’ve just said,

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00:19:09,640 –> 00:19:13,440
doesn’t it, that that they were
empty men.

320
00:19:13,440 –> 00:19:15,520
Well, well, I don’t think that’s
the case.

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00:19:15,720 –> 00:19:18,520
I think that it’s a misleading
translation to some degree.

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00:19:18,760 –> 00:19:22,120
So if we actually flick over to
the end of this narrative, which

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00:19:22,120 –> 00:19:29,400
is in chapter 12, and look at
verse 4, we’re given more detail

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00:19:29,400 –> 00:19:33,440
about these men.
So we’re jumping completely out

325
00:19:33,440 –> 00:19:35,680
of chronology here.
But after the battle, the men of

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00:19:35,720 –> 00:19:38,840
Ephraim get a bit upset because
they say, well, we weren’t

327
00:19:38,840 –> 00:19:43,240
invited to fight with you.
And Jeff says, well, actually I

328
00:19:43,240 –> 00:19:45,280
did invite you, but you didn’t
help.

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00:19:47,520 –> 00:19:52,040
And so I went with the men that
were with me and God delivered

330
00:19:52,040 –> 00:19:54,040
the people into my hand.
And that’s, that’s Judges 12

331
00:19:54,040 –> 00:19:57,400
verses one to three, paraphrased
probably quite awfully, but

332
00:19:58,000 –> 00:19:59,360
that’s effectively what’s going
on.

333
00:19:59,880 –> 00:20:02,560
And Jephthah says to the men of
Ephraim, this is the, the local

334
00:20:02,560 –> 00:20:05,040
region they were in.
In verse 4, Jephthah gathered

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00:20:05,040 –> 00:20:07,440
together all the men of Gilead
and fought with Ephraim.

336
00:20:07,800 –> 00:20:11,520
And the men of Gilead smoked
Ephraim because they said ye

337
00:20:11,520 –> 00:20:13,960
Gileadites are fugitives of
Ephraim.

338
00:20:15,280 –> 00:20:18,120
So the men who were with
Jephthah, the Gileadite, were

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00:20:18,120 –> 00:20:21,760
fugitives of Ephraim.
They were fugitives among the

340
00:20:21,880 –> 00:20:23,520
Ephraimites and among them and
Assites.

341
00:20:24,040 –> 00:20:26,800
And so the vain men that were
gathered unto Jephthah are the

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00:20:26,800 –> 00:20:28,360
same men that are being spoken
of here.

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00:20:28,360 –> 00:20:33,520
They’re the fugitives.
Now, what I think we’re being

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00:20:33,520 –> 00:20:36,480
presented with is, is an evil
nation that was serving the gods

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00:20:36,480 –> 00:20:41,520
around them who have cast out
the men that disagreed with them

346
00:20:41,840 –> 00:20:45,080
and they have fled to a place
which means good.

347
00:20:45,560 –> 00:20:48,920
We, we can see the point that
we’re being led to see here,

348
00:20:48,920 –> 00:20:53,080
hopefully by by the spirit, is
that the men that fled from the

349
00:20:53,080 –> 00:20:56,400
evil people were good people.
And and that I think is, you

350
00:20:56,400 –> 00:20:58,760
know, an oversimplification.
Good and evil is, is not how we

351
00:20:58,760 –> 00:21:01,080
should talk about it.
But that’s an oversimplification

352
00:21:01,080 –> 00:21:03,760
of what’s going on here, that
the men that are are gathered

353
00:21:03,800 –> 00:21:06,280
out of the Ephraimites.
The men who were cast out, who

354
00:21:06,280 –> 00:21:08,920
were, who were fugitives, are
the ones who disagree with the

355
00:21:09,200 –> 00:21:10,960
evil practices that are going
on.

356
00:21:11,760 –> 00:21:14,800
And so they flee to this place
that means good.

357
00:21:15,960 –> 00:21:19,960
And so the vain men are not vain
in the eyes of God.

358
00:21:19,960 –> 00:21:22,280
They’re vain in the eyes of the
Ephraimites.

359
00:21:22,840 –> 00:21:26,800
These were the outcasts from the
ungodly tribe.

360
00:21:27,960 –> 00:21:30,200
And so let’s think about our
echoes again.

361
00:21:30,880 –> 00:21:40,800
We have a man on the run from
the the the leading family of

362
00:21:40,800 –> 00:21:43,560
the area, a man on the run from
the leading family of the area

363
00:21:43,720 –> 00:21:48,080
who gathers the outcasts of the
nation around him and they go to

364
00:21:48,080 –> 00:21:49,560
battle together.
Who’s that?

365
00:21:50,640 –> 00:21:54,720
That’s David, isn’t it?
David who when he was on the run

366
00:21:54,720 –> 00:21:59,720
from Seoul, the ruling power of
the time gathered the men

367
00:21:59,720 –> 00:22:03,640
together around him
400600200400600AS as the numbers

368
00:22:03,640 –> 00:22:07,040
grew that were around him and
they became his spiritual

369
00:22:07,040 –> 00:22:10,120
children, didn’t they?
That he would teach the word to

370
00:22:11,200 –> 00:22:15,720
and that would go with him,
become his mighty man in battle.

371
00:22:16,440 –> 00:22:18,640
And so Jephther, in these 3
short verses where we’re

372
00:22:18,640 –> 00:22:22,040
introduced to him, is presented
as a type of Isaac, as a type of

373
00:22:22,040 –> 00:22:28,240
David, as a type of Christ, the
spiritual seed that the king,

374
00:22:28,560 –> 00:22:32,000
the Conqueror.
That’s how Jephther is presented

375
00:22:32,000 –> 00:22:34,600
to us.
So it’s not just Jephther the

376
00:22:34,600 –> 00:22:38,160
outcast.
It’s Jephther the type of Isaac,

377
00:22:38,440 –> 00:22:44,640
of David, of Christ.
And so chapter then is chosen

378
00:22:44,760 –> 00:22:46,400
over the course of the next few
verses.

379
00:22:46,400 –> 00:22:49,440
And now again we we come back to
this point that God’s dealings

380
00:22:49,560 –> 00:22:51,760
in this situation are unique in
the book of Judges.

381
00:22:51,960 –> 00:22:55,480
Normally God appoints a judge, a
saviour for the people.

382
00:22:55,600 –> 00:23:01,120
That’s not the case here.
The people appoints Jackson and

383
00:23:01,120 –> 00:23:05,160
God.
God’s Spirit comes on him

384
00:23:05,320 –> 00:23:08,800
actually much later on.
Initially it’s the people’s

385
00:23:08,800 –> 00:23:12,320
selection.
And so the people verses, right,

386
00:23:12,360 –> 00:23:15,120
it’s sort of from verse 4 down
to verse 11 that this all takes

387
00:23:15,120 –> 00:23:18,640
place when this war is taking
place.

388
00:23:19,320 –> 00:23:22,600
The children of Amman, sorry,
the elders of Gilead went to

389
00:23:22,600 –> 00:23:25,640
fetch Jackfur in verse 5 out of
the land of Tobes to ask him to

390
00:23:25,640 –> 00:23:28,520
come and be their captain that
they will could fight with the

391
00:23:28,520 –> 00:23:31,040
children of Amman.
Now they said in verse 1, he was

392
00:23:31,040 –> 00:23:33,840
a mighty man of Allah.
He must have been because they

393
00:23:33,840 –> 00:23:37,760
went to their outcasts, the one
who they booted out to save

394
00:23:37,760 –> 00:23:40,320
them.
So they must have known that he

395
00:23:40,320 –> 00:23:45,280
was pretty good at what he did
in order to, to, to go and fetch

396
00:23:45,280 –> 00:23:49,640
him out of this place.
So he’s given them 22 roles.

397
00:23:49,640 –> 00:23:52,200
He’s given the role of captain
and he’s given the role of head.

398
00:23:53,000 –> 00:23:54,320
Why?
Why are we given 2 roles?

