Judges 10

Judges 10:1

G. Tola and Jair (10:1-5)Tola, of the tribe of Issachar, judged Israel for twenty-three years. He lived in the mountains of Ephraim. The next judge was Jair, a Gileadite, who ruled for twenty-two years over Israel. Mention is made in passing of his thirty sons, who ruled over thirty towns.

Judges 10:6

H. Jephthah (10:612:7)

1. Israel’s Misery (10:6-18)10:6-9 Again we read the dreary account of how the children of Israel . . . forsook the LORD and turned to idolatry. Service to idols brought Israel into slavery to idolaters. The Philistines and Ammonites fought against the Jews who were on the east side of the Jordan, and the Ammonites also crossed over the Jordan to fight against Judah, . . . Benjamin, and . . . Ephraim. Israel was powerless before the Philistines and the Ammonites because they abandoned the worship of Jehovah and served the . . . gods of these heathen (v. 6). 10:10-16 When the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He refused their pleas at first. He cited several instances of past deliverances and reminded them that after each deliverance they had turned away from Him (v. 13). But when they continued to pray and after they put away their idols, God listened to their cry. Verse 16 gives us some insight into the Lord’s great heart of tenderness. Like a father, He was moved by the plight of His wayward children. Their misery called forth His mercy. 10:17, 18 As the chapter closes, the armies of Ammon were camped in Gilead, and Israel had assembled . . . in Mizpah. The men of Gilead were seeking a military leader (vv. 17, 18).