The Book of Judges #17

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:04.559 Word. Tonight, and now again, Lord, we come before your throne. 2 00:00:04.639 --> 00:00:08.000 Is Your people, Lord, gathered together in the assembly of the saints, 3 00:00:08.439 --> 00:00:11.880 the Assembly of the righteous ones, are here. And Lord, part 4 00:00:11.960 --> 00:00:14.919 of what we want to do is hear your word. And Lord, I 5 00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:18.559 pray God that you would take the words that I have prepared through this week 6 00:00:19.160 --> 00:00:22.839 and used them indeed to speak to the hearts of your people. Lord, 7 00:00:23.640 --> 00:00:29.359 indeed impress upon us the foolishness of what we see in our text tonight and 8 00:00:29.399 --> 00:00:34.200 help us to understand that we should not emulate some of the things that we 9 00:00:34.240 --> 00:00:37.640 see. But Yet, God be, thank you for your faithfulness as it 10 00:00:37.719 --> 00:00:41.560 comes forth in the text, and we pray we will see that and we 11 00:00:41.640 --> 00:00:46.840 pray God, everyone here will be encouraged, exhorted as well, but also 12 00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:50.920 comforted, and we pray that your word would have its perfect work, for 13 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:54.320 it is your word. But God, guide me so that I do not 14 00:00:54.679 --> 00:00:59.119 speak awry or that I do not speak that which would not give glory to 15 00:00:59.200 --> 00:01:04.040 you, for we asked this now in Christ name. Amen. So we 16 00:01:04.120 --> 00:01:10.879 are reading a long text tonight again. The book of judges lends itself to 17 00:01:10.959 --> 00:01:15.599 long text, and so I am going to be reading the entirety of chapter 18 00:01:15.799 --> 00:01:21.680 eleven tonight, which is, like I say, a very long chapter. 19 00:01:22.760 --> 00:01:26.560 But here's God's word now. Jefftha, the Gileadite, was a mighty warrior, 20 00:01:26.680 --> 00:01:30.000 but he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was a father of 21 00:01:30.040 --> 00:01:34.000 Jeffah, and Gilead's wife also bore him sons. And when his wife's sons 22 00:01:34.040 --> 00:01:38.480 grew up, they drove Jeffah out and said to him you shall not have 23 00:01:38.519 --> 00:01:42.239 an inheritance in our father's house, for you are the son of another woman. 24 00:01:42.959 --> 00:01:46.239 Then Jeffah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tobe, 25 00:01:46.439 --> 00:01:51.040 and worthless fellows collected around Jeffdah and went out with him. After a time 26 00:01:51.040 --> 00:01:55.040 the ammonites made war against Israel. And when the AMMONITES made war against Israel, 27 00:01:55.079 --> 00:01:57.760 the elders of Gilead went to bring Jeffah from the land of Tobe and 28 00:01:57.799 --> 00:02:00.319 they said to jeff that com and be our leader, that we may fight 29 00:02:00.359 --> 00:02:05.359 with the AMMONITES. But JEFFA said to the elders of Gilead, did you 30 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:08.319 not hate me and drive me out of my father's house? Why have you 31 00:02:08.360 --> 00:02:13.560 come to me now when you're in distress and the elders of Gilead said to 32 00:02:13.639 --> 00:02:16.240 Jeff Thah, that is why we've turned to you. Now you may go 33 00:02:16.319 --> 00:02:21.520 with us and fight with the AMMONITES and be the head over all the inhabitants 34 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:24.879 of Gilead. Jeffa said to the elders of Gilead, if you bring me 35 00:02:24.960 --> 00:02:28.800 home again to fight with the ammonites and the Lord gives them over to me, 36 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:31.400 I'll be your head. And the elders of Gilead said the Jeffa, 37 00:02:31.439 --> 00:02:35.879 the Lord will be witnessed between us if we do not do as you say. 38 00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:38.240 So Jeffa went with the elders of Gilead and the people made him head 39 00:02:38.280 --> 00:02:42.879 and lead her over them. And Jeffa spoke all the words before the Lord 40 00:02:42.919 --> 00:02:46.719 at Mizpah. Then Jeff Thah sent messengers to the king of the ammonites and 41 00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:50.680 said what do you have against me that you've come to fight against my land? 42 00:02:51.439 --> 00:02:54.639 The King of the AMMONITES answered the messengers of Jeffah because Israel, on 43 00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:59.479 coming up from Egypt, took away my land from the ammon to the JAVAC 44 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:05.840 and to the Jordan's. Now therefore restore it peaceably. Jeff again sent messengers 45 00:03:05.840 --> 00:03:09.039 to the king of ammonites and said Tom Thus, says Jeff, the Israel 46 00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:13.479 did not take away the land of Moeb or the land of the AMMONITES. 47 00:03:13.919 --> 00:03:16.759 But when they came up from Egypt and Israel went through the Wilderness to the 48 00:03:16.800 --> 00:03:21.520 Red Sea and came to Kadesh. Israel then sent messengers to the King of 49 00:03:21.639 --> 00:03:23.759 Edem saying let us pass through your land, but the king of edem would 50 00:03:23.759 --> 00:03:27.400 not listen. And they also sent to the King of Moab, but he 51 00:03:27.439 --> 00:03:30.919 would not consent. So Israel remained at Kadesh. Then the journey to the 52 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:35.479 Wilderness and went around the land of Edem in the land of MOEB. Arrived 53 00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:38.240 on the east side of the land of Moeb and camped on the other side 54 00:03:38.280 --> 00:03:42.159 of the Emmen of the Arnam, but they did not enter the territory of 55 00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:46.039 MOAB, for the for the Iremmand was the boundary of Moab. Israel then 56 00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:50.759 sent messengers to Saihan, King of the Amorites, King of Heshbon, and 57 00:03:50.840 --> 00:03:53.759 Israel said the Plice, let us pass through your land to our country. 58 00:03:53.319 --> 00:03:57.879 But SIHAN did not trust the Israel to pass through his territory. So scion 59 00:03:57.960 --> 00:04:01.199 gathered all his people together and camped at Jeh has and fought with Israel and 60 00:04:01.240 --> 00:04:03.639 the Lord, the God of Israel, Gay Scion, and all his people 61 00:04:03.639 --> 00:04:08.319 into the hand of Israel. They defeated them. So Israel took possession of 62 00:04:08.360 --> 00:04:12.360 all the land of Amorrights who inhabited that country, and they took possession of 63 00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:15.400 all the territory of the Amorrights, from the aren't onto the JABBAC and from 64 00:04:15.400 --> 00:04:18.519 the wilderness to the Jordan's so then, the Lord, the God of Israel, 65 00:04:18.600 --> 00:04:24.319 dispossessed them rights from before his people of Israel. and Are you to 66 00:04:24.360 --> 00:04:28.680 take possession of them? Will you not possessed what Kimash, your God, 67 00:04:28.879 --> 00:04:31.040 gave you to possess? And all that the Lord, our God, has 68 00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:35.759 dispossessed before us, we will possess now. Are you better than Bailk, 69 00:04:35.839 --> 00:04:40.519 the son of Zippor, King of MOEB? Did he ever contend against Israel? 