Judges 10:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the LORD said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines?

NIV: The LORD replied, 'When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines,

NASB: And the Lord said to the sons of Israel, 'Did I not save you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the sons of Ammon, and the Philistines?

CSB: The Lord said to the Israelites, "When the Egyptians, Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines,

NLT: The Lord replied, 'Did I not rescue you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines,

KJV: And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?

NKJV: So the Lord said to the children of Israel, “ Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites and from the people of Ammon and from the Philistines?

The people of Israel have been gravely oppressed by their enemies for nearly two decades. The Ammonites and the Philistines have brought them under severe distress. This has happened because God caused it to happen. He handed them over to the control of their enemies in response to their abandonment of Him in favor of all the gods of the land (Judges 10:6–9).

Now the people have begged for mercy, calling to God for help in a way not yet recorded by the writer of Judges. The Israelites offered a simple confession of their sin against the Lord. They acknowledged they are guilty of worshipping idols and forsaking their One True God.

Though we are not told the means—perhaps through some messenger—God begins His response. Somewhat surprisingly, He does not promise to free His people from their suffering. Instead, He reminds them that He has saved them repeatedly in the past. He saved them from the Egyptians during the time of Moses. Then, from the Amorites (Numbers 21:21–35), the Ammonites (Judges 3:15–30), and the Philistines (perhaps Judges 3:31), along with other nations cataloged in the following verse.

This litany is important. Despite all the times God has saved Israel, the nation has betrayed Him over and over again. Their current predicament is part of their consistent pattern since coming to Canaan (Judges 2:11–19). It's especially noteworthy that God has previously saved Israel from the very nations who severely oppress them now. God is reminding the people that they have forgotten who truly saves them, as well as how He is clearly able to save them again… if He so chooses.

Judges 10:6–16 shows the downward spiral repeated in the book of Judges sinking ever lower. The Israelites once again forsake the Lord, this time serving all the gods of Canaan and the surrounding regions. God hands them over to both the Ammonites and the Philistines. When the people cry out to the Lord eighteen years later, confessing their sin, He initially refuses to save them. This has the desired effect of jarring Israel to action. The people repent, anyway, serving the Lord and getting rid of their idols.

Two more judges, Tola and Jair, rescue Israel for a time. Little detail is given about either. Once again, the people return to idolatry and depraved sins (Deuteronomy 12:29–31). In response, God submits His people to the Ammonites and Philistines. After eighteen years, they confess and beg for mercy. God bluntly refuses, this time. And yet, Israel shows humble repentance, getting rid of their idols. As God prepares to save the people, an army of Israelites in Gilead gathers to face an army of Ammonites. But the Israelite army lacks a leader.

After Gideon rescued Israel (Judges 6—8), his son, Abimelech, murdered his siblings and became a despotic ruler (Judges 9). That ended with further tragedy and bloodshed. Judges 10 begins with a brief description of two judges who ruled after the time of Abimelech. Then Israel falls further than ever into the worship of false gods. Nearly two decades after God turns the people over to their enemies, they confess their sinfulness. The Ammonites encamp against Israel in Gilead. The leaders of Gilead search for someone to lead them in battle. Chapter 11 details the call and success of the next judge, Jephthah.

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).