399
00:23:54,320 –> 00:23:57,720
Well, I think there’s a reason
for that.

400
00:23:58,440 –> 00:24:02,640
He is sent to be their captain
of war, but he’s also sent to be

401
00:24:02,640 –> 00:24:05,880
their spiritual head.
So these are the two things.

402
00:24:05,880 –> 00:24:12,880
So it’s in verse 8, the elders
of Gilead said to Jeff that

403
00:24:13,040 –> 00:24:15,920
therefore we turn again to thee
now that thou mayest go with us

404
00:24:15,920 –> 00:24:20,120
and fight against the children
of Amman and be our head over

405
00:24:20,120 –> 00:24:22,280
all the inhabitants of Gilead.
There’s two roles there.

406
00:24:22,360 –> 00:24:24,920
There’s there’s our leader in
battle, our captain to go and

407
00:24:24,920 –> 00:24:27,360
win this battle for us.
And there’s the role of being

408
00:24:27,360 –> 00:24:30,280
our head over all the
inhabitants of Gilead to to rule

409
00:24:30,280 –> 00:24:33,680
this people, this local tribal
people.

410
00:24:35,320 –> 00:24:39,160
And Jeff would would take that
on as a spiritual role, whether

411
00:24:39,160 –> 00:24:42,360
they meant that or not.
That is how he would take it on.

412
00:24:43,720 –> 00:24:48,320
And so Jeff responds, he says,
yes, verse 9, if you bring me

413
00:24:48,320 –> 00:24:51,120
home to to fight against the
children of Amman and the Lord

414
00:24:51,120 –> 00:24:53,840
deliver them before me.
Shall I be your head and the

415
00:24:53,840 –> 00:24:56,680
elders of Gideon say the Lord be
witness between us if we do not

416
00:24:56,680 –> 00:24:59,840
so according to that word.
And so Jeff who introduces God

417
00:24:59,840 –> 00:25:02,480
into the conversation.
They haven’t thought to do so.

418
00:25:04,080 –> 00:25:06,520
Jephther introduces God into the
conversation and says, well,

419
00:25:06,520 –> 00:25:12,360
actually, if I go to war,
there’ll be God that wins the

420
00:25:12,360 –> 00:25:16,600
fight, not me.
And they say yes.

421
00:25:18,320 –> 00:25:20,640
And we’re we’re that point is
repeated for us again in verse

422
00:25:20,640 –> 00:25:23,280
11 at the end of the verse that
Jephthah uttered all his words

423
00:25:23,280 –> 00:25:27,600
before the Lord in Mizpah.
And it’s, it’s a theme that runs

424
00:25:27,600 –> 00:25:30,560
through this chapter that that
everything Jephthah does is

425
00:25:30,560 –> 00:25:33,920
before the Lord or, or to God or
God is witness to everything

426
00:25:33,920 –> 00:25:36,400
that he is doing.
And so he is the one that

427
00:25:36,400 –> 00:25:40,440
introduces this spiritual aspect
in into this role that he is

428
00:25:40,440 –> 00:25:43,960
doing.
And and so when he is then

429
00:25:43,960 –> 00:25:48,120
appointed to be this king, not
this king, this captain and his

430
00:25:48,120 –> 00:25:51,680
head you, you would think, you
know, role number one is go and

431
00:25:51,680 –> 00:25:58,880
win this battle, but it’s not.
Role number one is from verse 12

432
00:25:59,520 –> 00:26:03,640
down to verse 28.
The biggest section of this

433
00:26:03,640 –> 00:26:09,040
whole narrative is to go to
dialogue with the King of Amber

434
00:26:09,800 –> 00:26:12,760
and to correct his error.
We’ll go through what the error

435
00:26:12,760 –> 00:26:14,520
is in a minute.
But why?

436
00:26:14,560 –> 00:26:16,480
Why is it presented in this way?
This was another about

437
00:26:16,480 –> 00:26:17,480
questions, wasn’t it?
What?

438
00:26:17,480 –> 00:26:20,040
Why is the fact that this
shouldn’t be about battle?

439
00:26:20,040 –> 00:26:22,920
Why is the battle barely a focus
at all in the whole narrative?

440
00:26:23,400 –> 00:26:26,400
I think the point is this so, so
the people came looking for a

441
00:26:26,400 –> 00:26:30,800
leader in war, for a military
leader to win the battle for

442
00:26:30,800 –> 00:26:32,040
them.
That’s what they wanted.

443
00:26:32,680 –> 00:26:35,000
And Jephthah comes in and he
says, you’ve missed the point.

444
00:26:35,440 –> 00:26:38,120
What you need is a spiritual
leader.

445
00:26:39,680 –> 00:26:41,120
We’ll deal with the battle
afterwards.

446
00:26:41,120 –> 00:26:42,760
That’s, that’s well, not even
us.

447
00:26:42,760 –> 00:26:44,520
God will deal with the battle
for us.

448
00:26:44,640 –> 00:26:47,120
But what you need is a spiritual
leader.

449
00:26:48,160 –> 00:26:51,560
And the point is this, I think
that, that, that any, any battle

450
00:26:51,640 –> 00:26:55,840
is first a battle in the mind.
Any battle is first a battle

451
00:26:55,840 –> 00:26:58,680
between God’s word and, and
man’s word.

452
00:27:00,160 –> 00:27:02,880
The actual working of that in,
in a, in a military sense, So

453
00:27:02,880 –> 00:27:04,480
that that’s God will deal with
that.

454
00:27:04,520 –> 00:27:08,000
That’s fine, but but the battle
is first a battle of, of the

455
00:27:08,000 –> 00:27:10,520
mind.
And again, there’s, there’s,

456
00:27:10,520 –> 00:27:13,600
there’s lessons in there for us,
aren’t there for us to consider

457
00:27:13,760 –> 00:27:16,680
that, that the, the challenges
and, and the battles that that

458
00:27:16,680 –> 00:27:19,760
we face in, in day-to-day life
are, are first of all, a battle

459
00:27:19,760 –> 00:27:23,000
for our mind.
Are we focusing more so on the

460
00:27:23,000 –> 00:27:26,440
actual practical day-to-day of,
of what we’re doing, or are we

461
00:27:26,440 –> 00:27:30,080
focusing first on the spiritual
side of, of serving God in

462
00:27:30,080 –> 00:27:33,240
whatever we’re doing?
If if we do that bit, God will

463
00:27:33,240 –> 00:27:36,480
take care of the rest.
Now that’s Jeff’s point to the

464
00:27:36,480 –> 00:27:40,520
people here, they, they come and
say, can you come and fight the

465
00:27:40,520 –> 00:27:44,080
battle with Amman for us?
And God says, well, if God wins

466
00:27:44,080 –> 00:27:46,800
that battle for us, will you let
me spiritually lead you?

467
00:27:48,080 –> 00:27:52,840
And they say, yes, you’ve got
the focus in the right place.

468
00:27:52,880 –> 00:27:56,040
Serve God and God will take care
of the Reds.

469
00:27:57,080 –> 00:27:58,840
And So what is this dialogue all
about?

470
00:27:58,840 –> 00:28:03,640
Then from verse 12 down to verse
28, verse 12 sends messengers to

471
00:28:03,640 –> 00:28:06,040
the the king of the children of
Amman and says, well, why aren’t

472
00:28:06,040 –> 00:28:09,600
you coming to fight?
And the response from the king

473
00:28:09,600 –> 00:28:15,600
of Amman is because that’s so.
This is verse 13 because Israel

474
00:28:15,600 –> 00:28:19,600
took away my land when they came
up out of Egypt from Arnhem,

475
00:28:19,840 –> 00:28:24,480
even unto Java and unto Jordan.
Now therefore restore those

476
00:28:24,480 –> 00:28:28,400
lands again peaceably.
So the so the claim of the king

477
00:28:28,400 –> 00:28:31,960
of the children of Amman is is
this the the claim is but these

478
00:28:31,960 –> 00:28:35,520
are our lands from on and unto
Jabba and even unto Jordan.