70 00:04:40.560 --> 00:04:43.879 Did he ever go to war with them? While Israel lived in Heshbanh 71 00:04:43.879 --> 00:04:46.519 and's villages and in our roar and his villages and all the cities that are 72 00:04:46.519 --> 00:04:50.560 on the banks? They aren't on three entred years, why didn't you deliver 73 00:04:50.680 --> 00:04:56.040 them within that time? I therefore have not sinned against you and you do 74 00:04:56.120 --> 00:05:00.079 me wrong by making war on me. The Lord, the judge decide This 75 00:05:00.160 --> 00:05:03.959 Day between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon. The king and 76 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:09.000 the AMMONITES did not listen to the words of Jeftha that he sent to him. 77 00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:12.040 Then the spirit of Lord was Pon Jeff then he passed through Gilead and 78 00:05:12.079 --> 00:05:15.240 Madison passed on to Miss Pov Gilead. From Miss Pov Giliad he passed on 79 00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:18.680 to the AMMONITES and Jefftha made a vow to the Lord and said, if 80 00:05:18.720 --> 00:05:23.279 you will give the ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out of the 81 00:05:23.319 --> 00:05:26.439 doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the ammonites 82 00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:30.120 shall be the Lords and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. 83 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:33.439 So Jeffa crossed over to the AMMONITES to fight against them, and the Lord 84 00:05:33.480 --> 00:05:36.639 gave them into his hand and he struck them from roar to the neighborhood of 85 00:05:36.639 --> 00:05:42.639 minnet twenty said INA and as far as Abel Karamin with a great blow. 86 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:46.000 So the ammonite were subdued before the people of Israel. Then Jeffa came to 87 00:05:46.079 --> 00:05:49.399 his house at Miss pod behold his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines 88 00:05:49.439 --> 00:05:53.800 and dances. She was his only child. Besides her, he had neither 89 00:05:53.879 --> 00:05:57.120 son nor daughter. And as soon as he saw her, he tores close 90 00:05:57.199 --> 00:06:00.399 and said, alas, my daughter, you have brought me very and you 91 00:06:00.560 --> 00:06:03.040 become the cause of great trouble to me, for I have opened my mouth 92 00:06:03.079 --> 00:06:06.600 to the Lord and I cannot take back my vow. And she said to 93 00:06:06.680 --> 00:06:09.920 him, my father, you have opened your mouth to the Lord, due 94 00:06:09.959 --> 00:06:12.680 to me, according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that 95 00:06:12.720 --> 00:06:15.040 the Lord has avenged, you on your enemies, on the ammonites. So 96 00:06:15.079 --> 00:06:17.480 she said to her father, let this thing be done for me. Leave 97 00:06:17.519 --> 00:06:20.560 me alone two months. Then I may go up and down on the mountains 98 00:06:20.560 --> 00:06:25.480 and weep for my virginity, I and my companions. So he said go 99 00:06:26.160 --> 00:06:29.639 and he sent her away for two months. She departed, she and her 100 00:06:29.680 --> 00:06:31.879 companions, and wept for her virginity on the mountains. And at the end 101 00:06:31.879 --> 00:06:35.199 of two months, you returned to her father, who did with her according 102 00:06:35.240 --> 00:06:39.000 to the vow he had made. She had never known a man, and 103 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:42.720 it became accustomed in Israel that the daughters of Israel went, year by year 104 00:06:42.759 --> 00:06:46.240 to lament the daughter of Jephthah, the Gileadite, four days in the year. 105 00:06:46.600 --> 00:06:53.959 Thus ends the reading of God's word. Please be seated. Well, 106 00:06:54.040 --> 00:06:58.720 last week we looked at two relative unknown judges of Israel and then the rest 107 00:06:58.759 --> 00:07:03.120 of Chapter Ten del with Israel's negotiation with the Lord over the ammonite threat. 108 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:08.519 Tonight again we have a longer text, of course, as you've just noticed, 109 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:12.639 and we're gonna be looking at a very skilled negotiator by the name of 110 00:07:12.720 --> 00:07:16.600 J ff, who does well up to a point until he picks the wrong 111 00:07:16.720 --> 00:07:21.519 party to negotiate with. I know that I have just read the text and 112 00:07:21.560 --> 00:07:26.319 it's a long text and I'm going to basically tell you the story and hopefully 113 00:07:26.360 --> 00:07:29.279 if any parts of it were unclear. I want to do what I've done 114 00:07:29.480 --> 00:07:32.480 on previous Sunday nights and basically just tell you what's going on in expositive. 115 00:07:32.480 --> 00:07:39.199 The text somewhat simple matter, but then go to applications, and there's many. 116 00:07:39.240 --> 00:07:42.839 I had to cut out several sections of my sermon tonight because there's so 117 00:07:42.920 --> 00:07:46.879 many applications that can be made out of this passage of scripture. But that's 118 00:07:46.879 --> 00:07:50.120 what we're going to do. So we'll begin with looking at verses one to 119 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:55.120 eleven. It's been noted by some that the only book of the Bible that 120 00:07:55.319 --> 00:07:59.480 ends with the question mark is the book of Jonah. Well, the chapter 121 00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:03.879 ten of judges doesn't quite end with a question mark, but it does end 122 00:08:03.879 --> 00:08:07.959 with a question that is followed by a statement. The question is, who's 123 00:08:09.000 --> 00:08:13.920 going to be the man who's going to fight against the AMMONITES? That question 124 00:08:13.000 --> 00:08:18.480 is now going to be answered for us. In chapter eleven there's a man 125 00:08:18.560 --> 00:08:22.639 of Gilead who has described as a mighty warrior. The name is Jeff Thuh. 126 00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:26.680 Now we don't know for sure. There's discussion in the commentaries about guile 127 00:08:26.720 --> 00:08:31.800 lead and whether that's the land or whether that's his father. You can read 128 00:08:31.839 --> 00:08:35.679 the text both ways. Uh, and we don't know, and that's okay. 129 00:08:35.720 --> 00:08:41.600 We don't need to know that. But most would believe that probably uh, 130 00:08:41.639 --> 00:08:46.200 it's it's the father, the actual father, and Um, and then 131 00:08:46.279 --> 00:08:50.200 that he was named after the ancestor. We have a lot of repeat names 132 00:08:50.240 --> 00:08:54.799 and judges, the names that showed up earlier in the in the Bible and 133 00:08:54.840 --> 00:08:58.879 now are coming back and some of the earliest sons of the twelve tribes of 134 00:08:58.960 --> 00:09:03.799 Israel and they come back here. Now we've seen some very flawed individuals in 135 00:09:03.840 --> 00:09:07.759 the book of judges and the trend isn't going to change in this chapter. 