Let's Find Hidden Pearls (10 min.)
Thu 11: 1. How do we know that Jephthah was not an illegitimate son? (it-2 24).
Although Jefte's mother was a prostitute, Gilead married her and in this way became his legitimate wife, this made it possible for Jefte to be his legitimate son and being so this allowed him to enter the congregation of Jehovah, since if if he were an illegitimate child, he would not have been able to do it. Another proof is that his brothers knew that Jefte as the first-born son would receive double the inheritance and they, because of their arrogance, would expel him, since they did not want to accept him as head of the family.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Although Jefte's mother was "a prostitute" it does not mean that he was born from prostitution or was an illegitimate child. One proof of this is that his half-brothers, sons of Gilead's main wife, expelled him so that he would have no part in the inheritance. In addition, later he became the accepted leader of the men of Gilead, among them were his half brothers. Also, Jephthah offered a sacrifice to God in the tabernacle. Neither of these things would have been possible in the case of an illegitimate child, for the Law specified: "No illegitimate child may enter the congregation of Jehovah."
Jephthah's mother was "a prostitute," which does not mean that Jephthah was born from prostitution or was an illegitimate child. His mother had been a prostitute before becoming Gilead's second wife, just as Rahab had been a prostitute but later married Salmon. That Jephthah was not an illegitimate son is proven by the fact that his half-brothers, sons of Gilead's main wife, expelled him so that he would not have a share in the inheritance. Furthermore, he later became the accepted leader of the men of Gilead, among whom his half-brothers seemed to be the most notable. On the other hand, Jephthah offered a sacrifice to God in the tabernacle. Neither of these things would have been possible in the case of an illegitimate child, for the law specified: “No illegitimate child may enter Jehovah's congregation.
Because, although his mother was "a prostitute", that was in the past tense since her situation is the same as that of Rahab who later married Salmon, in addition, Jephthah carried out activities such as being a leader and offering sacrifices in the tabernacle, things that I would not have done if it was illegitimate since the law prohibited someone of that condition from being in the people of Israel.
Because the Bible does not say that he was, what it says is that "he was the son of a prostitute", so it is likely that he had been a prostitute, but then he married Gilead, so his son was legitimate, also if he had been An illegitimate son, he could not have been a member of the congregation of Israel, and his half-brothers, who had thrown him out so that he had no part in the inheritance, would have had no legal basis to ask him later to be their commander.
What spiritual pearls have you found about Jehovah, the ministry, and other topics in this week's Bible reading?
Judges 10: 3-5. Jair was the seventh judge that Israel had, he was an important Gileadite and each of his 30 sons is linked to the tent cities, he judged Israel for twenty-two years, after which he died and was buried in Qamon, although his story In the Bible it is very brief does not mean that his example is important, he was a faithful servant of Jehovah, he acted on behalf of the people and helped them to be at peace, we can learn from him by serving Jehovah even if our achievements and efforts go unnoticed .
Judges 10: 6. He mentions that the Israelites once again failed Jehovah by abandoning God and true worship, this teaches me a valuable lesson that we must value our place in the congregation, take great care of ourselves and not allow anything or anyone to make us leave Jehovah and true worship .
Judges 10: 7. The worst decision that many Israelites could make was to leave Jehovah since this was something that angered God, this teaches us something very important, the worst decision we can make is to leave Jehovah, no matter our social class, nationality, age, etc., without Jehovah we are nothing.
Judges 10: 7-9. We see that the Israelites once again allow themselves to be influenced and adopt the false worship of neighboring nations, in our case we live surrounded by people who do not worship Jehovah, either through work or school, so let's not relate more than what that we should with them, because in one way or another their way of living can end up affecting our spirituality.
Judges 10: 6-8. After the death of Jair the Israelites have abandoned pure worship and serve the gods of Sidon, Moab, Ammon and Philistia and as also happens when the Israelites become unfaithful, Jehovah leaves his people at the mercy of the Ammonites and the Philistines , who oppress them for eighteen years, but especially the situation of the inhabitants of Gilead, east of the Jordan River, is particularly distressing, the case of the Israelites shows us that there are people who can leave worship just three times.
