Jephthah and the Ammonites – shaped by truth… and pagan beliefs (Judg 11:12-28)

We have seen so far that Israel was threatened by the Ammonites and Jephthah has been made leader. He, the former outcast, must have felt good about negotiating on equal terms with the Ammonite king (11:15, ‘Thus says…’ is a typical formula used by kings). The dispute is over the Transjordan region (where Gilead is), which Ammon wants for itself. Jephthah, in defending Israel’s claims, demonstrates that he knows his people’s history. He rightly argues that Israel, en route to Canaan, asked permission to cross the territory of the Amorites (a different people group who owned the Transjordan then, not to be confused with the Ammonites) but was attacked by them (Judg 11:19-22 cf. Num 21:21-25). In the ensuing fight Israel took that territory. Jephthah also affirms that God had given that land to Israel (Judg 11:23-24 cf. Deut 2:24-36). Moreover, the high point of his speech is the acknowledgement that God, the Judge, will bring justice in this case. This is Jephthah’s moment of faith.

At the same time, the pagan beliefs prevalent in the culture around have also seeped into his thinking. The ancient Near East primarily thought of gods as territorial and this is reflected in Jephthah’s speech. The Ammonites are to accept the land given to them by the god of that territory, while Israel possesses what the Lord has given her (Judg 11:24). This conflicts with Deuteronomy’s assertion that God allocates land even to other nations (Deut 2:9, 19) and the fact that as creator of the world, all the earth belongs to Him. 

Jephthah’s mixed-up theology reminds me of many in the Church today. As fewer people read the Bible or learn the foundations of the faith, theological knowledge becomes patchy and the picture of God is built from a mixture of what Christians hear in church and what society considers good. Recently, I listened to a Christian soldier share how he served in Afghanistan and prayed every time he was out on convoy duty. He used to read Psalm 91 about God’s protection as an encouragement. It seemed like a simple formula: ‘I prayed and God protected me’, but I wondered how such thinking could explain suffering and loss. The man then concluded that ‘God, or maybe luck… saved me’. In all this, there was little recognition that God is not just a divine protector but the One who claims our commitment and love. As Christians we have access to the Bible and God’s full revelation in it that was not available to Jephthah. May we conform ourselves to God’s truth and be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom 12:2).