Judges 7-11

We resume the story of Gideon and the Midianites with God forcing the Israelites into admitting that their own strength was not going to win the upcoming battle. God pared the fighting troops down to 300 to take on the combined armies of the Midianites, Amalekites, and the other eastern peoples. In short, God was making sure that His people recognized this victory as a miracle -- something only possible because God was with them.

God was helping Gideon's faith all the way through. The altar, the fleece, the army selection, and now God tells Gideon if he's still feeling skittish about the whole battle to spy on the enemy at their campfire. Of course he hears of the prophecy of he and his army scattering his foes. Interesting symbolism that the dream was of a small barley loaf flattening a tent in the Midianite camp completely. The overheard interpretation was the last piece of the faith puzzle for Gideon, and he returned to rally the 300 for the fight. They do battle by breaking jars and blowing horns -- the confusion is what sets the enemy to fleeing. More tribes join in once the chase is on.

The family infighting begins with Ephraim, but Gideon rebuffs them with praise and modesty. Asking for help outside of the nation of Israel proves to be more complicated. The leaders of Succoth and Peniel each refuse to feed and provide for the 300 fighting men, exhausted from chasing the enemy back home. The town leaders even seem to taunt Gideon. Bad idea. He punished the elders of Succoth by apparently beating them with thorns and briars. Then he pulled down the tower of Peniel -- likely the source of pride, as well as a military lookout -- then killed all the men of the town.

Gideon is strong for a while, but his weakness is the ephod he makes from the plunder of earrings. Not only Gideon and his family were tripped up with this idol, but "all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it..." What a horrible end to the story. Even more horrible was after Gideon died, Israel went back to its infatuation with Baal. Still more horrible is the rising up of Abimelech, son of Gideon and a concubine, plotting to take power by killing all 70 of his half brothers on one stone. Well not quite all. One son, Jotham, hid and emerged to shout a taunt to Abimelech from atop Mt. Gerizim before going into hiding in Beer. (the place, not the drink.)

Finally it is God who turns the people against Abimelech after three years. Abimelech had another great military victory, but it ended in dishonor as he was struck on the head by a millstone dropped from a tower by a woman inside. Abimelech considered it shameful enough that he asked his armor-bearer to finish him off so no one could say that a woman killed him. Semantics don't change the truth. In 9:57, it is reported that Abimelech's end was the result of Jotham's curse.

Two short mentions of Tola, a judge for 23 years and Jair, a judge for 22 years begin chapter 10. Apparently nothing of significance happened on their watch. Judging from the normal behavior of the people, if there was a strong judge everyone was on their best behavior so we must assume that Tola and Jair were good judges. Next up after another cry from a judgeless Israel for help, is Jephthah, whose story begins chapter eleven.

Jephthah picked up a band of adventurers (probably mercenaries) and was recruited by the leaders of Gilead to lead the army against the Ammonites. Jephthah becomes the leader and begins by trying a little diplomacy with the Ammonite king. In response to that king's declaration that Israel was on Ammonite soil, taken by Joshua and company, Jephthah responds with a history lesson which is basically ignored by the king. So the battle begins.

Jephthah makes an unnecessary vow to God saying that if the Lord grants him victory, he will sacrifice to God the first thing coming out of the door of his house when he returns home from battle. To his dismay, that thing was his daughter, an only child. The girl understands Dad's situation and asks only for two months to be with her friends before she dies. Her father agrees and after those two months, Jephthah sacrifices his daughter to God. The author notes that this began a custom among young Israelite women to go out for four days in commemoration.

What to make of this brutal sacrifice. Well, a vow was a vow, especially one made to God. So Jephthah didn't hold back his only child, just as Father Abraham had done with Isaac. Still the fault lies in the foolish vow. The bearing of punishment by the girl isn't the worst that could have happened to her. Death never is the worst. Death without being reconciled to God is the worst. Still I wonder what must have been going through Jephthah's mind through the whole process, when he killed his daughter, and for the rest of his life.