Rēad to Read …Again
Daily Reading: Judges 10-12
Judges 11:13
And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.
Today’s verse is a perfect example of something every person must understand. Which is this: not everything written in the Bible is true. Wait a minute, don’t leave or get upset, or cast this devotion away as trash. Let it be explained. It is true that the king of Ammon said that Israel took their land, but it was not a true statement. He said it yes, but what he said is not true. It is a lie, probably said in hope that this man of war, this Jephthah, was unlearned. But he wasn’t ignorant, Jephthah knew the truth and spoke it clearly.
…Thus said Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon. (Judges 11:15) Then Jephthah goes on to review details of fact, of history, as written in the books of Moses. Evidently, he was a learned man in the history of Israel’s battles. He called the king’s bluff through truth, not giving place to a lie. His response was clear and reasonable, something that the Ammonites did not expect. He even goes so far as to invoke the god of the Ammonites by saying: Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess?... (Judges 11:24)
Back to the lesson. Many individuals are quoted in the Bible, that which they said is either true, false, or a mixture. Consider the serpent’s response to Eve. …Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:4-5) This was a partial truth which made it a total lie. Eve did not die physically, but she did die spiritually and one day would die physically. Also, her eyes were opened to evil. Just read the story of the murder of Abel at the hands of Cain. It was true that the serpent said those words but they were not true words. As far as Eve’s eyes knowing good, she already knew good; neither did she become a god.
Another example would be the words of Job’s friends (so called). True they made their accusations against Job, but they were lies. So too, were the words of Athaliah when she accused Joash of treason. (II Kings 11) She was the treasonous one. Or Sanballat and Tobiah’s words against Nehemiah. True they leveled those harsh accusations at Nehemiah, but the statements they made were not true. How about Peter’s boast that he would never deny Jesus? That was not true. In Revelation 3:17 those of the church of Laodicea said: I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing;… that was not true. Jesus said of them …knowest not that thou are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind… On and on we could go. Even Solomon uttered some strange words and teachings in the book of Ecclesiastes that do not agree with the balance of Scripture.
Through study, the Bible always makes clear what is true and what is false. Everything in the Bible is true in that it was said, but not everything said was, or is, true. Knowing this and searching it out will save a lot of confusion, wrong beliefs, and false doctrine.
Dr. William T. Howe
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