Again, the Israelites turned away from God and worshipped the gods of the people around them. After eighteen years of oppression from the Philistines and Ammonites, the Israelites, were in distress and repented of their disobedience to God.
God chose Jephthah to be the deliverer. Jephthah, however, had been run out of Gilead by his step-brothers because his mother was a person of ill-repute and they didn’t want him to receive any part of their father’s inheritance. Now, the city elders are asking Jephthah to be their commander and head of Gilead. Jephthah made it clear any victory would be the result of God’s will.
Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites explaining how God had guided the Israelites in their journey from Egypt and any land they possessed was provided by God. When the Ammonite king chose to ignore this message, the Spirit of God was with Jephthah and victory over the Ammonites was achieved. [Reflection based on the Bible Reference – Judges 11:1-29]
