Juízes 11
Wayne Barber · Citado em PreceptAustin
Juízes 11
Barber - Judges 11:1–3 is a parenthetical section between Jdg 10:17–18 and Jdg 11:4. Even though Jephthah had been reared in his father’s house (an act implying adoption and the conferring of legitimacy), when his father died Jephthah’s brothers disinherited him. Believing that “might makes right,” they banded together and threw him out. (BARBER USES SOME "POETIC LIBERTY" IN THE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTION, BUT IT IS LIKELY WHAT TRANSPIRED) Jephthah yearned for someone to say a kind word to him, but instead of compassion he saw stony glares on the faces of the townspeople; and in place of an outstretched hand and a smile, he saw backs being turned and doors being closed. Alone, and with the taunts and jeers of the people ringing in his ears, Jephthah was forced to leave his village. No one offered him counsel or gave him food for his journey. He was an outcast. (Judges: A Narrative of God's Power: An Expositional Commentary) Now - Now often functions like a time phrase to introduce a new subject. In this case it serves to give some critical background on the hero of chapter 11. So we are left in Jdg 10:18 with the question of WHO WOULD LEAD GILEAD IN BATTLE against the Ammonites (which is why this was probably not a good chapter break)? But before the writer addresses the need for a leader he gives us a parenthetic panoramic view of Jephthah who began as an illegitimate child of a prostitute, was rejected by the natural heirs of his father Gilead (Jdg 11:2), and began to rise in notoriety in the land of Tob (Jdg 11:3) as the leader of a gain of raiders. Some think he was functioning somewhat like an oriental "Robin Hood". Jephthah the Gileadite was a valiant warrior, (a mighty man of valor): (See Jephthah) This is the same epithet the Angel of the Lord used to address Gideon in Jdg 6:12+, but in this context uses this name to speak of his proven track record as a valiant warrior. In a military situation, a valiant man is a strong, adept warrior, such as Gideon. So while Israel was responding with repentance (Jdg 10:15-16), God was preparing Jephthah to be the leader who would deliver the Israelites from the 18 years of Ammonite oppression. Valiant warrior in the Septuagint is "dunatos en ischui" which means "strong (powerful, mighty) in strength (power, might)" which is a "powerful" description of his character and aptitude! Samuel uses Jephthah as an illustration of how God raised up a leader to deliver Israel from trouble (1Sa 12:11). Jephthah is also in Hebrews "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews 11:32. Jephthah is a fascinating judge for even though some of his theology was questionable, he used the personal name of God more than any other judge in the entire book! It would seem to be no exaggeration that this man knew Jehovah, the covenant keeping God in a very real and personal way. He had been rejected by those closest to him, and now God had become his closest friend and this is what made him the man of God that he was. NLT Study Bible - In Jephthah, inspired leadership took a new turn. He had humble origins, attracted followers, was eloquent in debate, and had Spirit-filled military prowess, but all of these were overshadowed by the fatal flaws of his untimely vow (Jdg 11:30-31, 34-35) and his petulant civil war with Ephraim (Jdg 12:1-6). Even his victory was short lived (six years, Jdg 12:7). The period of decline was underway, which increased the demand for kingship. Stone has an interesting comment that "The name Jephthah is probably the short form for Jephthah-El, "God opens [the womb]," not a surprising name for a firstborn son, but an extremely ironic name for a man repudiated by his people and deprived of any descendants. The short form of the name does not imply uncertainty about the deity whom Jephthah served any more than it would with Caleb, Ehud, Deborah, Barak, Jael, or Gideon.(See Joshua, Judges, Ruth) Stone on valiant warrior - Not one of the 40 other occurrences of the phrase in the OT refers to an unworthy person. To suggest that the narrator's characterization "hardly commends him spiritually for the role of savior of Israel" (Block 1988:50) misses the sociological import of this term and assumes a dichotomy between the "spiritual" and practical worlds that the OT does not share. Sometimes status as gibbor khayil is contrasted with some unfortunate circumstance, such as Naaman's leprosy, but the term itself unreservedly connotes dignity and honor. (Joshua, Judges, Ruth ) But he was the son of a harlot: In a word (the word my mother is a "harlot") this man was a social outcast and thus he lost his family rights (Jdg 11:2). He was a social outcast before men but not before God, Who had a providential plan. THOUGHT - As an aside we are all "outcasts" before we come to faith in Jesus and God has a beautiful pre-prepared plan for each of our lives (if you feel useless in His Kingdom work, memorize so you can mediated on Eph 2:10+!) Jephthah's lineage is even more clouded than Abimelech's (mother was a concubine), the Lord saw fit to use Jephthah in a remarkable way spite of the fact that he was an illegitimate child! God is still in the business of redeeming the broken lives of broken people born into broken family situations, praise God! There is also a possibility that Jephthah's mother may well have been a Canaanite because she is called in the KJV "a strange woman" or "a woman of another race." This may be another reason his brethren drove him from the family. G Campbell
Juízes 11
Barber on Jephthah - It is doubtful if we can experience any hurt more painful than the ache of rejection. The great Scottish preacher Dr. Alexander Whyte knew what this was like. He had been born out of wedlock, which carried a lifelong stigma in his day. The unfortunate circumstances of his birth excluded him from the company of his peers. He had to contend with the mockery of boys his age, the scorn of the girls, and the whispers of the townspeople whenever they saw him in the street. He knew from painful personal experience the agony of being made to bear the punishment of a sin not his own. John Whyte, Alexander’s father, had offered to marry Janet Thompson, Alexander’s mother, but she refused. When Alexander was born, his mother gave him his father’s surname. She reared him in poverty, but with deep spiritual piety. In time he became apprenticed to a shoemaker. Through hard work he was finally able to study at the universities of Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Dr. Whyte never forgot his illegitimacy. His preaching was marked by a keen sensitivity to the evils of his day, as well as a profound identification with those who suffered. In the course of his ministry, he preached on most of the people of the Bible, and his character studies now fill two large volumes. His insights into the life and character of Jephthah paint a vivid word-portrait: Jephthah the Gileadite was the most ill-used man in all the Old Testament, and he continues to be the most completely misunderstood, misrepresented, and ill-used man down to this day. Jephthah’s ill-usage began when he was born, and it has continued down to the last Old Testament commentary and last Bible dictionary that treats of Jephthah’s name. The iron had entered Jephthah’s soul while yet he lay in his mother’s womb; and both his father and his brothers and the elders of Israel helped forward Jephthah’s affliction, till the Lord rose up for Jephthah and said, “It is enough.” (Judges: A Narrative of God's Power: An Expositional Commentary) F B