🍞 Judges 11

Judges 11 is a real chapter from the Old Testament. It starts, “Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead became the father of Jephthah.” That is not a motto invented for a poster. It is the first sentence a family hears when this page is opened at night.

Keep going a little further. The chapter also says, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they struck them. So Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.” Judges 11 opens with these words: “Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead became the father of Jephthah.” The line to keep is Judges 11:4: “After a while, the children of Ammon made war against Israel.” Carry the word “children” from that verse into the rest of the day.

The line worth learning out loud is Judges 11:4: “After a while, the children of Ammon made war against Israel.” If the rest of the chapter feels crowded, hold that one sentence until the room is quiet.

What happens first in Judges 11? Then try this: Read “After a while, the children of Ammon made war against Israel.” once more. What does it show you about God? You do not have to finish every verse. You can close the book after the memory verse and still have read the Bible together.