136 00:09:07.440 --> 00:09:11.960 It seems like the best judges in the book of judges are the people we 137 00:09:13.039 --> 00:09:16.279 really don't know, hardly anything about. Um, and maybe that's not the 138 00:09:16.320 --> 00:09:20.919 case, but at least we're just told what they did, basically and they're 139 00:09:20.960 --> 00:09:24.559 gone. So, uh, it seems like they were pretty good people. 140 00:09:24.720 --> 00:09:28.679 But uh, the others, we have a lot of flawed judges, or 141 00:09:28.919 --> 00:09:33.799 have and so this story of Jeffa is certainly not a pretty story, and 142 00:09:33.840 --> 00:09:37.320 it start starts with the account of his birth. We're told that he is 143 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:43.480 the son of a concubine or prostitute, same as we were told about Abimelech 144 00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:48.840 earlier here in this book. And in verse two, then Gilead's wife gives 145 00:09:48.879 --> 00:09:52.919 birth to two legitimate sons, uh, that are the sons of both Gilead 146 00:09:54.000 --> 00:09:58.720 and his wife, and so they cast jeff out of their house because he 147 00:09:58.840 --> 00:10:03.919 is not legitimate. So in verse three, Jeff The flees to live in 148 00:10:03.919 --> 00:10:07.360 the land of Tobe, which was a town on the border of Syria and 149 00:10:07.440 --> 00:10:11.960 we see more bad here, because it says, uh, these are the 150 00:10:11.039 --> 00:10:16.799 kind of people you don't want your children hanging around. It says worthless fellows 151 00:10:16.200 --> 00:10:22.080 collected around jeff the and went out with him. So that doesn't bode very 152 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:26.240 well at all. It isn't clear, and English is not even really clear 153 00:10:26.279 --> 00:10:31.639 in the Hebrew, but it appears what's going on here is that Jeff is 154 00:10:31.720 --> 00:10:37.320 leading these men on raids and he's going against various people and raiding them. 155 00:10:37.320 --> 00:10:39.679 So you could, you could look at him as a Robin Hood, I 156 00:10:39.720 --> 00:10:43.200 guess. I don't know if Robin Hood or Jeff Are Really, uh, 157 00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:46.879 good individuals per se, but you could, you could look at him that 158 00:10:46.919 --> 00:10:50.759 way, I guess. So you know, I can't justify what he does, 159 00:10:50.879 --> 00:10:54.159 but then again, a man does have to eat, so who knows 160 00:10:54.159 --> 00:10:58.279 what's going on. But in verse four, what has been building since the 161 00:10:58.360 --> 00:11:03.440 last chaff there now comes to fruition, and that is that war with the 162 00:11:03.480 --> 00:11:07.919 ammonites is now about to happen. Now there is something in verse five I 163 00:11:07.960 --> 00:11:13.720 found confusing and I consulted several references on this and I really didn't get any 164 00:11:13.799 --> 00:11:16.159 satisfaction at all from any of them, and that the question I had was, 165 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:22.399 are the elders of Gilead in verse five the same as the brothers in 166 00:11:22.559 --> 00:11:26.120 Verse Two who drove Jeff The out of their out of their land? It 167 00:11:26.240 --> 00:11:30.960 does at least appear from what Jeffah says and the conversation that goes on, 168 00:11:31.080 --> 00:11:35.440 although it isn't stated, it does seem that indeed at least those brothers were 169 00:11:35.559 --> 00:11:41.559 part of the elders of Gilead and it were not also told. Why did 170 00:11:41.559 --> 00:11:45.799 they decide that jeff the was the man that they needed? But apparently he 171 00:11:45.879 --> 00:11:50.679 had been quite successful as a renegade and his reputation as a fighter and a 172 00:11:50.720 --> 00:11:54.159 warrior had increased and now they were convinced that he was the man they needed. 173 00:11:56.039 --> 00:11:58.679 So, beginning in verse six, we're going to learn something about Jeff 174 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:05.440 that he's very, very good at and he is a very good negotiator, 175 00:12:05.480 --> 00:12:09.480 as I mentioned. So in verse six the elders of Gilead come to jeff 176 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:15.080 then they offer him the position leader of the army, a very noble position, 177 00:12:15.200 --> 00:12:20.279 that that is for sure. But in response Jeffice says Basically, Oh, 178 00:12:20.440 --> 00:12:24.720 you didn't need me before, but now all of a sudden you need 179 00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:26.759 me. Huh. And that's what he's saying to them, and he refers 180 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:31.720 to what they did earlier, like I love this, because didn't you used 181 00:12:31.720 --> 00:12:35.039 to hate me? You know, uh, you know, you, you 182 00:12:35.120 --> 00:12:39.519 drove me out and you drove me out of my father's house. Aren't you 183 00:12:39.639 --> 00:12:43.320 the same people that did that? And in theirs eight, they basically Oh, 184 00:12:43.360 --> 00:12:46.480 forget about that, Jeff, so that that doesn't matter at all. 185 00:12:46.519 --> 00:12:48.759 Don't just just forget about all that. We didn't mean anything by that. 186 00:12:50.399 --> 00:12:52.360 And then they up the offer to make it even more appealing. Not just 187 00:12:52.519 --> 00:12:58.320 leader of the army, but leader of everybody in Gilead. And he offers 188 00:12:58.399 --> 00:13:01.200 that and they offer that to him. So in Verse Nine, Jeff, 189 00:13:01.240 --> 00:13:03.960 this says, all right, if I go ahead and need your army and 190 00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:09.039 the Lord delivers them into our hands, I will be your head. He's 191 00:13:09.120 --> 00:13:11.799 leary of the offer, and he should be, because he's been betrayed before, 192 00:13:13.440 --> 00:13:18.080 and so he's very careful about doing this, and so he invokes the 193 00:13:18.159 --> 00:13:24.159 name of the Lord there in verse nine, making a situation where these elders 194 00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:28.440 are going to be forced to make an oath. And so in verse ten, 195 00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:31.720 it appears from what they say they basically swear or take an oath that 196 00:13:31.799 --> 00:13:35.080 they will do what they said. If indeed, Jeff the leads them in 197 00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:39.679 victory over the AMMONITES, he will be head over Gilead. They say. 198 00:13:39.679 --> 00:13:46.720 The Lord will be witnessed between us if we do not do what you say. 199 00:13:46.200 --> 00:13:50.919 So in verse eleven, it appears that the people of Gilead are so 200 00:13:50.960 --> 00:13:56.120 excited about uh jeff the coming to help them against the ammonites they don't even 201 00:13:56.120 --> 00:13:58.720 want to wait until the battle. He said, if, if they deliver, 202 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:01.200 know, if if the ammonites are delivered, then you can make me 203 00:14:01.240 --> 00:14:03.320 the head. And if you ever go no, we're not even gonna wait 204 00:14:03.320 --> 00:14:05.440 for that, we're gonna just make you the head right now, and that 205 00:14:05.759 --> 00:14:09.919 and that's what they're going to do. And they do it and again jeff 206 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:13.720 the repeats to them what he says he's going to do. So we move 207 00:14:13.799 --> 00:14:16.399 on to the Second Section of the chapter, which goes from chapter versus twelve. 