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The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 18 April 2023 – The Danger Of Stubbornness
TOPIC: The Danger Of Stubbornness
READ: Judges 12:1-15 (KJV)
1 And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire.
2 And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands.
3 And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the Lord delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?
4 Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.
5 And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;
6 Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.
7 And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.
8 And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.
9 And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.
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10 Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Bethlehem.
11 And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years.
12 And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun.
13 And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel.
14 And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years.
15 And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites.
THE MESSAGE:
The Ephramites scolded Jephthah for not involving them in the war with the Ammonites and threatened to destroy him and his house with fire. Jephthah replied that when he called on them for help in the war against the Ammonites, they were not interested and so he took up the responsibility for his destiny and fought the war; and God gave him victory. Jephthah then asked the Ephraimites why they had come to fight against him. Since there was no resolution of the matter due to the stubbornness of the Ephraimites, Jephthah mustered the Gileadites and defeated the Ephraimites killing over 42, 000 at the fords of Jordan. After judging Israel for six years, Jephthah died.
Stubbornness is refusal to change one’s views, which led to an unnecessary war and the death of thousands of Ephraimites. The Bible says that sudden destruction awaits those who refuse rebuke (Proverbs 29: 1). Children should accept corrections from their parents, guardians and teachers. Family misunderstandings should be settled through dialogue and not through fighting. Do not engage in fighting over food, land, wine, money, women, men, friends, economic trees, etc. Do not spark up quarrels like the Ammonites and Ephraimites. Irrational decisions based on stubbornness can lead to irreversible negative consequences. So dialogue, settle amicably and follow the path of peace. Be a peacemaker (Matthew 5: 9).
PRAYER: Lord, May Your grace be sufficient for me to settle any dispute peacefully in Jesus’ name.