Judges 10:10. The Israelites demonstrated true repentance by pleading with God and acknowledging their sin before him, the person who has sinned and wishes to return to Jehovah must show true repentance and a true need for God, this requires humility, instead, someone proud does not recognize their sin or the need for God, perhaps even a mockery of it, so we want to help the inactive to return to Jehovah who will forgive and receive them.
Judges 10:14. Jehovah responded to them in a way that they would have to think about the wrong they had done, really none of the gods that followed helped them in times of distress, and the same has happened in our days we have lived through moments of distress, and only Jehovah It has sustained and given us stability, it is something we must never forget or take for granted.
Judges 10:16. It teaches us about the compassion of Jehovah, it is not the way sympathy for the adversities of others. Let us remember the case of the mother who, hearing her child cry, is moved and acts accordingly. Likewise, God is not deaf to the pleas of his people, but, moved by his tender compassion, he relieves their suffering. Furthermore, his treatment of the Israelites teaches us that this affectionate quality is not a weakness, as it prompted him to take energetic and decisive action on their behalf.
Judges 10:15, 16. The Bible says that when the Israelites showed true repentance, "Jehovah could no longer bear to see them suffer," so he acted on their behalf. This teaches me: that Jehovah is a God with feelings that it pains him to see when his servants suffer. For this reason, he opens his ears to the pleas of his people and, moved by his tender compassion, relieves their suffering. This shows us, then, that "compassion" is another facet of Jehovah's love. Also, it teaches us that this present time is not a weakness, since it prompts God to take energetic and decisive measures in favor of his people.
Judges 11: 1. For other people Jephthah was the son of the prostitute, but Jehovah had very special plans for him, this teaches us that perhaps other people despise us for our origins, (social class, nationality, family background) but we never forget that if we choose Serving Jehovah he has wonderful plans for us and it does not matter if other people have another concept of us.
Judges 11: 1-3. We see that Jephthah was caused difficulties by his brothers and the elders of Israel, but he did not let this bad treatment affect his spirituality, this teaches us that sometimes there are brothers who treat us badly, but if we follow the example of Jephthah we will not We will allow problems like these to prevent us from serving Jehovah, nor will we lose the desire to go to meetings or be with our brothers.
Judges 11: 4-11. It shows us that Jephthah did not let the cruel treatment they had given him before affect him, that is why when the elders of the nation begged him to help them, he did not turn his back on them, from this we learn not to be spiteful, but Rather, we should allow Jehovah's principles to guide our thinking, and to be humble and learn to forgive.
Judges 11: 1-6. We see that his brothers and the elders of Israel caused many difficulties for Jephthah, because his half brothers hated him so much and felt so much jealousy, they expelled him from the land that legally belonged to him because he was the eldest, but Jephthah did not let that treatment cruel affected him and he acted as a spiritual man, when the elders of the nation begged him to help them, he did not turn his back on them, Jephthah's way of acting teaches us to be strong in a spiritual sense and not to hold a grudge in our hearts .
Judges 11: 9. It is true that it hurt him a lot that his brothers treated him badly, but nothing was going to prevent him from supporting Jehovah and his people, there may sometimes be brothers who treat us badly or disappoint us, but the example of Jephthah will help us not to allow that Problems like these prevent us from serving Jehovah, we will not lose the desire to go to meetings or be with the brothers, just like Jephthah, Jehovah's standards can help us overcome difficult situations and be a good example for others. Jephthah agrees to be the commander of Gilead on this condition: 'If Jehovah abandons Ammon into my hand, I will become your head.' A victory would be proof of God's backing, but Jephthah wants to make sure that the people do not stray from divine standards after the crisis is over.
Judges 11: 9-11. He teaches us an excellent example, since Jefte at all times took Jehovah into account and this made it possible for him to win the battle. Today we also have a struggle in this evil world and if we want to be victorious we must always rely on Jehovah, since he will give us that power that is beyond normal to be able to endure and move forward.
Judges 11:27. It shows us how Jefte acted when responding to the Israelites, he did not do it on his own, he made it clear to them when he told them: "May it be Jehovah who judges between you and the Ammonites", this teaches us that the When we want to judge someone we must bear in mind that only Jehovah can see people's hearts and will act in due course.
