No Negotiation!
Preached by Jason Abbott
July 26, 2015
My wife and I and our oldest son have begun to regularly play a game called Settlers of Catan. It’s a strategy game in which players attempt to build colonies through the accumulation of resources. When a player has certain resource cards then he or she can buy specific things (e.g. roads or towns or cities) that will, ultimately, earn him or her points. The object is to be the first player to ten points. If you are, you win.Now, when my family plays Catan, a strange transformation will take place. The harmony, forgiveness, and gentleness that, at least, sometimes characterize us are suddenly replaced with discord, vindictiveness, and cruelty. We want more than victory—we want to crush all those who oppose us!This is most readily seen when someone holds a key resource in the game—say when someone has all the bricks and everyone else playing really needs bricks. At these times, there’s typically no negotiating. Someone asks to trade for bricks, and you say: “Bricks?! Nope…no spare bricks! I’ve got wool if you need some. Maybe you could weave a cozy, little road for yourself.” You see, when you hold all the cards (literally in this case!) then no one can force you to negotiate.In this text, there are multiple instances in which people want to negotiate with God. They want to strike a deal with him—to bargain with him for victory. Yet, as we’ll see, God holds all the cards (so to speak). God is totally sovereign. And he will not compromise when it comes to sin or sinful people.Let’s read the majority of these three chapters then pray.
Judges 10:6-12:15
6 The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him. 7 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, 8 and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
10 And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.” 11 And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? 12 The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. 13 Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. 14 Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” 15 And the people of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.” 16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.
111 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was the father of Jephthah. 2 And Gilead's wife also bore him sons. And when his wife's sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You shall not have an inheritance in our father's house, for you are the son of another woman.” 3 Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, and worthless fellows collected around Jephthah and went out with him.4 After a time the Ammonites made war against Israel. 5 And when the Ammonites made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6 And they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our leader, that we may fight against the Ammonites.” 7 But Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and drive me out of my father's house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?” 8 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That is why we have turned to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the Ammonites and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” 9 Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you bring me home again to fight against the Ammonites, and the Lord gives them over to me, I will be your head.” 10 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will be witness between us, if we do not do as you say.”
29 Then the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, 31 then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” 32 So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the Lord gave them into his hand.
And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot take back my vow.”
121 The men of Ephraim were called to arms, and they crossed to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the Ammonites and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house over you with fire.”2 And Jephthah said to them, “I and my people had a great dispute with the Ammonites, and when I called you, you did not save me from their hand. 3 And when I saw that you would not save me, I took my life in my hand and crossed over against the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?” 4 Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and Manasseh.” 5 And the Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, “Let me go over,” the men of Gilead said to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” When he said, “No,” 6 they said to him, “Then say Shibboleth,” and he said, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it right. Then they seized him and slaughtered him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time 42,000 of the Ephraimites fell.7 Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in his city in Gilead.
As we begin to explore this passage, we will note three kinds of negotiation. (1) We’ll see a desire to negotiate when there’s no other possible option available. (2) We’ll see a desire to negotiate when there’s fearful uncertainty about the future. And, then (3) we’ll see a prideful refusal to negotiate with others.
1. Negotiation when there’s no other option (10:6-11:10)
At the beginning of this sordid history, we find the Israelites at it again—whoring after the gods of the peoples who live around them. We see how bad it is. The narrator gives us a lengthy list of spiritual infidelities:
[Israel] served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him (10:6).
That’s a good deal of idol worship. In fact, it has a geographical significance which you may not quickly recognize unless you are familiar with the geography of the Ancient Near East.You see, this really signifies a rather exhaustive directional list of idols. Basically the author says: Israel lusted after the gods in the middle—the false gods of Canaan, the Baals and the Ashtoreths. And, the Israelites lusted after those gods to the Northwest—the false gods of Aram. And, Israel also lusted after those gods to the North—the false gods of Sidon. And, the Israelites also lusted after the gods to the East—the false gods of Ammon and Moab. Finally, Israel also worshiped the gods to the South—the false gods of Philistia.1I bring this to our attention because I think it signifies the danger of idolatry. When we adopt one idol—one false god—the trajectory of our worship’s been set. Our idol worship will multiply like gremlins in water. One idol begets another idol, which begets another, which begets ten more! Before too long, we find ourselves in brutal slavery to a thousand cruel masters. Allow me to illustrate:My sister-in-law happens to be a world-class pole-vaulter and a Christian. Consequently, in her line of work, she regularly sees this multiplication principle of idol worship up close. She feels the pull herself and sees the often brutal results in her friends and co-competitors.It begins with the drive to compete and succeed at the very highest level. That is typically the first idol adopted. Then, success multiplies itself into hundreds of little idols—having the right equipment, the right diet, the right training facility, the right coach, the right sponsor, the right schedule, the right sport’s psychologist, the right fill in the blank. On and on it goes! One idol begets a thousand more. And, it’s not freeing to serve many gods. It’s slavery!!!Friends, we needn’t be an elite pole-vaulter to fall into this dangerous trap. How many of us have begun multiplying idols with our kids’ athletic successes? How many of us have a long history of multiplying idols with our career success? With our financial goals?! With our relational dreams?! With our ideas of beauty?! With any and every created thing?!Be careful. Learn from Israel’s struggles here in the book of Judges.Well, of course, the multiplication of idols makes Israel incredibly desperate. So, when there’s no other option, Israel cries out to God and attempts to negotiate with him (yet again!) for its deliverance.Let me sum up this negotiation in order to get to the real beauty that’s in it. Essentially, Israel calls to God for help, and God tells her to seek one of her idols for salvation this time. One Old Testament scholar puts it this way:
[Israel supposed God was] like a great warm vending machine in the sky into which you need only drop a token or two of repentance before he spits out the relief you currently crave. Religion is a great game—you only need to know a few rules. And Yahweh is a great God—if you happen to need him and want to use him.2
To this God says: “Forget about it!” Why? Because—playing at that game will ultimately hurt Israel! God must destroy such false conceptions of who he is—God is holy; he’s not some cosmic vending machine!Yet, the people put off their idol worship even though God has told them no. And, it would be easy to suppose that that’s what moves God to raise up Jephthah. However, it’s not. Rather, the narrator tells us:[God] became impatient over the misery of Israel (10:16).Israel’s actions don’t ultimately move God to rescue them from oppression. Instead, God’s character moves him to save them. His infinite love and compassion and mercy and faithfulness to his covenant promises move him to rescue Israel. And, you have to appreciate the poetic justice of his rescue. What does God do?He calls a prostitute’s son (who’d previously been rejected self-righteously by the leaders of his community) to be the instrument of the Israelites’ salvation. Consider, for just a moment, how fitting this is.
