03-05-06
Sorry, you must have Windows Media Player 9 or higher. This is a large file which may take a few seconds to start (Judg 11:1-3) Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of a strange woman. Then Jephthah fled [(was) chased away, driven away, put to flight] from his brethren [unsaved half-brothers], and dwelt in the land of Tob [a type of our Lord’s ascension into Heaven]: and there were gathered [to pick up, to glean (raptured)] to Jephthah vain men [empty; fig. worthless men], and [they] went out [raiding] with him. 1. Tob = Heb: good /// good in the widest sense; (good, a good or good thing, a good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or women):--beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, X fair (word), (be in) favour, fine, glad, good (deed, -lier, liest, -ly, -ness, -s), graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, liketh (best), loving, merry, X most, pleasant, + pleaseth, pleasure, precious, prosperity, ready, sweet, wealth, welfare, (be) well ([-favoured]). 2. (1 Th 4:16,17) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [seized: caught (away, up), plucked, pulled, taken] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 3. (1 Sam 22:1,2) David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that was in distress [in a narrow place: confinement], and every one that was in debt [being dunned for debt], and every one that was discontented [bitter: X great, heavy], gathered themselves [assembled themselves] unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. GREAT TRIBULATION (Judg 11:4-8) And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel [Great Tribulation]. And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel [Great Tribulation], the elders of Gilead went to fetch [receive] Jephthah out of the land of Tob: And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain [military leader (Saviour)], that we may fight with the children of Ammon. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me [to hate (personally): enemy, foe], and expel me [to drive out from a possession; espec. to expatriate (banish) or divorce] out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress [(great) tribulation]? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head [ruler (Lord)] over all the inhabitants of Gilead. CONVERSION OF THE GILEADITES (Judg 11:9-11) And Jephthah [he will open (a type of Jesus Christ)] said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again [His Second Coming] to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head [ruler (Lord)]? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words. Then Jephthah went with [to walk with, to carry: to bear (Footsteps In The Sand)] the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head [Lord] and captain [Saviour] over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh [watch-tower]. 1. Gilead = Heb: mound of stones, heap of testimony, heap of witness, rocky region. Where the hard rock of our heart is broken, symbolizing the Old Testament brazen altar and the New Testament cross (the entryway into the Kingdom of God/Heaven). 2. Ammon = Heb: inbred; a son of Lot. Counted as the unsaved. Related to Israel, but in an unholy sense (see twenty laws against incest in Lev 18:6-18). Symbolizing all Christian denominations other than evangelical (born-again). This is a very important understanding! In the Great Tribulation, Christian denominations other than born-again will turn against and attack born-again evangelicals. 3. “if we do not so according to thy words” = the Gileadites covenanted by oath before the LORD to obey the words of Jephthah (Jesus Christ); they committed and submitted their selves to their Lord and Saviour; i.e. they got saved. Commentary: Gilead represents the nominal (in name only) Christians within the nation of Israel (the saved body of Christ – the church) who are still camping out a step just before the foot of the cross of justification (the brazen altar). They are inactive spectator types, kinda just sitting and watching all the nearby action rather than wholeheartedly entering in and actively participating, having not yet truly committed and submitted their lives to Jesus Christ and passed through (action) the cross onward to sanctification (the brazen laver). These Gileadites are detached from all the action, comfortably seated in the cheering section of the bleachers (pews). They uniformily voice a certain zeal about the concept or general notion of Jesus Christ, but have no true understanding (Rom 10:1-3). Then, much to their dismay, the sidelines setting of their comfortable circumstance in the pews rapidly changes and they suddenly find themselves in the center of the action, attacked in the pews, in “distress” (Judg 11:7) suffering under Great Tribulation (Gk: pressure: affliction, anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble). The question then becomes, why has the Lord allowed these professing Christians to fall into Great Tribulation? The answer is that they have fallen into Great Tribulation because of the awful hardness of their hearts, and because of the awful hardness of their hearts, not just “fear” (Jude 1:22,23) but indeed great fear is required to convert these professing Christians of Gilead into confessing Christians of Christ. 1. (Rom 10:1-3) Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal [an enthusiasm] of God, but not according to knowledge [recognition, full discernment, acknowledgment]. For they being ignorant [not to know (through lack of information or intelligence): not understanding] of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness [the Gileadites: be my Saviour but I still want to be my own boss - Lord], have not submitted themselves [to be subordinate, to obey, be subject to] unto the righteousness of God. 2. (Jude 1:22,23) And of some have compassion, making a difference [to separate thoroughly]: And others save with fear [alarm or fright: be afraid, + exceedingly, fear, terror], pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted [stained: defiled] by the flesh. SUMMATION Commentary: The chronological order of eschatological events thus far discerned in this historical narrative of Jephthah in Judges 11:1-11 is firstly that the nominal (in name only) Christians of Gilead will enter into the suffering of Great Tribulation: “the children of Ammon made war against Israel” (Judg 11:4), while during that same time period of Great Tribulation, Jephthah (“a mighty man of valour” Judg 11:1) and his small band of true believers (Tob: Judg 11:3; Adullam: 1 Sam 22:1,2) are raiding the oppressors of Israel symbolically for converts – Gentiles. Jephthah’s raiders are David’s raiders are us. Secondly, the scene is being prepared for Jephthah’s (Jesus Christ’s) Second Coming in glory and power. Jephthah is symbolically crowned King of kings and Lord of lords when “the people made him head [Lord] and captain [Saviour] over them” (Judg 11:11). Amen Previous Chapter Table Of Contents Next Chapter Click here to download a printable version of this message Click here to download a DOC version of this message
This is a large file which may take a few seconds to start
(Judg 11:1-3) Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of a strange woman. Then Jephthah fled [(was) chased away, driven away, put to flight] from his brethren [unsaved half-brothers], and dwelt in the land of Tob [a type of our Lord’s ascension into Heaven]: and there were gathered [to pick up, to glean (raptured)] to Jephthah vain men [empty; fig. worthless men], and [they] went out [raiding] with him.