Judges 11: 30,31,35. Jefte made a vow to Jehovah, saying that if he gave him victory, he would give him "as an offering" to the first person who came out to meet him when he returned from battle. That person was his only daughter. Jefte was loyal and kept his vow and said, "I can't go back." This teaches me: and makes it clear to us that we must take our promises to Jehovah very seriously. Christians made a vow to God and promised to do his will forever, so let's never think about breaking this promise or "turning back", rather, as difficult as it may be, let's faithfully fulfill our vow of dedication.
Judges 11: 30-40. It shows us that when he went to battle, Jefte made a vow to Jehovah, although it was painful for him to fulfill it, since his daughter was the first person who came out to receive him, but since she always put Jehovah first, she never doubted in fulfilling the vow. This teaches us that when we have made a vow to Jehovah, we must comply even if we have to make sacrifices, since Jehovah will always bless our efforts.
Judges 11: 37-40. It shows us the relationship of Jephthah's daughter when she learned of the promise that her father had made to Jehovah, and we see that she sacrificed her dreams of having a husband and children in order to serve God. Today many young Christians are willing to sacrifice their desire to marry or have children, for a time, to give themselves to Jehovah's service and can be sure that God is very happy that we serve him with all our hearts and that he will never forget those who love him or everything they have done for him.
Judges 11:40. Many servants of God today have chosen to spend their lives in full-time service as pioneers, missionaries, traveling ministers, or members of Bethel families. This may mean not seeing loved ones as often as they would like. However, for them and their families such sacred service brings great happiness, we want to be prudent and never say comments that make them feel as if they have made a bad decision.
Judges 11:35, 36. Faced with Jefte's vow, his daughter without hesitation encourages her father to fulfill the promise he made to Jehovah. The words and actions of faith of this young woman show that, for her, “any sacrifice” that is for Jehovah is worthwhile. This teaches me: that today is the same, in the congregation we have valuable young people who are willing to sacrifice and renounce the success of this world to serve Jehovah. The sacrifices they make are not in vain, for "Jehovah is not unjust and he will not forget the works and the love that they show for his name." These young people can be assured that Jehovah will bless them for eternity.
Judges 12: 1. Despite the proof that Jehovah is blessing Jephthah, the Israelites from the tribe of Ephraim quarrel with him, even attempting to burn Jephthah's house with him inside. This action clearly denotes rebellion against Jehovah. This teaches me: that Christians who get involved in violent quarrels or controversies against Jehovah's representatives place themselves in a very serious position before him, this is actually a quarrel with God. Therefore, let us get rid of any spirit of controversy, because such an attitude can only lead to disaster. It is best to listen to the biblical advice to follow the "royal law of love."
Judges 12: 4. Those of the tribe of Ephraim used offensive language and implied that, their brothers, "the men of Gilead were hiding or were fugitives from them." This teaches me: that Christians should avoid being like the Ephraimites, so we never use offensive or hurtful language against others. We must be very careful with what we express, because we do not want to take away anyone's dignity. We know that the ability to speak is a gift from Jehovah, and the Bible says, "Let everything we say serve to edify others," so let's put this divine gift to good use.
Judges 12: 5,6. The forty-two thousand Ephraimite fighters tried to hide their identity, but their speech gave them away. When Jefte's men asked them to say a word, they were unable to pronounce it correctly, the result was that they lost their lives. This teaches me: that today, too, many people may say that they serve Jehovah, but their speech reveals that they do not use "the pure language of truth." So it is important that we strive to learn and speak this "pure language." This is a clear identification of who the true worshipers of Jehovah are.
Judges 12: 7. Although Jephthah's life was full of problems, he was faithful to God. This brave man mentioned Jehovah when he spoke to the older men of Gilead, the Ammonites, his daughter and the Ephraimites, and of course, when he made his vow God blessed Jephthah for his devotion using him and his daughter To foster pure worship, at a time when many abandoned divine standards, he held fast to them, just as Jephthah did, we must be determined to be faithful and obedient to Jehovah.
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