Jephthah = Rejection – Victory – And Disaster - All In The One Cup - Part 1 Series

JEPHTHAH = REJECTION – VICTORY – AND DISASTER - ALL IN THE ONE CUP - PART 1

There is a lot of scripture in this message. I have put that in the message for SERMONCENTRAL as it is easier to read in text.

THE INTRODUCTION – LEADERLESS IN A DISMAL TIME

{{Judges 10:17-18 Then the sons of Ammon were summoned, and they camped in Gilead and the sons of Israel gathered together, and camped in Mizpah, and the people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight against the sons of Ammon? He shall become head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”}}

The Ammonites were a wicked people who worshipped the god Moloch to whom children were sacrificed in the fire. They resulted from an incestuous relationship between Lot and his daughters when the daughters made Lot drunk, and Lot’s daughters had sex with their father. One produced the Ammonites and the other produced the Moabites.

The Ammonites were the enemy of Israel and the enemy was too powerful, and the people quaked, and the people lost heart entirely. Why were they leaderless? This story is set in the times of the Judges, a very sad period of 400 years when the people constantly sinned and God allowed enemies to overtake them. When they cried to God He sent a deliverer (a Judge). During those years the people gave lip service to the judge but never truly repented to follow God.

Israel lived in corruption and we don’t have to think too hard to know the reason why. Before the nation entered the land of Canaan they were given strict instructions by God that ALL the evil in the land had to be removed including the totally reprobate people. God knew what would happen if that was not done, and at the start under Joshua they started well, but after a while they could not be bothered with the will of God and they left the wicked people of the land and all their horrible idolatry and sin and demonic practices.

Very soon, the Israelites adopted all those satanic practices and made them theirs and thus they polluted the land.

Disobedience or incomplete obedience will always reap the reward of defeat. That is why the people were powerless, leaderless and slaves of sin. The Judge turned them around and they followed the Judge but they did not follow the Lord. The same thing happened in Josiah’s time. He was a brilliant king, a most godly man and brought in reforms throughout the land more than any other king had done. However the people merely gave lip service and did not follow God with their whole hearts, so as soon as Josiah died, they were back into their idolatrous worship and were just one step away from destruction.

Man left to his own devices can not help himself, so unless God enters the scene, all he has to look forward to is disaster. In Israel’s case, God time after time intervened with a deliverer to rescue the nation. Of course in the fullness of time a Deliverer came into the world to die for the sins of the world.

THE PEOPLE’S INSINCERITY IN PRETENCE

We see this frequent scenario playing out yet again - {{Judges 10:9-16 The sons of Ammon crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was greatly distressed. Judg. 10:10 Then the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD saying, “We have sinned against You, for indeed, we have forsaken our God and served the Baals,” Judg 10:11 and the LORD said to the sons of Israel, “Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the sons of Ammon, and the Philistines? Judg. 10:12 Also when the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hands, Judg. 10:13 YET YOU HAVE FORSAKEN ME AND SERVED OTHER GODS. Therefore I will deliver you no more. Judg 10:14 Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen. Let them deliver you in the time of your distress.” Judg 10:15 The sons of Israel said to the LORD, “We have sinned. Do to us whatever seems good to You. Only please deliver us this day,” Judg 10:16 so they put away the foreign gods from among them, and served the LORD; and He could bear the misery of Israel no longer.”}}

The Lord felt compassion towards His earthly people and raised up a judge for them. The judges were always the deliverers. The people were faithful to the judge and followed him either until God gave the victory, or until the particular judge died. Then they could not wait to return to their idolatry.