Title: Ephraim's Wickedness/Judges 12:1-6
Contents Today's text records the process of conflict within Israel due to the aftermath of the war, and eventually escalating into a tragedy of comradeship. From a political point of view, this incident was a kind of struggle for hegemony between the tribes during the period of the Sasa, when the tribal united state was strong. The main cause of this conflict is the envy and jealousy of the Ephraimites, which resulted in the death of a great number of the Ephraimites.
I hope that through today's events and contents, I will be able to review my faith and attitude toward life once again.
1. The quarrels of the people of Abraim
Jacob exchanged hands with Manasseh and Ephraim, giving Ephraim the upper hand. But Ephraim was dissatisfied with the promised honor and hated Manasseh if there was anything glorious about it, even for a moment. The main cause of Ephraim's quarrel is, as seen in verse 1, "(Judges 12:1) Why did you not call us to go with you when we went over to fight the Ammonites?" In other words, they are showing an ugly appearance that steals the glory of victory without any effort. They had earlier complained about Gideon in the same way. But here, the degree of complaining has grown even more intense. It could not be a normal language to say that you and your house will be set on fire to the soldiers who were ready to die. I was able to say this because of the attitude of inhumanity based on the superiority of their tribe.
What we need to keep in mind here is that we are a community of faith in Christ that shares our blood, so we must be brothers who love one another and can rejoice in the success of others.
2. Ephraim's slander
As in verse 4, the Ephraimites slandered, "...(Judges 12:4) Because you Gilead were originally said to have fled from Ephraim, and were among Ephraim and Manasseh." This means that the Gileadites are sectarians or exiles who have fled from the tribe of Ephraim, and that the Gileadites are only scattered people in the land of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. In other words, this meant that Gilead was a small tribe attached to Ephraim, and it meant that they wanted to establish an independent state by going to another place, and it also meant that they were no longer God's people. is. This was an unfounded rebuke, a disregard for the Gileadites, and enough to arouse the anger of the Gileadites. This is because the Gileadites are a branch of the tribe of Manasseh, descended from Gilead, the son of Machir (Numbers 26:29), and never separated from the tribe of Ephraim. In view of this, slander not only divides the community (Proverbs 6:19), but also plunges itself into the pit of destruction.
3. The End of Ephraim
Unlike Gideon's time, Jephthah, who was slandered, secured a port in the Jordan that formed the frontier of Ephraim and stopped Ephraim from crossing the river to return to his homeland. The way to determine whether he was an Ephraimite or not was a phonetic test. That is, the Ephraimites pronounced sh as s. So the word I chose to try was shibboleth (meaning river). As a result, many Ephraimites were killed. 42,000 Ephraimites were killed (verse 6) because of the infighting caused by the jealousy and pride of the Ephraimites. This was a great tragedy. Instead, they became fugitives from the Gileadites whom they despised as "fugitives," to the point where they had to deny themselves the proud tribe of Ephraim (v. 5). This was the result of Ephraim's wicked slander and envy. that is. Indeed, the seeds of deceit and slander that they sowed have come to appear as fruits of self-destruction. It is also a factor that divides the kingdom of Israel into north and south.
We must become brothers of faith who can congratulate and praise others by seeing how they are doing well. We must maintain good fellowship and relationships in Christ.