208 00:14:18.759 --> 00:14:24.519 Now that Jeff the negotiator has finished his negotiations with the men of Gilead, 209 00:14:24.080 --> 00:14:28.960 he now has to begin his negotiations with the ammonites. In Verse Twelve, 210 00:14:30.080 --> 00:14:31.919 He sends a message to the King of the AMMONITES, saying what do 211 00:14:31.960 --> 00:14:37.879 you have against me, as you're attacking my land, and then sending a 212 00:14:37.960 --> 00:14:41.840 message like that before he decides to do anything, he's actually imitating Moses, 213 00:14:41.879 --> 00:14:46.679 who did the same thing with the children of Israel, before they actually went 214 00:14:46.759 --> 00:14:52.840 in and invaded and fought against Sihan and the Amorites. UH, they sent 215 00:14:52.159 --> 00:14:58.600 messages offering peaceful solutions, and that is what it appears that Jeff is doing 216 00:14:58.639 --> 00:15:03.440 here. He's given am and an opportunity to get out of this and uh, 217 00:15:03.480 --> 00:15:07.480 in this negotiation will see. He's he's a good lawyer, he's a 218 00:15:07.639 --> 00:15:11.960 definitely he does many things. He cites case law, hesite President, he 219 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:15.679 does all of the things that lawyers are supposed to do, and he does 220 00:15:15.679 --> 00:15:18.759 it in three different ways. He comes up with arguments. Now some say, 221 00:15:18.759 --> 00:15:22.120 well, you know, and maybe they're more Senecal, which maybe I 222 00:15:22.159 --> 00:15:26.519 am too, but they say, you know, he really wasn't interested in 223 00:15:26.600 --> 00:15:30.480 peace because, after all, they already committed to fight the ammonites and he'd 224 00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:33.919 already said that that if the Lord gave the ammonites in their hands. So 225 00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:41.120 so it doesn't seem like he's really serious about his negotiations. But he's doing 226 00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:43.480 his very web and his commentary points out, he's probably seeking to have the 227 00:15:43.600 --> 00:15:48.960 moral high ground so he can go back to that and he's also perhaps trying 228 00:15:48.039 --> 00:15:54.879 to buy time as he's trying to bring his army together. Now the problem 229 00:15:54.879 --> 00:15:58.879 that needs to negotiate in concerns a piece of land that the king of the 230 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:04.200 AMMONITES is saying belongs to them, even though Israel possesses it. And this 231 00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:08.519 story, and that where this starts, is way back when Israel came out 232 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:12.960 of Egypt and according to this gang, they took away the land that rightfully 233 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:17.919 belonged to him. And this was a piece of land. It was bordered 234 00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:22.000 by three rivers. Wasn't Pittsburgh, Jackie, but it was bordered by three 235 00:16:22.080 --> 00:16:26.600 rivers, was bordered by Arenan, the river, on the south and it 236 00:16:26.679 --> 00:16:30.519 was bordered by Jabbak on the north and by the Jordan's on the West. 237 00:16:32.200 --> 00:16:37.039 And so, in versus fourteen and fifteen jeff the demand or denies that Israel 238 00:16:37.080 --> 00:16:41.399 has actually taken that lander, ever took it, and saying that he's actually 239 00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:44.879 telling the truth and what what he's saying that this, I think, is 240 00:16:44.879 --> 00:16:48.600 somewhat applicable to our times. He's saying to the king of the AMMONITES, 241 00:16:48.039 --> 00:16:52.679 Hey, you know, you're doing a little history revisionism right here. You 242 00:16:52.720 --> 00:16:56.080 know what, what's your talent? Isn't exactly accurate as to what happened. 243 00:16:56.440 --> 00:17:03.080 So let me give you the true history of what took place in that time. 244 00:17:03.720 --> 00:17:07.559 And so he's going to talk about that. So his first argument is 245 00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:11.640 the historical argument that he begins in Verse Fifteen and goes through verse twenty three, 246 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:17.519 and so he begins by an accurate telling of history, which we always 247 00:17:17.559 --> 00:17:22.200 can use. And it began when Israel comes to the border of freedom and 248 00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:26.240 asked the king of Edom for permission to pass through the land and at the 249 00:17:26.279 --> 00:17:32.480 same time they make the same request of the King of Mohab, but both 250 00:17:32.680 --> 00:17:37.720 kings denied the request. So Israel goes through the Wilderness and they come to 251 00:17:37.759 --> 00:17:41.319 the east side of Moab and actually camp on the other side of the Arnan. 252 00:17:41.880 --> 00:17:45.319 So they never really entered Moab or Amman. Now there is some discussion 253 00:17:45.400 --> 00:17:49.440 on some piece of property there that goes on, but I'm not going to 254 00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:53.720 take time to talk all about that. But at that point they make the 255 00:17:53.759 --> 00:17:57.880 same request to the king of Amorites, a man by the name of ssion, 256 00:17:59.799 --> 00:18:03.400 and he not only denies their request, but he actually sends an army 257 00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:07.400 to fight against them, which was a bad move, for Israel totally conquered 258 00:18:07.400 --> 00:18:12.759 the amorrights and they took possession of that land, but they never entered. 