You, Israel, have rejected me and prostituted yourself to many idols.
Well then, go to the son of a prostitute whom you’ve rejected and plead for your salvation.
You, Israel, have like whores run after other gods rejecting me as King.
Well then, here, take the son of a whore to rule over you like a king.
God, in his mercy, saves his people; but, in his justice, gives them precisely the kind of salvation and leader for whom they’ve unknowingly asked.This brings us the second kind of negotiation.
2. Negotiation when there’s fearful uncertainty (11:29-35)
So, God calls upon this very fitting warrior, Jephthah, to save the Israelites. And, we must recognize this isn’t a small task. It’s a great and intimidating one! Thus, we shouldn’t be too surprised when Jephthah hesitates and begins to bargain with God. Look at what he says though:
And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering” (11:30-31).
When I proposed to Natalie, she was slated to go to Hungary as a missionary for a year. I remember praying at some point that if she said yes that we’d dedicate, at least, a year to fulltime ministry. We’ve been in fulltime ministry 12 years now. I got more than I bargained for—didn’t I…I got the will of God!I imagine God (metaphorically speaking) shakes his head at our little offers of sacrifice in return for the things which we want! I imagine God must have wept over the unholy bargain Jephthah strikes with him here. Not only is it a naïve one, but it’s also completely out of line with the will and character of God.
(1st) The Spirit of God has already moved on Jephthah. God is for him, and God will work salvation through him. There is nothing he can offer to God in return for victory.
Salvation cannot be bought (Ephesians 2:8)!
(2nd) It’s clear Jephthah has a human sacrifice in mind from the start. This must be the case since the sacrifice would come out “from the doors of his house to meet” him (i.e. human intentionality to meet Jephthah, and animals didn’t likely live in Israelite houses during this time period). Furthermore, if he’d intended an animal sacrifice, why would he have felt a need to sacrifice his daughter (i.e. those wouldn’t have been the terms of the vow).3
Such vows are unholy and against God’s will (Deuteronomy 12:31)!
Friends, Jephthah should never have followed through with his vow to God. He simply heaped sin upon sin. However, it would’ve been better if he’d not tried negotiating with God in the first place as if God were a peer or a business partner! Friends, we must not (as Jephthah does) misunderstand our relationship to God. Rather, we must remember Paul’s words:
For who has known the mind of the Lord, / or who has been his counselor? / Or who has given a gift to him / that he might be repaid (Romans 11:34-35)?
The answer is: No one does! God is sovereign. He gives; we receive.Well, finally we come to the last kind of negotiation—non-negotiation or:
3. Prideful refusal to negotiate with others (12:1-7)
Here come the Ephraimites again. As with Gideon, the tribe arrives late (after the battle is over!) looking to pick a fight for not getting called to the fight. This would all be rather humorous but for the results of this petty, little squabble: war breaks out and 42,000 Israelites from the tribe of Ephraim are slaughtered. There’s now no mercy for those who cross Jephthah!There’s a striking contrast here between Jephthah’s willingness to negotiate with the Ammonites (11:12-28) and his unwillingness to negotiate with Ephraim. With Ammon, the negotiations end only when the king of Ammon will not listen and, instead, attacks Jephthah. With Ephraim, there’s no room to negotiate, at all. The narrator simply and sadly reports:
Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought…Ephraim (12:4).
Here we have the extremely vivid depiction of the downward spiral of Israel: whorish Idolatry, child sacrifice, and civil war. How true is the refrain of Judges—“everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (17:6; 21:25). It’s tempting for us to judge this sordid picture:
Why wouldn’t Israel just remain faithful to God and not run after idols?
Why would Jephthah make such a foolish vow before God?
Why couldn’t Gilead just turn the other cheek to Ephraim?
Yet, if we pause self-reflectively before judging, we recognize that:
We multiply idols quite naturally.
We also attempt to foolishly bargain with God.
We’re quick to say there’s no negotiating when we’re offended or hurt. (How many of us break fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ at the first hint of insult or the first difficult situation?)
But, we need not despair since:
We have a Great Judge who is crafting in us a new heart faithful to God.
We have a Great High Priest who speaks on our behalf before God.
And, we have a Great Savior who—even though we sin against him—turns the other cheek and has died for our sins. Amen!
1Tim Keller, Judges for You, 109.2Dale Ralph Davis, Judges: Such a Great Salvation, 132-133.3See Keller, 118.
