Judges 11New International Version (NIV)
11 Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His
father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. 2 Gilead’s wife also bore him
sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. “You are not going
to get any inheritance in our family,” they said, “because you are the son of
another woman.” 3 So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of
Tob, where a gang of scoundrels gathered around him and followed him.
4 Some time later, when the Ammonites were fighting
against Israel, 5 the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of
Tob. 6 “Come,” they said, “be our commander, so we can fight the Ammonites.”
7 Jephthah said to them, “Didn’t you hate me and drive
me from my father’s house? Why do you come to me now, when you’re in trouble?”
8 The elders of Gilead said to him, “Nevertheless, we
are turning to you now; come with us to fight the Ammonites, and you will be
head over all of us who live in Gilead.”
9 Jephthah answered, “Suppose you take me back to
fight the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me—will I really be your head?”
10 The elders of Gilead replied, “The Lord is our
witness; we will certainly do as you say.” 11 So Jephthah went with the elders
of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them. And he
repeated all his words before the Lord in Mizpah…
32 Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and
the Lord gave them into his hands…
1.
Proverbs 24:16
For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in
times of calamity.
2.
Isaiah 41:10 Fear
not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen
you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
3.
Michah 7:8 7But
as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my
salvation. My God will hear me. 8Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I
fall I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the LORD is a light for me… He
will bring me out to the light, And I will see His righteousness.…
4.
Micah 4:10 Writhe
in agony, Daughter Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you must leave the city
to camp in the open field. You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued.
There the LORD will redeem you out of the hand of your enemies.
5.
Micah 7:10Then my
enemy will see it and will be covered with shame, she who said to me,
"Where is the LORD your God?" My eyes will see her downfall; even now
she will be trampled underfoot like mire in the streets.
6.
2 Corinthians 4:9
persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
7.
Psalm 20:8 They
are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.
8.
Psalm 37:24
though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his
hand.
9.
Proverbs 24:17 Do
not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart
rejoice,
10.
Isaiah 9:2 The
people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land
of deep darkness a light has dawned
11.
Jeremiah 8:4
"Say to them, 'This is what the LORD says: "'When people fall down,
do they not get up? When someone turns away, do they not return?
12.
Amos 9:11"In
that day I will restore David's fallen shelter-- I will repair its broken walls
and restore its ruins-- and will rebuild it as it used to be,
13.
Obadiah 1:12 You
should not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice
over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in
the day of their trouble.
14.
Zechariah 12:8On
that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest
among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like
the angel of the LORD going before them.
15.
Matthew 4:16 the
people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land
of the shadow of death a light has dawned."
16.
Ephesians 5:14
This is why it is said: "Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ
will shine on you."
17.
Psalm 102:16For
the LORD will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory.
18.
Philippians 3:13
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do:
forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
19.
Psalm 145:14 The
Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.
20.
1 John 1:9 If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness.
21.
Exodus 12:1-51
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for
you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.
Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every
man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a
household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his
nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to
what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be
without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the
goats, ...
22.
Acts
4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under
heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
23.
We all stumble in
many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man,
able to keep his whole body in check.
James Ch.3:2
24.
So, if you think
you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 1 Corinthians Ch.10:12
a.
I will arise and
go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven,
and before thee, Luke Ch.15:18
i. The assurance is that if you go to God you will find
all the fullness of love awaiting you there. Even the hindrance of failure can
be turned into stepping stones of glory. The great man of faith Abraham failed
in parts of his life (Genesis Ch.12-13) and yet this is what the Bible says in
the New Testament:
ii. "You shall see Abraham... in the kingdom"
Luke. 13:28
25.
How to avoid failure -
a.
“Keep this Book
of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may
be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and
successful” (Joshua 1:8).
b.
Do not give up! -
if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your
feet when you leave, as a testimony against them. Mark Ch.6:11. "
c.
Don’t be
discouraged: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be
terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you
wherever you go. Joshua Ch.1:9.
d.
Help others - Two are better than
one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his
friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him
up! Ecclesiastes Ch.4:9-10
e. “Bear with
each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against
someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13).
f. The LORD
upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. Psalm 145:14
g.
Humble yourselves
before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James Ch.4:10
h.
Confess to God - First
admit your mistake to God. Tell Him what happened and share your feelings. God
has promised us forgiveness and He will never turn you away when you come to
Him.
i.
Be honest - You
may feel the urge to conceal at least part of the truth. Don’t. Just come clean
and be honest. Trust in God to honor that and know that He will never leave you
or forsake you, no matter what you’ve done. Therefore confess your sins to
each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a
righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).
j. Take responsibility - Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not
cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’
And you forgave the guilt of my sin” (Psalm 32:5).
k.
Apologize - Be
honest about what you did and apologize. You can do it in a meeting, or send
them all a letter or email. People may get angry with you and may not easily
forgive you.
l.
Learn from your
mistakes - Do what you need to do to make sure you will never make this mistake
again.
m.
Forgive yourself
- Jonah, Moses, David, Samson…God hasn’t changed and neither has His love and
forgiveness.
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