259 00:18:12.799 --> 00:18:17.119 I know this can get confusing. Amor rights, ammonites, potato, potato, 260 00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:22.680 but they never actually enter the land of the AMMONITES. They just possessed 261 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:29.160 the land of the of the Armonite so numbers and Israel defeated him with the 262 00:18:29.240 --> 00:18:32.920 edge of the sword and took possession of the land from arn onto the Jabbock, 263 00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:36.440 as far as the M and as far as to the AMMONITES, to 264 00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:41.960 the AMMONITES, for the border of the AMMONITES was strong. So Jeff is 265 00:18:41.079 --> 00:18:48.799 basically saying to the king here this land that Israel actually got by right of 266 00:18:48.920 --> 00:18:53.400 conquest, which was the right you're now claiming is your land. Well, 267 00:18:53.400 --> 00:18:57.480 that was a historical argument, but now he moves on to a theological argument. 268 00:18:57.559 --> 00:19:02.119 In Verse Twenty Four, he refers to a God who is really the 269 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:06.400 God of Moab. But there's there's a of course, a real linking between 270 00:19:06.680 --> 00:19:11.119 ammon and MOAB, and and so it's it's not unusual that one or the 271 00:19:11.160 --> 00:19:14.839 other is worshiping the other's Gods. And so he refers to a God by 272 00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:18.000 the name of chemists and he says, you know, shouldn't you be happy 273 00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:22.720 with the land your God has given you, like we're happy with the land 274 00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:26.799 our God has given us. and Um and and so some say, well, 275 00:19:27.240 --> 00:19:33.440 isn't Jeff here giving credence to this God by mentioning it this way and 276 00:19:33.480 --> 00:19:37.119 comparing it with with the Lord? But no, I think he's just using 277 00:19:37.160 --> 00:19:41.200 the false belief of the ammonites to make his argument. Uh, saying because 278 00:19:41.240 --> 00:19:45.160 you do believe in his God and you think that the gods give you the 279 00:19:45.240 --> 00:19:48.240 land that you have, then you should be happy because that's the land that 280 00:19:48.279 --> 00:19:52.960 you have. But he has one more argument versus twenty and twenty six, 281 00:19:53.640 --> 00:19:59.359 and that is an argument based on recent precedent and is a very simple argument. 282 00:19:59.440 --> 00:20:03.119 He says, look, you've had three hundred years. If you wanted 283 00:20:03.160 --> 00:20:07.359 to take this land, okay, anytime in the past three hundred years, 284 00:20:07.480 --> 00:20:11.079 you're gonna Marshal Your forces and if you really thought that was the land was 285 00:20:11.119 --> 00:20:15.880 yours, you could have went and taken it, but you've never ever done 286 00:20:15.880 --> 00:20:19.720 it. So now all of a sudden you think this land belongs to you. 287 00:20:19.880 --> 00:20:25.720 It doesn't seem to me as if this land is really important because of 288 00:20:25.759 --> 00:20:30.079 that. So in versus twenty seven and twenty eight, Jeff, that will 289 00:20:30.119 --> 00:20:33.319 reach the high point in the chapter. And Uh, he's saying, if 290 00:20:33.359 --> 00:20:37.759 you're not going to let are not going to listen to my very well reasoned 291 00:20:37.799 --> 00:20:44.599 and cogent arguments, then we're just going to have to let the Lord himself 292 00:20:44.759 --> 00:20:48.839 decide, which is a good thing to say. It is a declaration of 293 00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:52.200 war. He is saying that. Yes, if that's if you're going to 294 00:20:52.279 --> 00:20:56.240 refuse these arguments, the only thing we can do is go to war. 295 00:20:56.799 --> 00:21:00.559 And he's basically saying we'll leave it in the providence of God and we'll find 296 00:21:00.599 --> 00:21:06.960 out whose God is the stronger God. Well, things are going to start 297 00:21:07.000 --> 00:21:10.079 to get a little worse. But first in verse twenty nine, before it 298 00:21:10.119 --> 00:21:14.240 gets worse, God enters the picture. For the first time in the chapter. 299 00:21:14.359 --> 00:21:18.359 God actually enters the picture to do something. We haven't heard anything from 300 00:21:18.440 --> 00:21:22.519 God except for his name has been invoked a couple of times, and it 301 00:21:22.640 --> 00:21:26.119 does. He enters the picture by a phrase that we find other places, 302 00:21:26.160 --> 00:21:30.359 that the spirit of the Lord comes upon Jeff Though, which means that God 303 00:21:30.559 --> 00:21:36.240 is equipping him to indeed win the battle. And we are told that Jeff 304 00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:40.519 that then passes through various places, probably as he goes recruiting men to his 305 00:21:40.640 --> 00:21:48.519 army to fight against the AMMONITES. But then verse thirty thirty one, something 306 00:21:48.559 --> 00:21:52.680 that just comes totally out of the blue and makes no sense at all. 307 00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:59.680 Why does he do this? It's unclear. It says he makes a vow 308 00:21:59.759 --> 00:22:02.359 to the Lord. He didn't need to make a vow to the Lord. 309 00:22:03.119 --> 00:22:07.359 The battle had already been decided. God had already put his spirit upon him. 310 00:22:07.400 --> 00:22:11.319 Everything was done. There was no need for him to make any kind 311 00:22:11.480 --> 00:22:15.279 of a vow. God had chosen him, obviously, and he had been 312 00:22:15.319 --> 00:22:18.440 put him in charge. He had showed by his providence that he had put 313 00:22:18.519 --> 00:22:22.559 him in charge of the people that used to hate him and drove him out 314 00:22:22.559 --> 00:22:26.039 of the land. All of these things, all of these good providences, 315 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:30.200 are happening, and now the spirit of God is upon him to lead him 316 00:22:30.200 --> 00:22:36.640 to victory. But you know, when you rely on negotiation, you just 317 00:22:36.759 --> 00:22:41.279 never want to quit and you want to put one more negotiation and so he 318 00:22:41.359 --> 00:22:44.319 makes a vow to the Lord, not even a good vow, but a 319 00:22:44.400 --> 00:22:47.920 vow that's going to turn out to be one of the most terrible, if 320 00:22:47.960 --> 00:22:52.400 not the most terrible, vow in history. It's often thought, Oh poor 321 00:22:52.480 --> 00:22:55.920 old Jeff Thah, you know, he could have no way of knowing that 322 00:22:56.000 --> 00:23:00.720 he would end up sacrificing his daughter by making his owl. I'm going to 323 00:23:00.799 --> 00:23:04.960 be a little harder on him than that as we look further into this text. 324 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:11.319 Now there are some that say he actually expected that it would be an 325 00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:15.559 animal that was going to come out of his house, but it is extremely 326 00:23:15.640 --> 00:23:21.000 unlikely from those that have researched this, that the animals would have lived in 327 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:26.079 