479
00:28:35,680 –> 00:28:38,720
This is the land of the children
of Amman and and Israel will

480
00:28:38,720 –> 00:28:41,440
took it off us when you came up
out of Egypt.

481
00:28:43,920 –> 00:28:49,800
OK, what we want to consider is
what was he right?

482
00:28:50,920 –> 00:28:55,240
Does he have a point?
Rejector’s response makes 4

483
00:28:55,240 –> 00:28:57,720
points, and we’ll deal with each
of those four.

484
00:28:58,640 –> 00:29:01,720
Did he have a point?
And let’s remind ourselves

485
00:29:01,720 –> 00:29:03,640
again, that’s what this is all
about.

486
00:29:03,920 –> 00:29:07,080
This is about truth and error.
It’s not about a battle between

487
00:29:07,080 –> 00:29:08,520
armies.
That’s not the focus.

488
00:29:08,680 –> 00:29:10,840
The battle is truth and error.
There’s someone in the world

489
00:29:11,000 –> 00:29:15,720
trying to create error, and
Jetta’s response is to correct

490
00:29:15,720 –> 00:29:18,400
that error from the law, from
God’s Word.

491
00:29:18,400 –> 00:29:23,160
Let me show you how.
So King of Almond says baseland

492
00:29:23,160 –> 00:29:25,560
is ours.
What’s the truth of it?

493
00:29:25,800 –> 00:29:29,240
Come back to numbers 21.
Obviously keep something in

494
00:29:29,240 –> 00:29:33,200
judges 11.
Let’s just check the truth of

495
00:29:33,200 –> 00:29:34,880
what the King of the Children of
Alan says.

496
00:29:35,200 –> 00:29:38,840
So we’re in numbers Chapter 21.
We’re on the wilderness journey.

497
00:29:41,320 –> 00:29:45,360
We’re given a list of places
that they have been to and from.

498
00:29:47,000 –> 00:29:50,560
They encompass the land of Edom.
Early on in Numbers 21, they’ve

499
00:29:50,560 –> 00:29:55,680
had the incident of the serpents
that the fiery serpent set up on

500
00:29:55,680 –> 00:29:59,000
a pole and everything that’s
happened with that.

501
00:29:59,600 –> 00:30:02,800
They move on and they’re coming
towards the land of Moab in

502
00:30:02,800 –> 00:30:07,000
verse 11, the wilderness which
is before Moab, and they keep

503
00:30:07,000 –> 00:30:09,440
moving in verse 13.
From thence they’re removed and

504
00:30:09,440 –> 00:30:11,200
pitched on the other side of
Arnhem, Right?

505
00:30:11,200 –> 00:30:12,880
OK, here we are.
This is where we’re starting to

506
00:30:12,880 –> 00:30:16,240
get to the truth of the matter.
The king of the children of

507
00:30:16,240 –> 00:30:20,760
Amman said they took my land
from Arnon, even unto Jabok.

508
00:30:20,760 –> 00:30:24,280
I haven’t got a map, but we’ll
just look at the place names for

509
00:30:24,280 –> 00:30:26,320
them because there’s enough to
prove the point.

510
00:30:28,240 –> 00:30:33,200
Verse 13 of Numbers 21 says from
thence they removed and pitched

511
00:30:33,200 –> 00:30:35,080
on the other side of Arnon,
which is in the wilderness that

512
00:30:35,080 –> 00:30:36,800
cometh out of the coast of the
Amarans.

513
00:30:37,480 –> 00:30:43,920
For Arnon is the border of Moab
between Moab and the Amarans.

514
00:30:44,600 –> 00:30:48,120
OK, so Arnon has nothing to do
with the land of the Ammonites.

515
00:30:48,240 –> 00:30:53,120
It’s between Moab and the
Amarans, between the Moabites

516
00:30:53,120 –> 00:30:54,680
and the Amarites.
So nothing to do with the

517
00:30:54,680 –> 00:30:58,080
children of Amman.
OK, so that’s, that’s that’s the

518
00:30:58,080 –> 00:31:00,480
start point.
If, if we’re if we’re not quite

519
00:31:00,480 –> 00:31:04,800
sure about it, then verse 21
Israel sent messengers unto

520
00:31:04,800 –> 00:31:07,640
Saipon, king of the Amorite,
saying, let me pass through thy

521
00:31:07,640 –> 00:31:09,920
land.
You know we’re not going to take

522
00:31:09,920 –> 00:31:15,280
anything.
But verse 23 Saihan said no, and

523
00:31:15,280 –> 00:31:20,360
they come out to a battle.
Verse 24, Israel smote him,

524
00:31:20,640 –> 00:31:25,000
Saihan, king of the Amorites,
they smote him with the edge of

525
00:31:25,000 –> 00:31:31,040
the sword and possessed his land
from Arnon unto Javak, whose

526
00:31:31,040 –> 00:31:33,200
land?
Saihan, the king of the

527
00:31:33,200 –> 00:31:37,120
Amorites, and, and just in case
we’ve missed the point so far,

528
00:31:37,240 –> 00:31:39,960
it says even unto the children
of Amman.

529
00:31:40,160 –> 00:31:42,000
So the children of Amman are
beyond that point.

530
00:31:44,120 –> 00:31:46,160
For the border of the children
of Amman was strong.

531
00:31:46,160 –> 00:31:48,120
We couldn’t get as far as the
Ammonites.

532
00:31:48,120 –> 00:31:50,720
So we took the land of the Amor
right from ARN and even unto

533
00:31:50,720 –> 00:31:52,360
Jabba.
And so when the king of the

534
00:31:52,360 –> 00:31:54,920
children of Amman says this is
our land, it was never their

535
00:31:54,920 –> 00:31:56,960
land.
Well, certainly it wasn’t when

536
00:31:56,960 –> 00:32:03,240
the children of Israel took it.
That’s point #1 which Jephthah

537
00:32:03,240 –> 00:32:09,040
makes in Judges 11, verse 18 at
the end of the at the end of the

538
00:32:09,040 –> 00:32:12,800
verse, Arne was the border of
MOA and he’s referencing back to

539
00:32:12,800 –> 00:32:15,600
Numbers 21.
So what’s, what’s Jephthah done

540
00:32:15,600 –> 00:32:17,040
here?
And here is the example again

541
00:32:17,040 –> 00:32:19,240
for us.
Jephthah has taken what what

542
00:32:19,240 –> 00:32:21,520
he’s been told and he’s gone.
Well, what does the word of God

543
00:32:21,520 –> 00:32:23,440
say?
What does the Bible tell me?

544
00:32:23,880 –> 00:32:31,800
And, and, and there’s the
example for us, right point #2

545
00:32:33,000 –> 00:32:35,000
how about page of my note turned
it upside down.

546
00:32:35,000 –> 00:32:41,400
But it did point #2 that Jeff
makes is that actually the

547
00:32:41,400 –> 00:32:43,920
Israelites yesterday, they sort
of took it by force in the end,

548
00:32:43,920 –> 00:32:45,920
but they tried the peaceful
approach first.

549
00:32:46,400 –> 00:32:50,320
So this is the point that
Jacqueline makes in verse 17.

550
00:32:51,120 –> 00:32:55,040
So we’re back in Judges 11 now
and we can, I think stay in

551
00:32:55,040 –> 00:32:57,800
Judges 11.
So back to Judges 11 and we’re

552
00:32:57,800 –> 00:33:02,960
in verse well, 16 really to
context when Israel came up from

553
00:33:02,960 –> 00:33:05,400
Egypt and walked through the
wilderness and and this is the

554
00:33:05,400 –> 00:33:08,880
the numbers 21 reference again,
this is what he’s talking about.

555
00:33:09,280 –> 00:33:12,160
Verse 17, Israel sent messengers
to the king of Edom saying, can

556
00:33:12,160 –> 00:33:13,960
we pass through the land?
And they said no.

