Judges 10:1–11:11: Israel’s backsliding leaders Tola, Jair, Jephthah

This passage looks at three leaders of ancient Israel: Tola, Yair (Jair), and Yeftah (Jephthah). After 45 years under the guidance of the first two, Israel then slid into devotion to the gods of surrounding nations. Israel finally realized the oppression under Philistia and Ammon was to turn them back to the LORD, Who led the nation out of bondage in Egypt.

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Food for thought

How did God have mercy on his judges and hold back judgment while a particular judge was alive?

Who was Gilead? How is he important in the history of Manasseh and Israel?

Is the fact that both Gideon and Yeftah (Jephthah) are “the sons of another woman” important?

How did the United States of America play out a similar pattern of righteousness and backsliding after World War II and the Korean War?

Tola was an Issacharite but lived in Ephraim. Was this wrong? Why would he judge from these?

Why was Ephraim strong at this time? What does the number 30 mean in the life of Yair (Jair)? What were the “havvot-Yair”? What does it mean that they are unwalled?

What did Tola and Yair do for 45 years? What did Yeftah do for a living? Why did the people of Gilead choose Yeftah to fight Ammon?

God makes six accusations against the people of Israel? How did their attitude toward God change during this time?

How did the Ammonites differ from other oppressors of Israel?

What is comical about Israel’s plea in Judges 10:15? How did God respond? How did Ammon respond? Why did they retreat? What did this mean for the area of Gilead?

Where was Yeftah from? Where did he go? Why was he cast out from his family? What did the elders of Gilead offer Yeftah first? How did Yeftah make the deal? How is Yeftah an example of an excellent military leader? How can this trait also be bad?

What did we learn about God? What did we learn about the Gileadites?

Reader: David De Fever. Speaker: Daniel Agee.