Judges 11:12-28
The Land the LORD Gave
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12Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, saying, “What do you have against me that you have come to fight against my land?”
13The king of the Ammonites answered Jephthah’s messengers, “When Israel came up out of Egypt, they seized my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and all the way to the Jordan. Now, therefore, restore it peaceably.”
14Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites
15to tell him, “This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or of the Ammonites.
16But when Israel came up out of Egypt, they traveled through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh.
17Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us pass through your land,’ but the king of Edom would not listen. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel stayed in Kadesh.
18Then Israel traveled through the wilderness and bypassed the lands of Edom and Moab. They came to the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the territory of Moab, since the Arnon was its border.
19And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, ‘Please let us pass through your land into our own place.’
20But Sihon would not trust Israel to pass through his territory. So he gathered all his people, encamped in Jahaz, and fought with Israel.
21Then the LORD, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, who defeated them. So Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites who inhabited that country,
22seizing all the land from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.
23Now since the LORD, the God of Israel, has driven out the Amorites from before His people Israel, should you now possess it?
24Do you not possess whatever your god Chemosh grants you? So also, we possess whatever the LORD our God has granted us.
25Are you now so much better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend with Israel or fight against them?
26For three hundred years Israel has lived in Heshbon, Aroer, and their villages, as well as all the cities along the banks of the Arnon. Why did you not take them back during that time?
27I have not sinned against you, but you have done me wrong by waging war against me. May the LORD, the Judge, decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”
28But the king of the Ammonites paid no heed to the message Jephthah sent him.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Before fighting, Jephthah asks the king of Ammon why he has attacked. The king claims Israel took his land when it came from Egypt and demands its return.
Jephthah replies with a different history. Israel went around Edom and Moab rather than invading them. It asked Sihon, king of the Amorites, for passage, but Sihon attacked. The LORD gave Israel victory, and Israel took Sihon's territory. Jephthah distinguishes that land from the land of Moab and Ammon.
He adds that Israel has lived there for three hundred years, without Ammon recovering it during that time. He also appeals to the other king's own religious claims: would he not hold what he believed Chemosh had given him? This is Jephthah's argument to his opponent, not a statement that Chemosh truly has power to give land.
Jephthah finishes by calling on the LORD as Judge between Israel and Ammon. He has stated his case and appealed beyond military strength. The king pays no attention. The attempt to settle the dispute through messengers fails, but the account lets us hear the case before describing the battle.
Questions
1 What land does the king of Ammon claim?
AnswerHe claims the territory from the Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jordan, saying Israel took it when it came from Egypt.
2 How does Jephthah answer that claim?
AnswerHe says Israel took the land from Sihon the Amorite after Sihon attacked, not from Ammon or Moab. He also points to three hundred years of possession.
3 Why does Jephthah appeal to the LORD as Judge?
AnswerHe says Ammon is wrong to wage war and asks the LORD to decide between them. He places the dispute before an authority higher than either army.
4 What can we do before answering an accusation?
AnswerWe can identify the precise claim, check what happened, and give a clear account. We should admit uncertainty where the evidence does not settle a detail.
What This Means for Us
A careful account can keep a disagreement from becoming only a contest of volume. State what happened, distinguish facts from assumptions, and listen to the other person's actual claim. Jephthah's message is rejected, so careful speech is no guarantee of agreement. It is still a better responsibility to fulfill than answering an accusation with another invention.
Prayer
Lord, keep us truthful when we disagree about the past. Help us listen carefully, reject false accusations, and judge our choices by Your word rather than pride. Amen.
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