557
00:33:14,360 –> 00:33:17,120
And he sent the same and to the
king of Moab and they said no.

558
00:33:17,800 –> 00:33:22,360
And then verse 18, they came
into one and, and, and verse 19,

559
00:33:22,360 –> 00:33:24,520
they sent to the Amorites.
And he said no as well.

560
00:33:24,720 –> 00:33:27,960
And so, you know, we tried to
peaceably pass through to our

561
00:33:27,960 –> 00:33:30,000
land, but we couldn’t.
So we had to fight our way

562
00:33:30,000 –> 00:33:31,880
through because no one would let
us through.

563
00:33:33,240 –> 00:33:35,280
And so that’s, that’s point #2
that that Jackson makes.

564
00:33:35,280 –> 00:33:36,720
Well, it was never your land in
the 1st place.

565
00:33:37,840 –> 00:33:39,800
He says, well, the Israelites
tried the peaceful approach.

566
00:33:39,800 –> 00:33:42,080
You know which, which I’m trying
again now I’m trying to make

567
00:33:42,080 –> 00:33:45,560
peace here, but but you know, we
had to fight our way through

568
00:33:45,560 –> 00:33:50,480
because Noah does 3 and then
verse 21 he says, well, and the

569
00:33:50,480 –> 00:33:53,680
Lord God of Israel delivered
Sihan and all his people into

570
00:33:53,680 –> 00:33:55,320
the hand of Israel and smote
them.

571
00:33:55,480 –> 00:33:57,800
He says it wasn’t the
Israelites, it was God.

572
00:33:58,640 –> 00:34:04,040
God gave us the land.
So Israel possessed all the land

573
00:34:04,040 –> 00:34:06,440
of the Amorites, the inhabitants
of that country, and they

574
00:34:06,440 –> 00:34:08,679
possessed all the coast of the
Amorites from ARN and even unto

575
00:34:08,679 –> 00:34:10,040
Javik.
There you go makes the point

576
00:34:10,040 –> 00:34:11,520
again.
It was the Amorite land, not the

577
00:34:11,520 –> 00:34:16,800
Ammonites banned and so on.
And then the the 4th point that

578
00:34:16,800 –> 00:34:19,040
he makes, and this is where
we’re given this time market

579
00:34:19,239 –> 00:34:26,080
that the 4th point that he makes
is verse 24.

580
00:34:27,480 –> 00:34:29,920
Sorry, verse 25.
Are you better than Balak?

581
00:34:30,520 –> 00:34:34,600
Did he ever try and get it back?
Verse 26 while Israel to art in

582
00:34:34,600 –> 00:34:37,199
Heshball and her towns and Roma
and her towns and and all the

583
00:34:37,199 –> 00:34:41,320
cities that are that are part of
this territory for 300 years.

584
00:34:41,679 –> 00:34:43,280
Why didn’t you recover them in
that time?

585
00:34:44,600 –> 00:34:47,760
And that’s our time, Mark.
It’s just 300 years after the

586
00:34:47,760 –> 00:34:51,000
Children of Israel came into
this part of the land.

587
00:34:51,199 –> 00:34:55,360
But anyway, 400 years, 300 years
since they came into the land.

588
00:34:57,120 –> 00:34:59,080
It’s been 300 years since that
happened.

589
00:34:59,080 –> 00:35:02,440
Why is this suddenly a problem?
The mobilise never tried to get

590
00:35:02,440 –> 00:35:05,160
their land back, the Amorites
didn’t.

591
00:35:06,120 –> 00:35:07,400
Why are you dealing with this
now?

592
00:35:08,360 –> 00:35:11,120
And so the, the, the, the king
of the children of Amman sort of

593
00:35:11,120 –> 00:35:12,720
said, well, you know, it’s our
land in the 1st place.

594
00:35:12,720 –> 00:35:14,480
So if you wouldn’t mind just
stepping aside, we’ll, we’ll

595
00:35:14,480 –> 00:35:15,760
come back and take it.
Thank you very much.

596
00:35:15,760 –> 00:35:18,160
And chapter says, well, 04
points, you’re wrong.

597
00:35:18,960 –> 00:35:20,400
Wasn’t your land in the 1st
place?

598
00:35:21,320 –> 00:35:24,120
God gave it to us.
We tried to be peaceful.

599
00:35:25,120 –> 00:35:28,120
And it’s been 300 years.
So it’s sort of our land now.

600
00:35:30,000 –> 00:35:34,320
And, and what’s interesting is
that once chapter has had all of

601
00:35:34,320 –> 00:35:38,440
that dialogue, you know, he’s,
he’s been given a message that

602
00:35:38,440 –> 00:35:41,840
says, you know, this is what you
should do and he’s gone.

603
00:35:42,040 –> 00:35:45,120
What does the Bible say?
And actually, no, you’re wrong.

604
00:35:45,520 –> 00:35:46,840
I’m going to follow what God
says.

605
00:35:46,960 –> 00:35:52,200
At that point, God confirms
Jephthah as the Saviour.

606
00:35:52,360 –> 00:35:55,560
Verse 29.
Then the Spirit of the Lord came

607
00:35:55,560 –> 00:35:57,760
upon Jephthah.
Until that point, God had not

608
00:35:57,760 –> 00:36:00,640
chosen Jephthah.
He clearly had appointed him in

609
00:36:00,640 –> 00:36:05,640
his purpose, but the people had
chosen him and, and once he has

610
00:36:05,640 –> 00:36:09,240
proven his spiritual leadership,
then God says what?

611
00:36:09,240 –> 00:36:11,080
Now I’m going to give you my
spirit so you can go win that

612
00:36:11,080 –> 00:36:12,880
battle that everyone’s so
worried about.

613
00:36:13,480 –> 00:36:15,680
And you can see the order.
And that’s, that’s why I think,

614
00:36:15,680 –> 00:36:18,680
you know, one of our questions
was what, what, why is it

615
00:36:18,680 –> 00:36:21,040
presented in this way?
Why have you only got 2 verses

616
00:36:21,040 –> 00:36:23,480
for the battle?
The point is this, God is saying

617
00:36:23,600 –> 00:36:27,320
you need to turn to me first.
We’ll deal with the battle,

618
00:36:27,320 –> 00:36:29,160
that’s fine.
But you need to turn to me.

619
00:36:29,160 –> 00:36:32,800
You need a spiritual leader to
turn you back, to turn the heart

620
00:36:32,800 –> 00:36:37,440
of the people back to God.
And that’s the role that Jephta

621
00:36:37,440 –> 00:36:39,880
played.
The people went looking for a

622
00:36:39,880 –> 00:36:43,040
military leader and they found a
spiritual leader because that’s

623
00:36:43,040 –> 00:36:45,440
what God was showing them that
they needed.

624
00:36:48,440 –> 00:36:52,640
And so we come to the final
section, which is all about the

625
00:36:52,640 –> 00:36:55,120
vow.
We’ve got 10 or 15 minutes

626
00:36:55,120 –> 00:37:00,320
there.
What is going on with this vow?

627
00:37:01,920 –> 00:37:08,080
Some people claim that this is a
rash vow that Jack the makes

628
00:37:08,080 –> 00:37:15,760
that he rushed into it.
Some people claim that he he

629
00:37:15,760 –> 00:37:20,960
offered his daughter as a as a
as a sacrifice to God.

630
00:37:21,320 –> 00:37:24,440
What is actually going on here?
Well, let’s let’s establish a

631
00:37:24,440 –> 00:37:27,840
few principles.
First that we need to frame this

632
00:37:27,840 –> 00:37:31,800
within Hebrews 11 verse 32 tells
us that chapter is amongst the

633
00:37:31,800 –> 00:37:35,720
list of the faithful.
So, so that’s that’s a first

634
00:37:35,720 –> 00:37:39,840
point that we can found
ourselves on when we’ve seen it

635
00:37:39,840 –> 00:37:42,160
already.
But Hebrews 11 verse 32 confirms

636
00:37:42,160 –> 00:37:44,200
that he is amongst the faithful
waiting for the king.

