Judges 12The animosity that appeared to have been abated by Gideon in chapter 8 has reared its ugly head again. Now every time an Ephraimite seeks to cross over at the fords of the Jordon, he is met with a test. A guard either says “say Shibboleth” or holds up an ear of cord (which is what the word means in Hebrew). The Ephraimites cannot pronounce the “sh” sound, so give themselves away. This is a sad account, because the warfare that Jepthah wages is against another tribe of Israelite descent. This is further evidence of the degradation of the people, who care little about each other, and the God who rescued them all from Egypt. How quickly they forget!
LORD, help us to love one another, and remember your faithfulness to us all.
Devotions 