And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.
Israel had endured eighteen years of oppression before this call was made. The appeal came only after the people had put away their foreign gods and returned to serving the Lord. In answer to their prayers God heard them and raised up Jephthah as a deliverer for them.
In this verse the leaders of Israel come to Jephthah and ask him to become their captain. Their purpose in seeking him as commander is that they may fight against the Ammonites. The deliverance God gave through him brought relief, yet afterward the people soon forgot the lesson their suffering had taught them.
Israel had endured eighteen years of oppression before this call was made. The appeal came only after the people had put away their foreign gods and returned to serving the Lord. In answer to their prayers God heard them and raised up Jephthah as a deliverer for them.
In this verse the leaders of Israel come to Jephthah and ask him to become their captain. Their purpose in seeking him as commander is that they may fight against the Ammonites. The deliverance God gave through him brought relief, yet afterward the people soon forgot the lesson their suffering had taught them.