637
00:37:46,800 –> 00:37:49,120
We also know that God accepted
the vow.

638
00:37:50,000 –> 00:37:54,520
So the vow was, God delivers us.
Well, I should actually read

639
00:37:54,520 –> 00:37:56,120
what the vows before I go
through all this, shouldn’t I?

640
00:37:56,120 –> 00:38:00,560
So first verse 30 and 31, Jeptha
vowed A vow unto the Lord, and

641
00:38:00,560 –> 00:38:04,720
said, If thou shalt without fail
deliver the children of Ammon

642
00:38:04,720 –> 00:38:09,800
into mine hands, then it shall
be that whatsoever cometh forth

643
00:38:09,800 –> 00:38:13,320
of the doors of my house to meet
me when I return in peace from

644
00:38:13,320 –> 00:38:17,680
the children of Ammon, shall
surely be the Lords, and I will

645
00:38:17,680 –> 00:38:20,560
offer it up for a burnt
offering.

646
00:38:20,880 –> 00:38:23,000
That’s the vow.
The way he says is, you know,

647
00:38:23,000 –> 00:38:25,600
whatever walks out the doors of
my house after we come back from

648
00:38:25,600 –> 00:38:31,400
victory, that will be God’s.
That’s the battle.

649
00:38:31,600 –> 00:38:34,160
So back to our sort of
principles.

650
00:38:34,160 –> 00:38:36,600
Jeff was faithful.
Hebrews 11 verse 32 confirms

651
00:38:36,600 –> 00:38:42,560
that God accepted the vow.
So the vow was if, if God goes

652
00:38:42,560 –> 00:38:44,280
and wins this battle for us,
then I’ll do this.

653
00:38:44,320 –> 00:38:47,600
And God went and won the battle.
So God accepted the vow because

654
00:38:47,600 –> 00:38:52,200
he honoured his side of the,
the, the, the, the covenant,

655
00:38:52,200 –> 00:38:56,040
almost so.
So God accepted the vow.

656
00:38:56,440 –> 00:39:00,000
And we know that human sacrifice
is an abomination to God.

657
00:39:00,600 –> 00:39:02,520
Viticus 8 verse 21 is one
example.

658
00:39:02,520 –> 00:39:05,680
Jeremiah 32 verse 25 is another.
We don’t need to turn to those

659
00:39:05,800 –> 00:39:07,960
human sacrifice an absolute
abomination to God.

660
00:39:08,800 –> 00:39:13,360
So if that was the vow, it would
not have been accepted by God.

661
00:39:15,400 –> 00:39:18,880
It was in fact, the practice of
the Ammonites, who worshipped

662
00:39:18,880 –> 00:39:22,560
Molech to sacrifice their
children to that God.

663
00:39:23,320 –> 00:39:26,920
It was one of their practices.
And so he was jepsta, leading

664
00:39:26,920 –> 00:39:28,880
God’s people against the
Ammonites.

665
00:39:28,880 –> 00:39:32,520
Do we really think that he was
going to go and do exactly what

666
00:39:32,600 –> 00:39:36,560
the Ammonites did to worship
their false God, to try and get

667
00:39:37,360 –> 00:39:39,120
Israel’s God to be on their
side?

668
00:39:39,120 –> 00:39:41,440
Absolutely not.
He would not have followed the

669
00:39:41,440 –> 00:39:45,360
practice of the Ammonites
Jephthah, we’ve already noted

670
00:39:45,360 –> 00:39:49,280
quotes Numbers and Deuteronomy
repeatedly in his dialogue with

671
00:39:49,280 –> 00:39:52,640
the the king of the children of
Ireland.

672
00:39:52,640 –> 00:39:56,040
So he knew the law.
He he clearly had some access to

673
00:39:56,040 –> 00:39:57,360
it.
He knew the law, he knew

674
00:39:57,360 –> 00:40:01,240
Numbers, he knew Deuteronomy, he
knew the law and we’ve already

675
00:40:01,240 –> 00:40:03,480
said it’s a focus in in Judges
Chapter 11 that he did

676
00:40:03,480 –> 00:40:07,480
everything before the Lord.
So those are our principles that

677
00:40:07,480 –> 00:40:11,000
you.
He he clearly did not offer his

678
00:40:11,000 –> 00:40:13,360
daughter as a human sacrifice to
God.

679
00:40:13,360 –> 00:40:17,800
That does not fit in any part of
the context of what is going on

680
00:40:17,800 –> 00:40:19,280
here.
God would not accept it.

681
00:40:19,400 –> 00:40:20,880
He wouldn’t have even tried to
offer it.

682
00:40:21,520 –> 00:40:23,840
It would not have been
considered the the action of a

683
00:40:23,840 –> 00:40:26,120
faithful man.
It would not have been

684
00:40:26,280 –> 00:40:30,560
acceptable under the law.
Let’s deal with another part of

685
00:40:30,560 –> 00:40:32,840
the the challenge as well.
So, so the claim sometimes is

686
00:40:32,840 –> 00:40:35,600
made that this was a rash vow.
We didn’t really know what he

687
00:40:35,600 –> 00:40:37,480
was saying.
But once he’d vowed it, he had

688
00:40:37,480 –> 00:40:40,200
to follow through.
You know, the, the, the, the,

689
00:40:40,320 –> 00:40:42,440
the claim is, you know, it was
about to go into battle.

690
00:40:42,440 –> 00:40:43,920
He just didn’t really think it
through.

691
00:40:44,120 –> 00:40:46,360
That’s that’s again, not the
case at all.

692
00:40:46,800 –> 00:40:53,080
So Jeptha makes this vow and
then verse 32, he passes over

693
00:40:53,200 –> 00:40:55,200
unto the children of Ammon to
fight against them.

694
00:40:55,200 –> 00:40:58,080
So, so the the infant being that
this is while he is still in the

695
00:40:58,080 –> 00:41:01,520
camp of Israel, I remember what
Jechter’s role was he he wasn’t

696
00:41:01,520 –> 00:41:04,200
the military leader first, he
was a spiritual leader 1st.

697
00:41:05,040 –> 00:41:08,480
And so he was in this camp
making this vow before all of

698
00:41:08,480 –> 00:41:11,840
the people as an example to
them.

699
00:41:12,480 –> 00:41:15,240
This wasn’t a rash vow.
This was thought through.

700
00:41:15,440 –> 00:41:19,560
This was him making himself an
example before them.

701
00:41:20,800 –> 00:41:29,280
His vow is that if God delivers
us, then he can take whatever he

702
00:41:29,280 –> 00:41:33,480
wants out of my life and it will
be his for his servants.

703
00:41:33,560 –> 00:41:36,920
And that’s the example that he
was setting to the people.

704
00:41:37,520 –> 00:41:44,200
He says whatever God wants in my
life, I will give to God.

705
00:41:44,200 –> 00:41:48,680
And there again, we can see the
example for us.

706
00:41:49,800 –> 00:41:54,600
Whatever God wants from us, are
we willing to give it?

707
00:41:55,600 –> 00:41:58,520
So what then is going on here?
Well, there’s a couple of things

708
00:41:58,520 –> 00:42:00,720
going on.
The translation doesn’t help us.

709
00:42:00,840 –> 00:42:03,600
So again, some people try and
sort of get, get or get around

710
00:42:03,600 –> 00:42:07,640
this by saying that, you know,
whatsoever cometh forth at the

711
00:42:07,640 –> 00:42:09,640
doors of my house, whether you
might have thought it was, you

712
00:42:09,640 –> 00:42:12,400
know, the family dog or, or one
of the, the sheep from the

713
00:42:12,400 –> 00:42:14,600
garden that that was going to
walk out.