the house with Israelites, and so it doesn't appear that this isn't like dino 328 00:23:26.200 --> 00:23:29.839 the dinosaur coming him Fred and jumping on him and licking him like that. 329 00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:33.559 It's nothing like that was going to happen. And he also doesn't use the 330 00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:37.160 neoter case and the Pronoun, which would be the case that you would use 331 00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:42.880 if you were speaking about a beast, but he uses a personal more Pronoun 332 00:23:44.240 --> 00:23:52.440 to speak of a human and probably the most convincing argument that we have is 333 00:23:52.480 --> 00:23:59.200 that if he really was making a vow expecting an animal sacrifice, it is 334 00:23:59.240 --> 00:24:02.200 no doubt that when his daughter came out, he would have said, well, 335 00:24:02.240 --> 00:24:04.480 that's that's not that's not an Adam. Also, we're not counting her, 336 00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:12.039 and he would have done that. And so we're now told that in 337 00:24:12.160 --> 00:24:15.880 verses thirty two and verse thirty three, that Jeffa has a victory, and 338 00:24:15.920 --> 00:24:21.279 we're told about the extent of it as well. But then we start the 339 00:24:21.519 --> 00:24:26.440 perilous path downward for the consequences of his vow. He comes home and who 340 00:24:26.480 --> 00:24:30.279 comes out to meet him but his daughter, like Miriam, with the timbrels 341 00:24:30.319 --> 00:24:36.680 and dancing and rejoicing that God had given her father the victory. And as 342 00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:40.279 she does, we in the text we feel the angst because we know what's 343 00:24:40.359 --> 00:24:45.400 coming and it bothers us that she would be coming out dancing. But that's 344 00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:48.920 what she thinks is going on. But we feel what's going to happen, 345 00:24:51.519 --> 00:24:55.039 and so to her it is a joyful time. Amine has been defeated, 346 00:24:55.480 --> 00:25:00.400 her father has been victorious, but suddenly everything changed just in verse Thirty Four. 347 00:25:03.079 --> 00:25:04.960 The other thing that makes me be a little harder on Jeffa than I've 348 00:25:06.039 --> 00:25:10.319 used to be. is his words in verse Thirty Five. I confess, 349 00:25:11.000 --> 00:25:14.799 as I read those words, it's really hard for me to think anything pleasant 350 00:25:14.839 --> 00:25:18.960 about Jeff Thah. You would think you'd say something like Oh, my daughter, 351 00:25:19.480 --> 00:25:23.039 I have done a very foolish thing, oh my daughter, I have 352 00:25:23.119 --> 00:25:27.240 done a horrible thing. Oh, please forgive me for what I have done. 353 00:25:29.559 --> 00:25:33.720 But he basically puts the blame on her. He says, alas, 354 00:25:33.880 --> 00:25:38.720 my daughter, you have brought me very low and you have become the cause 355 00:25:38.880 --> 00:25:44.680 of great trouble to me. No, Jeff Thah, wrong, it's your 356 00:25:44.799 --> 00:25:48.759 daughter. It's not your daughter, it's you. Does have caused this. 357 00:25:49.480 --> 00:25:55.480 And the words of Jeffthah's daughter in verse thirty six and thirty seven, as 358 00:25:55.480 --> 00:25:59.240 opposed to the words of Jeff Thah, make me think very, very highly 359 00:25:59.279 --> 00:26:03.759 of her. She recognizes as vow, she understands that God has fulfilled his 360 00:26:03.880 --> 00:26:08.480 part by avenging them on her enemies. So she simply asked one simple request 361 00:26:08.519 --> 00:26:14.440 that she may go to the mountains with her compatriots and mourn her virginity for 362 00:26:14.519 --> 00:26:18.039 two months. And the last word that her father speaks in account to her 363 00:26:18.799 --> 00:26:26.880 is go. And she does go and she will die childless. Now I'll 364 00:26:26.920 --> 00:26:30.519 confess to you tonight. For many years I've been a champion of the view 365 00:26:30.119 --> 00:26:36.279 that actually what the sacrifice was for the sacrifice of virginity, that J feft 366 00:26:36.319 --> 00:26:38.799 daughter was going to have to remain a virgin for the rest of her life. 367 00:26:38.839 --> 00:26:42.839 And there may be some of you that hold that opinion. But as 368 00:26:42.880 --> 00:26:48.519 I've looked into it much closer this time in looking at it, I have 369 00:26:48.680 --> 00:26:52.519 to say I believe it was exactly what the text appears to tell us, 370 00:26:53.279 --> 00:27:00.720 that his vow was that he would indeed sacrifice, literally sacrifice the first one 371 00:27:00.799 --> 00:27:04.799 that came out of his house. And there are several reasons. One is, 372 00:27:04.920 --> 00:27:08.200 if it's just to virginity, why would you need to go to the 373 00:27:08.240 --> 00:27:11.680 mountain for two months? You'RE gonna have a lifetime to do this, so 374 00:27:11.839 --> 00:27:15.920 you wouldn't have to do that at this time. So why do that? 375 00:27:18.039 --> 00:27:22.039 And I believe it was a sacrifice. But like the woman in the Gospels 376 00:27:22.039 --> 00:27:26.920 who anointed Jesus, and Jesus said this would be a memorial to her wherever 377 00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:32.119 the Gospel was preached, so this daughter of Jeff that would have a memorial, 378 00:27:32.200 --> 00:27:36.599 as the women of Israel would go up every year and remember her. 379 00:27:37.519 --> 00:27:41.039 And again it's not stated that she went with them every year, but it 380 00:27:41.119 --> 00:27:48.519 reminds us that she's no longer there. The question we have to ask is 381 00:27:48.599 --> 00:27:53.759 why, when his daughter came out, didn't he simply break his vow? 382 00:27:56.440 --> 00:27:59.960 Why didn't he do that? Well, you might say, well, past 383 00:28:00.279 --> 00:28:03.400 don't you know that scripture exhorts us to pay what we vowed? I do 384 00:28:03.559 --> 00:28:08.160 know that, but I know a few other things as well. Number One, 385 00:28:08.200 --> 00:28:11.720 I know that we don't have to perform a vow if it's a sinful 386 00:28:11.799 --> 00:28:17.880 vow, that God does not want us to compound a bad vowel by by 387 00:28:17.920 --> 00:28:22.720 doing a sinful action. And human sacrifice has always been at the pinnacle of 388 00:28:22.880 --> 00:28:27.319 of terrible actions and horrible sins. To do something like that, God said, 389 00:28:27.319 --> 00:28:33.880 it never enters his mind, is a terrible thing, and so he 390 00:28:33.920 --> 00:28:38.200 wouldn't have to do that. And and again, I really find no way 391 00:28:38.240 --> 00:28:42.440 to exonerate jeff either for his vow or is keeping that vow. And if 392 00:28:42.480 --> 00:28:45.759 you still don't believe me, let me ask you about another vow where a 393 00:28:45.799 --> 00:28:52.400 father also vowed to kill his son. The father's name was Saul and the 394 00:28:52.480 --> 00:28:55.599 vow was that whoever it Eaton was going to die, and Jonathan had eaton 395 00:28:55.640 --> 00:28:59.000 and therefore Jonathan was going to die because the king and made a vow. 396 00:28:59.079 --> 00:29:02.119 But the people said that stupid. We're not going to keep that vowel. 