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WHEN THE REJECTED RETURNS TO RULE (25 OF 42)

by Mike Stone

Scripture: Judges 10:17-18, Judges 11:1-11
This content is part of a series.


When the Rejected Returns to Rule (25 of 42)
Series: The Coming King: Finding Jesus in Judges
Mike Stone
Judges 10:17-11:11

In those days there was no king in Israel and every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Our study of Judges is the story of Israel's rebellion and their longing for a king. But this book, like the whole of Scripture, is ultimately about the Lord Jesus.

And in Judges 10 we have a living parable of Israel's sin. It's the story of what happens when a rejected man returns to rule over the people. (Judges 10:17-11:11)

You don't have to be a history buff to have heard of Napoleon Bonaparte. The French emperor met his military end at the Battle of Waterloo and died in exile on the British Island of Saint Helena.

But what many people do not know is that this was Napoleon's second exile. He had previously been defeated and exiled to Elba. But after less than a year, the previously-rejected ruler slipped past his British guards, sailed back to Paris, and was greeted as a hero. Even though his return to power would only last about 100 days, the once-rejected emperor had returned to power.

That's a pale example of what's happening in Judges 10-11. A rejected member of the family is called upon to return. And he's given a promise: if you return, you will be the undisputed ruler.

Dale Ralph Davis says, "The way the Gileadites treat Jepthah is an acted parable of the way Israel approaches Yahweh."

While Jepthah is no Christ-figure, and his story will soon play out as one of the most tragic in the Bible, there are glimpses of our Lord in this "living parable" as we look for Jesus in Judges.

1. A familiar scene

Judges is a series of repeated cycles. But that's not what I mean here by referencing the "familiarity" of this scene. There is a very real sense in which this story is a living parable of the story we saw just last week.

Israel rejected the Lord and followed other gods. Then they called on the Lord and request ...

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