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One of the duties God has given to His people is to pass down accounts of the mighty works of God. Psalm 78:4 says, “We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.” The book of Judges is an example of how this is to be done. The Bible does not attempt to conceal the sins and failures of the men in these accounts. These heroes of the faith are presented honestly, warts and all. Likewise, the Bible records the sin and rebellion of God’s people, that we might learn to avoid their sins and learn to live for God’s glory.
Issues in the Church
Before we consider the 12th chapter of Judges, a few general observations are in order. First, it is important to remember that wide spread unbelief and the cultural evils that inevitably accompany it characterized the time period covered in Judges. Though the Judges God raised up were part of this culture, they were useful because God, in His grace, gave them the heart to do battle with the world by the authority of His Word. Second, Jephthah is mentioned specifically in Hebrews as an example of those who believe (Heb. 11:32). This must be taken into account in interpreting the passage before us. Third, the history of Ephraim reveals the seeds that later will bring forth the fruit of apostasy. At the root of this putrid plant is the pride of life—the enemy of individuals and cultures. Ultimately, it results in Ephraim leading the northern tribes into idolatry and destruction. The prophet Hosea reveals this: “ ‘I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me; for now, O Ephraim, you commit harlotry; Israel is defiled. They do not direct their deeds toward turning to their God, for the spirit of harlotry is in their midst’ ” (5:3–4a). This may be the reason Ephraim is excluded from the list of those who are preserved from destruction in Revelation 7. With these things in mind, we can consider the concluding account of Jephthah’s tenure as a judge in Israel. Judges 12 records the conflict between Jephthah, a Gileadite, and the tribe of Ephraim. Jephthah was introduced in the previous chapter. The circumstances of his birth as a result of his father’s immorality led to his being ostracized from his family and community. Yet God equipped him for service. Instead of leaving his people to the oppression of the Ammonites, Jephthah assumed the leadership role in delivering his people from their tyranny, defeating the Ammonites in battle after they rejected his attempt at peaceful settlement through diplomacy. Jephthah’s vow to offer to God whatever came through his door if God would grant victory is a good illustration of Proverbs 20:25: “It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy, and afterward to reconsider his vows.” Yet, in spite of the personal hardship, Jephthah demonstrated his devotion to the Lord by paying the vow in a manner consistent with God’s covenant. Jephthah was a man of integrity and usefulness, though flawed in many ways.
After the battle, the leaders of Ephraim began to stir up conflict. It is evident that the motivation was selfish pride. Ephraim enjoyed the privilege of being counted as the firstborn by virtue of Jacob’s reversed blessing of Joseph’s sons (Gen. 48:13–19). However, the principle of “ ‘to whom much is given, from him much will be required’ ” (Luke 12:48) applies as well. Ephraim had done nothing to deliver its oppressed brothers. In fact, the text makes it clear that Ephraim had refused Jephthah’s request for help (Judg. 12:2–3). Yet Ephraim was indignant at missing out on the glory of the victory. This was not the first time Ephraim had gotten its nose out of joint because it did not receive sufficient glory; the tribe challenged Gideon over the very same issue (Judg. 8:1). However, in this case the pride of the Ephraimites led to malice. They were so incensed they threatened God’s judge with a fiery death (Judg. 12:1). As a final insult, Ephraim insisted that those who had fought valiantly for the Lord were to be treated as enemies and rebels against the sons of Joseph (Judg. 12:4).
Jephthah, by contrast, was careful to give the glory to God (Judg. 12:3). His conflict with Ephraim does not seem to have been motivated by pride or self-interest. The battle was fought between covenant-keepers and covenant-breakers. Having delivered his people from the oppression of God’s enemies outside the covenant community, he could not permit them to be oppressed by enemies from within the covenant community. As God’s judge, he executed justice on the proud and arrogant who attempted to turn God’s people away from Him. Ephraim accused God’s faithful of being rebels and fugitives. But God used Jephthah to demonstrate that those who rob God of His glory and refuse to fight His battles are the real rebels.
Beware of the pride of life. It will distort your perceptions and ultimately will bring you to destruction as you do battle against God Himself. How ironic if the fords at which the Ephraimites were slaughtered were in the presence of those stones that bore witness to the place the believers of Transjordan were to enjoy with the rest of Israel (Josh. 22:10–29). How ironic it will be if we continue to fight prideful battles in the churches we claim to love, only to be disciplined by God for our deeds against it.