397 00:29:02.720 --> 00:29:07.200 It doesn't make any sense on a day like today, and that vowel was 398 00:29:07.279 --> 00:29:11.240 broken. The right way then, to emulate Caleb in verse one, where 399 00:29:11.240 --> 00:29:15.440 he says, whoever conquers this territory, you can have my daughter as a 400 00:29:15.480 --> 00:29:19.440 wife. Now that's a much better solution than Jeff Tha. So again I 401 00:29:19.480 --> 00:29:25.440 say to you I don't really have much sympathy for Jeff the now, as 402 00:29:25.480 --> 00:29:27.839 I said, I struggled in deciding what I need to cut out to make 403 00:29:29.079 --> 00:29:33.400 application tonight, because there's many that that could be made. But let me 404 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:38.480 give you the ones that made the cut. UH, different commentators see a 405 00:29:38.519 --> 00:29:42.559 comparison here that I confess I've never seen before in this story, but several 406 00:29:42.640 --> 00:29:48.160 of the commentators actually mentioned it. So, Um, it's pretty interesting and 407 00:29:48.359 --> 00:29:53.839 I think that they are. The comparison is the comparison between Jeff Tha and 408 00:29:53.920 --> 00:30:02.960 his negotiations with with Gileadites and that and God and Israel in their negotiations in 409 00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:07.680 the previous chapter. In the previous chapter, Israel, like Jeff's brothers, 410 00:30:08.079 --> 00:30:14.000 reject God uh and reject him first, but then, when they're in trouble, 411 00:30:14.359 --> 00:30:18.599 they turned back to him, just as the elders of Gilead do uh 412 00:30:18.640 --> 00:30:25.400 here to to jeff the. God initially rejects Israel's please, even as jeff 413 00:30:25.440 --> 00:30:30.839 the initially rejects Gilead's please. The Israelites then plead to God that they have 414 00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:34.680 changed their attitude and want him to be their leader again. The GILEADITES make 415 00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:38.799 their plead to jeff that they have changed their attitude towards him and want him 416 00:30:38.799 --> 00:30:44.279 to be their leader now. The difference that is noted between the two is 417 00:30:44.359 --> 00:30:49.759 jeff the finally does promise to rescue Israel under certain conditions, while God actually 418 00:30:49.799 --> 00:30:55.359 makes no such promise like that. So it's at least an interesting comparison to 419 00:30:55.440 --> 00:31:03.240 read those two uh sections of judges together. Now Jeff felt, like I 420 00:31:03.279 --> 00:31:04.480 said, he's a hard guy to get a hand on, right, a 421 00:31:04.559 --> 00:31:10.480 handle on. It's really hard to understand him completely because there are some high 422 00:31:10.519 --> 00:31:15.079 points, maybe not as many as we like, and definitely some low points, 423 00:31:15.119 --> 00:31:18.599 and you know, we have those wonderful words where he says he's leaving 424 00:31:18.640 --> 00:31:22.759 the outcome of the battle, the Lord and the spirit of God is coming 425 00:31:22.839 --> 00:31:27.680 upon him and he delivers Israel, and then we have that awful, needless, 426 00:31:27.720 --> 00:31:33.319 stupid vow. But I do want to remind you, as I reminded 427 00:31:33.359 --> 00:31:38.359 you a couple of weeks ago about lot, that jeff the does appear in 428 00:31:38.440 --> 00:31:42.720 Hebrews Chapter Eleven. Is One of the heroes of the faith. Again, 429 00:31:42.839 --> 00:31:48.200 the last word God speaks of JPEF are good words of who he is. 430 00:31:49.240 --> 00:31:52.559 But, as I mentioned in the beginning of the service, a big lesson 431 00:31:52.599 --> 00:32:00.000 in our text is how important our words are. I confess in my life 432 00:32:00.599 --> 00:32:04.519 my tongue has given me a great deal of trouble. I don't know about 433 00:32:04.559 --> 00:32:08.319 you, but I've said a lot of things that I wish I had never 434 00:32:08.359 --> 00:32:15.079 said. The exact reason why J F F makes his vow, or what 435 00:32:15.160 --> 00:32:19.799 he thought was going to be the result, is basically shrouded in mystery. 436 00:32:20.279 --> 00:32:22.119 But the thing that is clear is there was no reason for him to make 437 00:32:22.160 --> 00:32:25.400 this. It was an addition of words that wasn't needed. It was a 438 00:32:25.480 --> 00:32:31.839 vow that should never ever have been made. Jesus taught us in Matthew Twelve. 439 00:32:32.599 --> 00:32:37.240 I tell you, on the Day of Judgment, people will give account 440 00:32:37.359 --> 00:32:42.400 for every careless word they speak. For by your words you'll be justified and 441 00:32:42.440 --> 00:32:46.559 by your words you will be condemned. James, of course, who gives 442 00:32:46.640 --> 00:32:51.599 us the most famous words? Perhaps on the tongue in chapter three, says 443 00:32:51.640 --> 00:32:54.559 we all stumbled in many ways, and if anyone does not stumble in what 444 00:32:54.640 --> 00:32:59.920 he says, he's a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 445 00:33:00.839 --> 00:33:02.920 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so they obey us, 446 00:33:04.480 --> 00:33:07.200 we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also, though 447 00:33:07.200 --> 00:33:09.880 they are large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a 448 00:33:09.960 --> 00:33:15.240 very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue 449 00:33:15.279 --> 00:33:20.920 is a small member, but a boast of great things. How great a 450 00:33:20.960 --> 00:33:24.039 forest is set ablaze by such a small fire? And the tongue is a 451 00:33:24.079 --> 00:33:30.000 fire world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the 452 00:33:30.039 --> 00:33:32.799 whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on 453 00:33:32.880 --> 00:33:37.319 fire by hell for every kind of beast and bird, reptile, sea creature 454 00:33:37.720 --> 00:33:43.359 that can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being 455 00:33:43.440 --> 00:33:49.599 contained the tongue. It's a restless evil full of deadly poison. We need 456 00:33:49.640 --> 00:33:52.880 to be careful of our tongue in the words we say, and we have 457 00:33:52.960 --> 00:33:59.160 to be especially careful about swearing or taking a vow as Jesus tells us in 458 00:33:59.200 --> 00:34:05.359 a sermon on them out. The scripture says Jesus said we're going to be 459 00:34:05.440 --> 00:34:09.559 judged on the last day by our words. But the sad truth is, 460 00:34:09.599 --> 00:34:15.280 although that's a horrid thought, the truth is we're often judged in this life, 461 00:34:15.039 --> 00:34:21.079 partially as well, by our words. I'm not sure about you, 462 00:34:21.119 --> 00:34:28.559 but I've woken up in the night times shaking because of words I said forty 463 00:34:28.639 --> 00:34:32.920 years