Judges 11: Truth and Consequences

Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. ² Gilead’s wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. “You are not going to get any inheritance in our family,” they said, “because you are the son of another woman.” ³ So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a gang of scoundrels gathered around him and followed him. -Judges 11:1-3

What can I say? Judges 11 begins with a guy born of a prostitute who was driven away from his family. Later, his family brings him back by asking the guy to lead them in military battle against Israel’s enemies. He swears to sacrifice whatever comes out of his tent first if he wins, then wins, then his daughter comes out first. We are then told of the traditions that developed around this day’s events.

Not much encouragement, is there? But as I read (and write out) Judges, I find that the words are sometimes not to instruct us how to live but to show us the consequences of what happens when we do not live for God. War, death, twisted beliefs, and more take place on a widespread level when God’s people live sinfully.

In this regard, many have made similar observations about modern society. When Christians live God’s way on a large scale, society is changed. When they don’t, the society’s values become evil and warped. Perhaps today we stand at a crossroads in America. There are many who claim to follow God, yet many of these same people do not live in a way that reflect devotion to Jesus. May awakening begin now, in me, and in your life, as we seek to honor the Lord and influence others today.

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Dillon Burroughs is the author and coauthor of numerous books and is handwriting a copy of all 31,173 verses of the Bible at HolyWritProject.com. Find out more about Dillon at Facebook.com/readdB or readdB.com.