Jephthah was a brave man whose mother was a harlot. The men of Gilead allowed his brethren to drive him away so he could not receive a part of the inheritance of their father. He went to live in the land of Tob where loose men gathered around him and helped conduct raids on those nearby. When Ammon... [ Continue Reading ]
Jephthah then tried to use diplomatic means to avert a war. He sent to the king of the Ammonites and asked why he had come to fight against their land. His answer was that Israel had taken away his land when they came up out of Egypt. Jephthah sent back messengers to remind the king that Israel had... [ Continue Reading ]
The coming of the Spirit of the Lord on Jephthah proved he was God's appointed leader. He immediately rose up and traveled through the area gathering an army to fight for the freedom of Gilead. This area, from the Arnon River to the Jabbak River, covered the inheritance of Reuben and half of Gad. Be... [ Continue Reading ]
With God's help, the Ammonites were subdued with a great slaughter. Jephthah's daughter, who was his only child, was the first to come out of his house to greet him and celebrate his victory with dancing (Compare Exodus 15:20; 1 Samuel 18:6-7). Ordinarily, a father would rejoice to see his child run... [ Continue Reading ]