The Commander

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

THE COMMANDER

Judges 10:17-11:11

17 When the Ammonites were called to arms and camped in Gilead, the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah. 18 The leaders of the people of Gilead said to each other, "Whoever will launch the attack against the Ammonites will be the head of all those living in Gilead." 11:1 Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. 2 Gilead's wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. "You are not going to get any inheritance in our family," they said, "because you are the son of another woman." 3 So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a group of adventurers gathered around him and followed him. 4 Some time later, when the Ammonites made war on Israel, 5 the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6 "Come," they said, "be our commander, so we can fight the Ammonites." 7 Jephthah said to them, "Didn't you hate me and drive me from my father's house? Why do you come to me now, when you're in trouble?" 8 The elders of Gilead said to him, "Nevertheless, we are turning to you now; come with us to fight the Ammonites, and you will be our head over all who live in Gilead." 9 Jephthah answered, "Suppose you take me back to fight the Ammonites and the LORD gives them to me — will I really be your head?" 10 The elders of Gilead replied, "The LORD is our witness; we will certainly do as you say." 11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them. And he repeated all his words before the LORD in Mizpah.

NIV

It is strange how one day the brothers of Gilead were so concerned about their inheritance, driving away a half-brother, and then the next day, everyone in town wants the half-brother to be their commander, because their lives are in jeopardy. War had not yet broken out, although the Ammonites were called to arms and camped in Gilead. It was inevitable that war would happen, and the Israelites were without strength, for we do not see them calling on the LORD to be their leader, but they looked to the strongest warrior among them, the one they once drove away. Now they were in trouble of losing a war against the Ammonites, so they went and got the son of Gilead, a mighty warrior. Once again, we see men looking to men for the solution to their troubles instead of looking to the LORD. Had they turned to God and asked Him for a solution to their predicament, He would have raised his hand against the Ammonites. We do know what the LORD would have done, yet through their fear, they looked to a man who looked to the LORD. We will see that Jephthah was a mighty warrior because he was a man of God. Men will always look to men, and they are bound to lose their lives, perhaps not in a physical war, but certainly in a spiritual war against the forces of evil. However, when we look to the Lord, we may lose our life in this world, but we will prevail against the forces of evil, and have the victory because we are mighty warriors of God who have Him as our commander, our Leader, and He will give the enemy into our hands. Sometimes it may seem difficult not to look to our own resources, for we can see them, having been raised to expect them to be pursued as the normal part of life. We may have many resources at our disposal to gain the world, so to speak, but they will do nothing for us against the forces of evil in this dark world, or the principalities or evil in the heavenly or spiritual realm. Only the Lord or God will defeat evil, although He has clothed us, if we put it on,  with all his armor so that we can take our stand, stand firm against those forces of evil, and become an overcomer. When we take our stand, we are being empowered by our Lord, and not by our resources, and we have victory. Let us always be that mighty warrior of God, looking to him and him alone as our commander.