714
00:42:14,800 –> 00:42:18,280
That’s the, the word means who.
So whosoever cometh forth out of

715
00:42:18,280 –> 00:42:19,920
the doors of my house, that
that’s what the word means.

716
00:42:20,800 –> 00:42:23,480
So, so that’s not not, that’s
not the explanation.

717
00:42:24,160 –> 00:42:26,880
What I think is going on here is
that this was the vow of a

718
00:42:26,920 –> 00:42:29,560
person.
This was a vow of dedication of

719
00:42:29,640 –> 00:42:33,480
a person.
So it’s it’s a viticus 27, which

720
00:42:33,480 –> 00:42:38,360
details some of this vowel in
viticus 27.

721
00:42:38,360 –> 00:42:42,760
And we have the the estimation
of a person being made and it’s

722
00:42:43,320 –> 00:42:45,760
we’ll only sort of pick out the
the one verse.

723
00:42:46,040 –> 00:42:48,360
We’re not going to go through
the detail of what what the law

724
00:42:48,360 –> 00:42:52,680
was on this, but in Leviticus 27
verse two, he says speak the

725
00:42:52,680 –> 00:42:55,280
Lord spake unto motives, saying
speak to the children of Israel

726
00:42:55,280 –> 00:42:58,160
and saying to them when a man
shall make a singular vow, the

727
00:42:58,160 –> 00:43:00,240
person shall be for the Lord by
their estimation.

728
00:43:00,240 –> 00:43:03,640
And instead of the point is when
when a person is dedicated to

729
00:43:03,640 –> 00:43:06,800
the service of God and there was
a series of estimations for what

730
00:43:06,920 –> 00:43:08,640
had to be paid to to sort of
redeem them.

731
00:43:08,920 –> 00:43:13,880
So this is what’s going on here.
Jephthur is saying whoever comes

732
00:43:13,880 –> 00:43:17,960
out first of the doors of my
house will be given in service

733
00:43:18,080 –> 00:43:22,600
to the Tabernacle to God and and
then the the rest of the law

734
00:43:22,600 –> 00:43:26,520
would have applied.
Now the, the, the only word that

735
00:43:26,520 –> 00:43:29,680
makes that difficult is a word
that’s not there in the

736
00:43:29,680 –> 00:43:32,760
original.
So the only word that makes it

737
00:43:32,760 –> 00:43:35,240
difficult is when he says and I
will offer it up for a burnt

738
00:43:35,240 –> 00:43:37,160
offering to eat isn’t isn’t
that.

739
00:43:37,440 –> 00:43:40,000
And I will offer a burnt
offering.

740
00:43:41,640 –> 00:43:43,080
And that’s how the original
read.

741
00:43:43,080 –> 00:43:47,360
So, so we we should read this
verse as whosoever cometh forth

742
00:43:47,360 –> 00:43:49,800
at the doors of my house to meet
me when I return in peace from

743
00:43:49,800 –> 00:43:52,720
the children of Ammon shall
surely be the Lords, and I will

744
00:43:52,720 –> 00:43:56,040
OfferUp a burnt offering.
And that was part of the process

745
00:43:56,080 –> 00:44:01,040
of offering someone in service
to the Tabernacle.

746
00:44:01,040 –> 00:44:03,160
That was the burnt offering was
offered at the same time.

747
00:44:03,160 –> 00:44:06,520
And you know, the burnt offering
we know was typical of complete

748
00:44:06,520 –> 00:44:08,720
dedication.
So it makes sense in in the

749
00:44:08,720 –> 00:44:11,000
context of what was going on
with that value.

750
00:44:11,480 –> 00:44:13,520
And so there are two things that
Jeff is saying.

751
00:44:13,520 –> 00:44:16,880
He says whoever comes first out
of my house, whichever human

752
00:44:16,880 –> 00:44:19,960
first exits my house will be
given to the Tabernacle in

753
00:44:19,960 –> 00:44:22,760
service to God.
And as part of that process, I

754
00:44:22,760 –> 00:44:26,840
will offer a burnt offering as a
symbolic demonstration of the

755
00:44:26,840 –> 00:44:31,160
fact that that person will be
given in complete dedication.

756
00:44:33,440 –> 00:44:36,400
Now, let’s just check ourselves,
you know, does that make sense?

757
00:44:36,400 –> 00:44:39,200
Does that fit?
Let’s just check this one thing.

758
00:44:40,200 –> 00:44:44,960
Well, what we need to look at is
Samuel, because this is exactly

759
00:44:44,960 –> 00:44:47,840
what happens with Samuel.
And we can see it as as a

760
00:44:47,840 –> 00:44:50,320
demonstration.
So one Samuel chapter one, we

761
00:44:50,320 –> 00:44:52,840
have an example of how this
vowel plays out.

762
00:44:54,520 –> 00:44:59,760
So in one sign in chapter 1,
Samuel was of course promised by

763
00:44:59,760 –> 00:45:04,960
Hannah to be given, you know, if
if I have a child, I will give

764
00:45:04,960 –> 00:45:06,560
that child to God.
That was her prayer.

765
00:45:07,120 –> 00:45:17,040
And she completes that file.
And so she says in verse 20, she

766
00:45:17,040 –> 00:45:19,800
bear a son called his name
Samuel because I’ve asked him at

767
00:45:19,800 –> 00:45:21,600
the Lord.
And then they went up to the

768
00:45:21,600 –> 00:45:25,000
Lord to offer the yearly
sacrifice and his vow.

769
00:45:25,560 –> 00:45:31,720
But this when verse 24, there’s
another time when Hannah goes

770
00:45:31,720 –> 00:45:36,400
up, this time with the child, to
offer the child in service to

771
00:45:36,400 –> 00:45:38,080
God.
And verse 24, when she had

772
00:45:38,080 –> 00:45:41,640
weaned Samuel, she took him up
with her with three bullocks,

773
00:45:41,920 –> 00:45:44,600
and 1 he for a flower, a flower
and a bottle of wine, and

774
00:45:44,600 –> 00:45:46,200
brought him to the House of the
Lord in Shiloh.

775
00:45:46,200 –> 00:45:49,200
And the child was young and they
slew a bullet and brought the

776
00:45:49,200 –> 00:45:51,280
child to Eli.
So what have we got going on

777
00:45:51,280 –> 00:45:53,120
here?
We’ve got the saying of a book

778
00:45:53,120 –> 00:45:55,400
at the same time as Samuel is
given in service to the

779
00:45:55,400 –> 00:45:57,440
Tabernacle.
We’ve got the offering alongside

780
00:45:57,440 –> 00:46:00,200
the giving of the person.
And it’s exactly the same that’s

781
00:46:00,200 –> 00:46:04,720
going on in Jabfa in in Judges
Chapter 11 in Jabfa’s life.

782
00:46:07,240 –> 00:46:10,880
So that I think is just another.
We’ll come back to why Samuel is

783
00:46:10,880 –> 00:46:13,840
the other example in a moment.
So.

784
00:46:13,840 –> 00:46:21,760
So why then did Jabfa mourn so
much that one of the reasons

785
00:46:21,760 –> 00:46:25,320
that some people struggle with
this is that Jeff the mourns as

786
00:46:25,320 –> 00:46:29,120
if his child is going to die.
That’s how it reads verse 35.

787
00:46:29,360 –> 00:46:31,240
And last, my daughter, that has
brought me very low.

788
00:46:31,240 –> 00:46:33,360
And now one of them that
troubled me for I’ve opened my

789
00:46:33,360 –> 00:46:35,000
mouth to the Lord and I cannot
go back.

790
00:46:36,000 –> 00:46:39,440
I remember that, that Jack, this
house were the, the ruling House

791
00:46:39,440 –> 00:46:41,200
of the, of the, the local
people.

792
00:46:41,520 –> 00:46:44,040
And, and so they would probably
have had a household full of

793
00:46:44,040 –> 00:46:45,920
servants and all sorts of people
there.