ago that still haunt me to this day. Not mean words, not 464 00:34:34.079 --> 00:34:40.119 that, not terrible words, profanity laced words, words that some several, 465 00:34:40.440 --> 00:34:49.039 were meant in jest but hurt someone very deeply and it's really breaks you what 466 00:34:49.079 --> 00:34:53.519 you think about how those words go on and on. And I know God 467 00:34:53.559 --> 00:34:57.639 forgives and I understand that, as I said in the message this morning, 468 00:34:59.039 --> 00:35:02.400 but I think sometimes times, and maybe you do too. Why did I 469 00:35:02.440 --> 00:35:07.599 ever say that it was wrong with me at the time. Why? Why 470 00:35:07.719 --> 00:35:10.039 wasn't I thinking that, even though I thought it was something funny or that 471 00:35:10.480 --> 00:35:19.039 it wouldn't be taken in the wrong way? ECCLESIASTS five two says don't be 472 00:35:19.239 --> 00:35:24.760 rash with your mouth, and we need to be careful. JEFFA was a 473 00:35:24.880 --> 00:35:30.920 very skilled negotiator. He negotiates with his family, negotiates with the leadership and 474 00:35:30.960 --> 00:35:36.159 the guilt, negotiates with the enemy. But where he did wrong was he 475 00:35:36.199 --> 00:35:42.559 finally decided to negotiate with God. There is a need in our world for 476 00:35:42.599 --> 00:35:45.840 skilled negotiators. Preparing the sermon, I thought I'M gonna look up and find 477 00:35:45.880 --> 00:35:50.559 out who people think were the greatest negotiators that ever lived. I kept coming 478 00:35:50.679 --> 00:35:53.679 upond the same three names as three that people thought were the best, and 479 00:35:53.679 --> 00:35:59.639 they listed Nelson Mandela, Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Kissinger. I don't know if 480 00:35:59.639 --> 00:36:02.960 they're the REBST, but they're pretty good and probably belong in that list. 481 00:36:05.119 --> 00:36:08.760 We have to know something about the art of negotiation in our lives. I 482 00:36:08.760 --> 00:36:12.480 don't know if you know this is an old story and maybe you've heard it, 483 00:36:12.519 --> 00:36:15.119 but man walks into a store and asked the owner of the store. 484 00:36:15.119 --> 00:36:21.280 Do you sell salt here? And it's a little mom and pop grocery store. 485 00:36:22.159 --> 00:36:24.519 The owner says, do we sell salt? Look, he proceeded to 486 00:36:24.519 --> 00:36:30.000 show the customer an entire wall of the store stocked with nothing but salt, 487 00:36:30.039 --> 00:36:32.800 table salt. I had a salt, sea salt, rock salt, garlic 488 00:36:32.840 --> 00:36:37.320 salt and seasoning salt. Wow, said the customer. That's a lot of 489 00:36:37.360 --> 00:36:42.559 salt. You think that's something? said the owner. He led him to 490 00:36:42.639 --> 00:36:46.880 a back room filled with shelves, bins and cartons of salt. The customer 491 00:36:46.960 --> 00:36:52.840 says, man, you really do sell a lot of salt. The man 492 00:36:52.920 --> 00:36:57.360 said no, actually, I don't sell any salt. The Guy that sells 493 00:36:57.440 --> 00:37:02.800 me salt he can sell salt. Well, that's that's the negotiation, and 494 00:37:02.960 --> 00:37:07.320 Japeth is that salt seller. He is the guy that can negotiate himself out 495 00:37:07.360 --> 00:37:14.199 of any situation, it seems, and he does so very well until he 496 00:37:14.280 --> 00:37:19.599 takes on the one who is a much better negotiator, and that is the 497 00:37:19.679 --> 00:37:25.280 Lord. When I think about his useless vow, I think about Jacob and 498 00:37:25.280 --> 00:37:30.679 I was reminded in my mind of these words, because they've always struck me 499 00:37:30.719 --> 00:37:35.320 as pretty ironic says, Jacob made a vow in Genesis. If God will 500 00:37:35.320 --> 00:37:37.800 be with me and will keep me in the way that I go and will 501 00:37:37.800 --> 00:37:42.800 give me bread to eat in clothing to wear so that I come again to 502 00:37:42.880 --> 00:37:46.440 my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God and this 503 00:37:46.480 --> 00:37:50.599 stone, which I have said it for a pillar, shall be God's house, 504 00:37:51.079 --> 00:37:53.079 and of all that you give me I will give a tempt to you. 505 00:37:54.239 --> 00:37:58.000 Now I don't know how you take those words and I don't know if 506 00:37:58.039 --> 00:38:00.719 I'm taking him right, but I'm thinking if I'm God and Jacob's going well, 507 00:38:00.719 --> 00:38:04.280 if you do this and you do this, he'll get to be my 508 00:38:04.400 --> 00:38:07.239 God, and I'm thinking God saying, Oh, great, you know. 509 00:38:07.679 --> 00:38:12.960 Thanks, Jacob, thank you very much, but it's really much better for 510 00:38:13.079 --> 00:38:16.719 us to let God be God and let God do what he wants to do. 511 00:38:16.760 --> 00:38:22.320 We don't have to negotiate with God and simply submit ourselves to his will. 512 00:38:22.519 --> 00:38:28.000 And the last thing I'll notice that close. Yes, I believe Jeff 513 00:38:28.000 --> 00:38:35.000 the did sacrifice his daughter and that's a horrible thing, but it was a 514 00:38:35.039 --> 00:38:39.239 result of an unnecessary vow, words that should never have been spoken. But 515 00:38:39.280 --> 00:38:45.440 can I close by reminding you of one who didn't make a vow per se, 516 00:38:46.079 --> 00:38:52.400 but out of his love and grace and mercy, he sacrificed his only 517 00:38:52.119 --> 00:39:00.239 son, and in accepting that son, we can live forever. Let's right, 518 00:39:00.679 --> 00:39:04.480 Lord, we thank you for your word, even the hard words, 519 00:39:04.559 --> 00:39:08.920 even the words that are difficult for us to understand or to comprehend or, 520 00:39:09.360 --> 00:39:15.400 Lord, to try to figure out what's went on and why. But Lord, 521 00:39:15.400 --> 00:39:20.079 you are God and we learn of our own nature and father tonight I 522 00:39:20.119 --> 00:39:23.639 pray especially for us, as perhaps many of us have the same problem that 523 00:39:23.679 --> 00:39:28.599 we struggle with words and our tongue and getting out of hand at times and 524 00:39:28.599 --> 00:39:32.199 saying things that we just wish I wish I'd never said them. Lord, 525 00:39:32.280 --> 00:39:37.920 help us and let us be, like ecclesiastic said, not rash with our 526 00:39:37.960 --> 00:39:42.800 mouth, whether we're dealing with you or fellow brothers and sisters or others in 527 00:39:42.840 --> 00:39:47.239 the world. Help us, God, to Tame our tongue. We know 528 00:39:47.320 --> 00:39:52.199 we will probably Never Tame it in this lifetime, as James says, but 529 00:39:52.320 --> 00:39:55.519 you can keep us, Lord, from the kind of foolishness. They can 530 00:39:55.559 --> 00:40:00.519 get us into great trouble and hurt other people, and so will we pray 531 00:40:00.559 --> 00:40:02.440 that you would help us, but most of all, to night. We 532 00:40:02.480 --> 00:40:09.760 Thank You for your only begotten son that you gave willingly for us that we 533 00:40:10.519 --> 00:40:15.400 might be saved. We praise you for that, Oh God, in Christ's 534 00:40:15.480 --> 00:40:16.480 name, Amen. H