Chapter 11
Judges 11:1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.
That’s just a great testimony there already. He was the son of a harlot, a son of shame, a son of sin. Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me. But he is now a mighty man of valour. You don’t have to go the way of your fathers or mothers for that matter. I’ve heard Catholics say, My father was a Catholic, My father’s father was a Catholic, and I am a Catholic. You don’t have to go the way of your tendencies. Alcoholic fathers usually produce alcoholic kids. That doesn’t have to be so. Divorce parents usually produce divorced kids. That doesn’t have to be so. It can stop in you. Some people say they were born gay. You don’t have to die gay
Judges 11:6 And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.
Be our captain? They kicked him out and NOW the want him back. Nombre forget it.
Judges 11:13 And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.
A prophetic demonstration of Israel’s struggles. Even unto this day, other nations are trying desperately to reclaim land that belongs to Israel. Did it used to belong to someone else? Sure. But God said it’s Israel’s so that’s what were gonna stick with.
Judges 11:19 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place.
Actually verses (14-23) Jephthah explain God’s providential hand in them obtaining all the lands that they have conquered. In other words, “King of Ammon, I know you used to possess this land, but now you don’t. It’s not yours anymore. Maybe if you were nice to us when we came in, things would be different, but you weren’t and things are not different.
Judges 11:24 Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.
If you God gave you land, would you not go possess it? Very reasonable guy.
Judges 11:26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?
Good point. Even today. If all this land belongs to the Palestinians then why haven’t they taken it earlier. In Texas, possession is 90% ownership. In other words, if this land is your, then why aren’t you sitting on it.
Judges 11:29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.
Passing over in the Spirit. I missed this one. The Passover.
Chapter 12
Judges 12:4-7 Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites. (5) And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay; (6) Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand. (7) And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.
Wow, I really don’t remember any of this. I need to look all this up again.
Rick read chapter 12 again.
Chapter 13
Judges 13:16 And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.
What did he think he was. Did he think it was God? Did he think it was man?
Judges 13:19 So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on. (20) For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.
Just a an awesome beautiful picture of an angel. Just breath-taking.
Judges 13:25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Moved by the Spirit of the LORD. Moved. We need a MOVE of God.
Chapter 14
Judges 14:4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.
Did God seek an occasion? Why would God seek an occasion? As if he could make an occasion. He could wipe the Philistines out with the breath of one nostril. Not sure?
Judges 14:6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.
Renting in the Spirit. That’s another thing of the Spirit. Like Mortifying through the Spirit.
Judges 14:12 And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments:
Games. We like games, Precious! A riddle. Was Samuel also perplexed at the sight he saw. Was his strength the real riddle?
Judges 14:18 And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.
Did he just call his wife a heifer?
Judges 14:19 And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father’s house.
Filled with the Spirit: slew, took, anger.
Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, longsuffering, faith, meekness, temperance.
Chapter 15
Judges 15:6 Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.
He probably shouldn’t have given his wife away. That’s the moral of the story. Don’t be giving other people’s wives away.
Judges 15:14 And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.
The Spirit gives freedom. Romans 8;2 For the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Judges 15:19 But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day.
The Spirit revives…. There is a tremendous study of the Holy Spirit in the life of Samson.