794
00:46:46,200 –> 00:46:48,400
And so he wouldn’t have known
that it was going to be his only

795
00:46:48,400 –> 00:46:50,320
daughter that worked walked
first at the house.

796
00:46:50,320 –> 00:46:51,560
It was probably going to be a
servant.

797
00:46:51,560 –> 00:46:53,680
It was probably going to be
anyone else.

798
00:46:54,440 –> 00:46:56,560
And then it’s his daughter that
walks out.

799
00:46:58,440 –> 00:47:00,360
And that’s what causes him to
mourn.

800
00:47:01,840 –> 00:47:04,200
But remember what we said was
was the point of Jephthah making

801
00:47:04,200 –> 00:47:06,480
this vow in the 1st place.
This wasn’t just Jephthah.

802
00:47:06,480 –> 00:47:10,320
He didn’t do this for no reason.
He was stood in front of the

803
00:47:10,320 –> 00:47:12,120
people.
And he stands in front of the

804
00:47:12,120 –> 00:47:14,200
people and says Eve, God wins
this battle for us.

805
00:47:14,200 –> 00:47:19,800
God can take anything from my
life and it will be his for his

806
00:47:19,800 –> 00:47:22,720
service.
And God says I want my daughter.

807
00:47:24,360 –> 00:47:27,520
And so it is his daughter that
walks out first.

808
00:47:27,520 –> 00:47:32,760
And that’s what he wants for
he’s still going to in, in, in

809
00:47:33,040 –> 00:47:34,880
in a real sense, lose his
daughter.

810
00:47:34,880 –> 00:47:37,040
She’s going to go to serve in
the tablet.

811
00:47:41,160 –> 00:47:44,160
So what what is going on here?
What?

812
00:47:44,360 –> 00:47:45,920
Why are we giving this
narrative?

813
00:47:47,320 –> 00:47:50,200
What?
Why does God take his only

814
00:47:50,200 –> 00:47:53,160
daughter?
What’s the point?

815
00:47:53,320 –> 00:47:56,840
What are we being shown?
And again, it’s, it’s another of

816
00:47:56,840 –> 00:47:59,080
these examples of this narrative
being unusual.

817
00:47:59,280 –> 00:48:01,000
You know, there’s no focus on
the battle, but there’s all this

818
00:48:01,000 –> 00:48:02,680
focus on the dialogue.
And then there’s all this focus

819
00:48:02,680 –> 00:48:05,280
on the vow before and after.
And it’s all about Jephthah’s

820
00:48:05,280 –> 00:48:09,800
spiritual leadership.
But there’s more to it here then

821
00:48:09,800 –> 00:48:12,040
as well.
Why did God need Jephthah’s

822
00:48:12,040 –> 00:48:15,480
daughter?
It seems unusually cruel in in a

823
00:48:15,480 –> 00:48:18,480
sense, doesn’t it, that Jephthah
has done this great act of

824
00:48:18,480 –> 00:48:21,880
saving, not saving the people,
God save the people, but a bit

825
00:48:21,880 –> 00:48:25,120
of turning the people back to
God and leading them in this

826
00:48:25,120 –> 00:48:27,440
spiritual way.
And God says, well, I’m going to

827
00:48:27,440 –> 00:48:30,960
take your daughter then.
It doesn’t feel right in a

828
00:48:30,960 –> 00:48:35,400
sense, does it?
Well, God doesn’t do anything

829
00:48:35,400 –> 00:48:38,600
for no reason.
If anyone’s starting to feel

830
00:48:38,600 –> 00:48:40,280
like they’re dropping off, it’s
time to wake up again because

831
00:48:40,280 –> 00:48:43,520
we’re going to do some maths,
which is probably the last thing

832
00:48:43,520 –> 00:48:45,920
anyone wants to do on a cold on
Wednesday night.

833
00:48:45,920 –> 00:48:50,000
But time for some maths and I
really, really should have put

834
00:48:50,000 –> 00:48:52,000
this on the slide, but I
haven’t, so I’m really sorry.

835
00:48:52,200 –> 00:48:54,480
I have drawn on the back of one
of these pieces of paper.

836
00:48:54,480 –> 00:48:56,480
If anyone wants to take a photo
of that afterwards, it might

837
00:48:56,480 –> 00:48:58,480
have.
I’m going to do a timeline.

838
00:48:58,880 –> 00:49:00,720
So we, we were given a time
mark.

839
00:49:00,720 –> 00:49:02,640
Why are we given a time mark?
Well, I think we’re about to

840
00:49:02,640 –> 00:49:06,760
find out.
So this was 300 years since they

841
00:49:06,760 –> 00:49:09,640
entered the land, right?
That’s what Jechter said in

842
00:49:09,640 –> 00:49:12,960
Judges 11, verse 26.
We’ve been here 300 years, 300

843
00:49:12,960 –> 00:49:14,720
years since they entered the
land.

844
00:49:17,360 –> 00:49:21,840
Bear with me.
The temple was commenced.

845
00:49:22,240 –> 00:49:26,320
The building of the temple in
Solomon’s day was commenced 480

846
00:49:26,320 –> 00:49:31,240
years after they left Egypt.
That’s one king one verse 6.

847
00:49:32,280 –> 00:49:37,240
The temple was commenced 480
years after they left Egypt. 40

848
00:49:37,240 –> 00:49:41,920
years of world was wondering.
So the temple was commenced 440

849
00:49:41,920 –> 00:49:44,080
years after they entered the
land.

850
00:49:44,080 –> 00:49:50,240
OK, hopefully with me so far.
And Jephthah takes place 300

851
00:49:50,240 –> 00:49:51,320
years after they entered the
land.

852
00:49:51,600 –> 00:49:55,600
OK, So 140 years between
Jephthah and Solomon starting

853
00:49:55,600 –> 00:49:59,920
the temple.
Solomon started the temple in

854
00:49:59,920 –> 00:50:03,520
the fourth year of his reign.
Before that, David had reigned

855
00:50:03,520 –> 00:50:07,640
for 40 years and before that,
Sam, Saul had reigned for 40

856
00:50:07,640 –> 00:50:11,200
years.
That’s 84 years.

857
00:50:12,400 –> 00:50:19,560
And therefore Samuel anointed
Saul 356 years after they

858
00:50:19,560 –> 00:50:23,400
entered the land.
I’ll repeat that.

859
00:50:23,880 –> 00:50:27,560
So they entered the land 300
years later.

860
00:50:27,560 –> 00:50:31,960
Jetta happens 440 years after
that point.

861
00:50:32,360 –> 00:50:34,520
They start the temple.
If you work back four years,

862
00:50:34,520 –> 00:50:38,280
4040, you’re at 356 years after
they entered the land.

863
00:50:38,440 –> 00:50:44,960
So Samuel announced Saul as king
56 years after this incident

864
00:50:46,160 –> 00:50:48,920
that we know for absolutely
definite from from the tie

865
00:50:48,920 –> 00:50:55,440
markers that we’ve given 56
years between Judges 11 and

866
00:50:55,440 –> 00:51:00,360
Samuel anointing Saul.
Now we’re told in one Samuel 8

867
00:51:00,360 –> 00:51:05,480
verse one that Samuel was
already old when he anointed

868
00:51:05,480 –> 00:51:08,440
Saul.
Now this is where we’re not

869
00:51:08,440 –> 00:51:12,720
fixed.
Old is a loose turn and I always

870
00:51:12,720 –> 00:51:14,960
whenever I give this, I have to
look steadfastly at the back

871
00:51:14,960 –> 00:51:18,400
wall when I suggest an age that
might be old and and not make

872
00:51:18,400 –> 00:51:24,200
eye contact with anyone.
But if we said 60 years old,

873
00:51:25,520 –> 00:51:30,600
sorry for anyone in the room.
If we said 60 years is the age

874
00:51:30,600 –> 00:51:33,600
that Samuel was when he anointed
Saul.