1. Tob = Heb: good /// good in the widest sense; (good, a good or good thing, a good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or women):--beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, X fair (word), (be in) favour, fine, glad, good (deed, -lier, liest, -ly, -ness, -s), graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, liketh (best), loving, merry, X most, pleasant, + pleaseth, pleasure, precious, prosperity, ready, sweet, wealth, welfare, (be) well ([-favoured]).
2. (1 Th 4:16,17) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [seized: caught (away, up), plucked, pulled, taken] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
3. (1 Sam 22:1,2) David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that was in distress [in a narrow place: confinement], and every one that was in debt [being dunned for debt], and every one that was discontented [bitter: X great, heavy], gathered themselves [assembled themselves] unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.
(Judg 11:4-8) And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel [Great Tribulation]. And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel [Great Tribulation], the elders of Gilead went to fetch [receive] Jephthah out of the land of Tob: And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain [military leader (Saviour)], that we may fight with the children of Ammon. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me [to hate (personally): enemy, foe], and expel me [to drive out from a possession; espec. to expatriate (banish) or divorce] out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress [(great) tribulation]? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head [ruler (Lord)] over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
(Judg 11:9-11) And Jephthah [he will open (a type of Jesus Christ)] said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again [His Second Coming] to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head [ruler (Lord)]? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words. Then Jephthah went with [to walk with, to carry: to bear (Footsteps In The Sand)] the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head [Lord] and captain [Saviour] over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh [watch-tower].
1. Gilead = Heb: mound of stones, heap of testimony, heap of witness, rocky region. Where the hard rock of our heart is broken, symbolizing the Old Testament brazen altar and the New Testament cross (the entryway into the Kingdom of God/Heaven).
2. Ammon = Heb: inbred; a son of Lot. Counted as the unsaved. Related to Israel, but in an unholy sense (see twenty laws against incest in Lev 18:6-18). Symbolizing all Christian denominations other than evangelical (born-again). This is a very important understanding! In the Great Tribulation, Christian denominations other than born-again will turn against and attack born-again evangelicals.
3. “if we do not so according to thy words” = the Gileadites covenanted by oath before the LORD to obey the words of Jephthah (Jesus Christ); they committed and submitted their selves to their Lord and Saviour; i.e. they got saved.
Commentary: Gilead represents the nominal (in name only) Christians within the nation of Israel (the saved body of Christ – the church) who are still camping out a step just before the foot of the cross of justification (the brazen altar). They are inactive spectator types, kinda just sitting and watching all the nearby action rather than wholeheartedly entering in and actively participating, having not yet truly committed and submitted their lives to Jesus Christ and passed through (action) the cross onward to sanctification (the brazen laver). These Gileadites are detached from all the action, comfortably seated in the cheering section of the bleachers (pews). They uniformily voice a certain zeal about the concept or general notion of Jesus Christ, but have no true understanding (Rom 10:1-3). Then, much to their dismay, the sidelines setting of their comfortable circumstance in the pews rapidly changes and they suddenly find themselves in the center of the action, attacked in the pews, in “distress” (Judg 11:7) suffering under Great Tribulation (Gk: pressure: affliction, anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble). The question then becomes, why has the Lord allowed these professing Christians to fall into Great Tribulation? The answer is that they have fallen into Great Tribulation because of the awful hardness of their hearts, and because of the awful hardness of their hearts, not just “fear” (Jude 1:22,23) but indeed great fear is required to convert these professing Christians of Gilead into confessing Christians of Christ.
1. (Rom 10:1-3) Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal [an enthusiasm] of God, but not according to knowledge [recognition, full discernment, acknowledgment]. For they being ignorant [not to know (through lack of information or intelligence): not understanding] of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness [the Gileadites: be my Saviour but I still want to be my own boss - Lord], have not submitted themselves [to be subordinate, to obey, be subject to] unto the righteousness of God.
2. (Jude 1:22,23) And of some have compassion, making a difference [to separate thoroughly]: And others save with fear [alarm or fright: be afraid, + exceedingly, fear, terror], pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted [stained: defiled] by the flesh.
Commentary: The chronological order of eschatological events thus far discerned in this historical narrative of Jephthah in Judges 11:1-11 is firstly that the nominal (in name only) Christians of Gilead will enter into the suffering of Great Tribulation: “the children of Ammon made war against Israel” (Judg 11:4), while during that same time period of Great Tribulation, Jephthah (“a mighty man of valour” Judg 11:1) and his small band of true believers (Tob: Judg 11:3; Adullam: 1 Sam 22:1,2) are raiding the oppressors of Israel symbolically for converts – Gentiles. Jephthah’s raiders are David’s raiders are us. Secondly, the scene is being prepared for Jephthah’s (Jesus Christ’s) Second Coming in glory and power. Jephthah is symbolically crowned King of kings and Lord of lords when “the people made him head [Lord] and captain [Saviour] over them” (Judg 11:11).
Amen
Previous Chapter