Judges 12
Scripture
Judges 12:4
“The people of Ephraim responded, “You men of Gilead are nothing more than fugitives from Ephraim and Manasseh.” So Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and attacked the men of Ephraim and defeated them.”
Observation-What does it say?
Jephthah and the men of Gilead have come back from defeating the Ammonites in battle. To the victors come the spoils and the glory. Now here comes the army of Ephraim, crossing the Jordan River and questioning Jephthah. They wanted to know why Jephthah did not ask them for help with the fight against the Ammonites, to which Jephthah replied that he did summon them at the beginning of the dispute, but they refused to come. So when Jephthah realizes that they weren't coming, he and his army risk their own lives in battle against the Ammonites, and the LORD granted them victory over them.
Now I don't know if it was jealousy that made the people of Ephraim upset with Jephthah for going into battle without them, and they felt robbed from experiencing the spoils of victory, but it obviously made them upset enough with Jephthah and the people of Gilead. They insulted them by calling them "nothing more than fugitives from Ephraim and Manasseh." This causes a war between the two sides, a war which Jephthah and the men of Gilead win, and end up killing 42,000 men of Ephraim during that time.
Understanding-What does it mean?
Them are fightin' words!
Once the people of Ephraim started to throw insults at the people of Gilead, you know things were about to get ugly! As we learned this past Sunday about the sixth commandment, "Thou shall not commit murder", we learned about how our choice of words (if spoken negatively), are just as if committing murder. Jesus said:
“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.” Matthew 5:21-22 NLT
There are plenty of scriptures within the Bible that warn us to watch our words and choose them wisely. Our words can either be used to uplift, or destroy. In the case of today's passage, the people of Ephraim used their words unwisely. It ultimately led to war, and ultimately to their deaths.
“The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 12:18 NIV
Life Application
Think before speaking and remember that our words have enough power in them to bring upon death or life.
“Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.”-Psalm 141:3 NIV