875
00:51:33,680 –> 00:51:38,960
And it’s a big if, and I accept
that this is conjecture, but if

876
00:51:38,960 –> 00:51:43,120
Samuel was 60 years old when he
anointed Saul, which is a

877
00:51:43,120 –> 00:51:48,040
reasonable assumption, and he
was given to the temple, the

878
00:51:48,040 –> 00:51:53,000
Tabernacle, sorry, when he was
weaned 234 years old, then

879
00:51:53,000 –> 00:51:57,720
Samuel was given to the
Tabernacle at exactly the time

880
00:51:58,480 –> 00:52:04,840
of Judges chapter, 1156 years
perhaps before he anointed Saul.

881
00:52:07,600 –> 00:52:11,640
I can go through all the dates
again after, but it works if,

882
00:52:12,080 –> 00:52:13,520
you know, there’s some
conjecture in there.

883
00:52:14,120 –> 00:52:16,920
But it’s a reasonable suggestion
that Samuel was given to the

884
00:52:16,920 –> 00:52:22,920
Tabernacle at exactly this time.
And so in a family in Ephraim,

885
00:52:23,880 –> 00:52:29,240
there is a father who leads the
people back to God and says, if

886
00:52:29,240 –> 00:52:33,360
God needs anything from my life,
God can have it.

887
00:52:33,360 –> 00:52:41,160
And God says what I need is a
mother figure for Samuel in the

888
00:52:41,160 –> 00:52:45,920
Tabernacle because this Samuel
is going to grow up amongst A

889
00:52:45,920 –> 00:52:49,000
corrupt priesthood.
He’s he’s going to grow up with

890
00:52:49,000 –> 00:52:52,920
Hoffman and Finneans under the,
the weak leadership of Eli.

891
00:52:53,960 –> 00:52:56,640
And I need a strong spiritual
figure to bring Samuel up

892
00:52:56,640 –> 00:52:58,440
because he’s going to annoy
David.

893
00:52:59,040 –> 00:53:02,520
He’s going to be the the the
strength of the people under the

894
00:53:02,520 –> 00:53:05,960
leadership of Saul when he went
a bit bonkers.

895
00:53:08,560 –> 00:53:11,160
And so God says I need Jeff’s
daughter.

896
00:53:14,440 –> 00:53:18,640
We don’t know, but it fits.
It fits the time.

897
00:53:18,640 –> 00:53:24,600
And what a lovely picture that
is of God’s mercy of, of God

898
00:53:24,600 –> 00:53:29,360
working in the life of a
spiritual man who, who would not

899
00:53:29,360 –> 00:53:34,800
have known the use for which God
needed his daughter, but he was

900
00:53:34,800 –> 00:53:39,160
willing in faith to say, if God
needs anything from my life, God

901
00:53:39,160 –> 00:53:42,240
can have it.
And what a wonderful example

902
00:53:42,240 –> 00:53:46,600
that is of God’s hand at work
with the faithful that the, that

903
00:53:46,600 –> 00:53:49,680
the bringing together of, of
Jephthah’s daughter and Samuel

904
00:53:50,160 –> 00:53:54,640
in this incident was what
enabled Samuel to grow up to do

905
00:53:54,640 –> 00:53:59,080
the great things that he did, to
mentor David in the way that he

906
00:53:59,080 –> 00:54:01,840
did, and then David to do all
the great things that he did.

907
00:54:05,040 –> 00:54:08,280
What a wonderful idea it is.
And, and I repeat, we can’t

908
00:54:08,280 –> 00:54:10,280
prove it.
We don’t know that the timings

909
00:54:10,280 –> 00:54:16,400
work, but they think, and it
would explain why we are given

910
00:54:16,520 –> 00:54:20,760
this incident, why it is
provided in this way.

911
00:54:21,040 –> 00:54:24,400
And it would explain why Samuel
is the other example of one who

912
00:54:24,400 –> 00:54:26,920
was given as a child to the
Tabernacle.

913
00:54:27,720 –> 00:54:30,880
We have a pairing of these two
individuals, don’t we, That they

914
00:54:30,880 –> 00:54:36,080
were both given by a parent
along with an offering in

915
00:54:36,080 –> 00:54:39,080
unusual circumstances to the
Tabernacle at a time when the

916
00:54:39,080 –> 00:54:46,200
Tabernacle was growing din.
And so we had a few questions at

917
00:54:46,200 –> 00:54:49,640
the start, didn’t we, that we
wanted to consider about why

918
00:54:49,640 –> 00:54:52,280
JetBlue was presented in this
way, About why the narrative

919
00:54:52,280 –> 00:54:54,840
doesn’t focus on the battle, but
focuses on everything else that

920
00:54:54,840 –> 00:54:58,240
happens around it.
And there I think we have an

921
00:54:58,240 –> 00:55:02,360
answer and a number of lessons
along the way, don’t we, that

922
00:55:02,360 –> 00:55:05,160
Jephthah was not there to to
simply be a military leader.

923
00:55:05,160 –> 00:55:08,480
Jephthah was, was there to lead
them back to the word that that

924
00:55:08,480 –> 00:55:10,640
any battle begins first in the
mind.

925
00:55:11,240 –> 00:55:13,200
And he won that battle.
And so everything else would

926
00:55:13,200 –> 00:55:18,320
follow with God’s hand.
We, we, we have seen that that

927
00:55:20,200 –> 00:55:25,120
Jephthah was presented as an
outcast that the people might

928
00:55:25,120 –> 00:55:31,080
learn to turn to the spiritual
seed, the principle of not being

929
00:55:31,080 –> 00:55:34,880
a respecter of persons.
And we can see there that the,

930
00:55:35,080 –> 00:55:38,560
the hope of the future, can’t
we, that the, the one who the

931
00:55:38,560 –> 00:55:43,800
Jews condemned as an outcast
will come back to save them that

932
00:55:43,800 –> 00:55:46,720
their hour of greatest need.
You know, and we have seen the

933
00:55:46,720 –> 00:55:52,760
hand of God at work that that we
don’t know God’s plan for all of

934
00:55:52,760 –> 00:55:57,120
the things that happen in our
lives, But just maybe the things

935
00:55:57,120 –> 00:56:01,360
that happened to us aren’t about
us at all, but about someone

936
00:56:01,360 –> 00:56:04,600
else, somewhere else that is
going to benefit from the things

937
00:56:04,600 –> 00:56:09,400
that are happening in our lives.
And so hopefully we can take

938
00:56:09,880 –> 00:56:15,040
that wonderful example of, of
Jeptha with us and, and be

939
00:56:15,040 –> 00:56:20,200
reminded of, of that, that need
to turn back to the word, to

940
00:56:20,200 –> 00:56:22,640
know the word that we can
counter the challenges of the

941
00:56:22,640 –> 00:56:26,400
world and that we can trust that
God has a plan, that God is

942
00:56:26,400 –> 00:56:29,200
outworking his plan, even if we
can’t see how and why.

943
00:56:29,840 –> 00:56:33,880
And that we can trust that that
plan will bring us, by God’s

944
00:56:33,880 –> 00:56:36,880
grace, to that glorious day of
His Kingdom.

945
00:56:51,080 –> 00:56:53,160
Thank you for listening to the
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946
00:56:53,160 –> 00:56:55,760
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947
00:56:55,760 –> 00:56:57,280
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948
00:56:58,440 –> 00:57:00,520
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949
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950
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00:57:07,120 –> 00:57:09,600
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00:57:09,600 –> 00:57:12,360
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953
00:57:12,360 –> 00:57:16,440
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954
00:57:16,680 –> 00:57:19,200
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955
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957
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959
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960
00:57:33,520 –> 00:57:35,760
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961
00:57:36,320 –> 00:57:39,360
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962
00:57:39,360 –> 00:57:42,360
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963
00:57:43,120 –> 00:57:45,880
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964
00:57:45,880 –> 00:57:46,120
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