We get a short but grave description of how things started falling completely apart for the Israelites in this chapter. Jephthah, who has risen from a young, maybe chicken-ish (?) wheat thrasher boy to basically king of Israel, proved in the last chapter that he is a little big-headed, and his pride cost him his only daughter. We learn also though that Jephthah is an educated man, faithful to God. I’ve got this kind of love-hate feeling about him, you know? Now, he’s incited the first civil war for the Israelites. He has literally divided clans and put one above the other. That’s not how it’s supposed to be. Or is it? Notice the next judge after Jephthah, Ibzan, just piled on the misdeeds, intermarrying his sons and daughters. Elon and Abdon just died, I guess. That was kind of a smarty pants answer, but obviously they didn’t do anything astonishing or help God with much because I’m pretty sure Samuel would have recorded it here. Let’s go back to Jephthah for a sec (and to wrap up this study). Have you seen or read “The Handmaid’s Tale?” The name of the main community in the show/novel is Gilead. I won’t give any spoilers, but this chapter kind of gave me goosebumps thinking of the similarities. Authors are geniuses, and I’m seeing more and more how Margaret Atwood wove bits of the Bible and history into her thrilling modern tale. As writers, sometimes we do this naturally, but more often than not, a little research can fling the imagination into worlds yet contrived.
Writing prompt: give it a go
Today, take a historical story and apply it in a modern setting. Try to aim for a 500- to 1,000-word short story, and please share!
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