25 November 2025
BELIEVE HIS PROPHETS
Daily Bible Reading
Judges 12 – When Words Divide – and God Still Writes History
Jephthah’s final conflict and the quiet judges who followed
Read online here
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Introduction
Judges 12 leads us into a scene filled with tension, misunderstandings, and hurt pride.
The people of Israel—meant to be one united nation—fall once again into internal conflict.
The dispute between Ephraim and Jephthah escalates—and ends tragically.
Afterward, we read of three judges whose ministries are described only briefly, yet these short accounts hold important spiritual lessons.
This chapter is a mirror of human weakness—and of God’s faithfulness that continues nonetheless.
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Commentary
The story begins with an unexpected confrontation:
The men of Ephraim march angrily northward. Their words are sharp, accusatory, and threatening:
“Why didn’t you call us? We will burn you and your house!”
It seems impulsive, thoughtless—perhaps an expression of wounded pride. Ephraim was a tribe that liked to see itself as a leading tribe.
Not being asked to join hurt their self-image.
Jephthah—himself a man with a painful past—answers openly:
He had called them.
No one came.
He had been abandoned when it mattered.
Between his words lie pain—but also honesty. He had fought because no one else would. God granted the victory.
Why the quarrel now?
But words alone cannot calm the situation.
The tension erupts.
The Gileadites defend themselves, and the Ephraimites provoke them.
Old contempt flares up again.
And escalation follows.
The narrative then presents one of the most striking scenes in the Bible: the “Shibboleth” test-word.
A simple word used to distinguish friend from enemy.
The Ephraimites could not pronounce the “sh” sound—and this small linguistic detail became a death sentence for thousands.
The number is shocking: 42,000 men died.
So much blood—among brothers.
After Jephthah’s death, the story seems to quiet down.
Three judges follow, their lives summarized in only a few verses:
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Ibzan, with his large household and many children.
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Elon, who judges for ten peaceful years.
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Abdon, whose sons and grandsons ride on seventy donkeys—a sign of stability and prosperity.
Their stories are brief, almost silent—standing in contrast to Jephthah’s dramatic life.
Perhaps they show that God also works through unspectacular years.
That stability can be holier than spectacle.
And that God does not abandon His people, despite all their conflicts.
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Summary
Judges 12 shows us:
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a destructive conflict between the tribes of Ephraim and Gilead, fueled by pride and misunderstanding;
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the tragic “Shibboleth” incident, where a single word determined life or death;
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the conclusion of Jephthah’s judgeship;
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three short judge biographies symbolizing peace and continuity.
It is a chapter full of human weakness—yet also a chapter where God continues His work despite it all.
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Message for Today
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Pride can destroy relationships. Ephraim’s wounded honor cost tens of thousands of lives.
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Unresolved conflicts escalate. What remains unhealed eventually breaks open.
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Words have power—to build or to destroy. “Shibboleth” became a dividing line; today, our words can also include or exclude.
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God works not only in dramatic times. The quiet judges show that peaceful years are also grace.
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God keeps writing the story. Despite human failure, God continues to lead His people.
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Thought Prompt
Where have I created “Shibboleths” in my life—words, expectations, or standards that exclude rather than invite?
And how can I seek peace today, before a small spark becomes a great fire?
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23 – 26 November 2025
BELIEVE HIS PROPHETS
Weekly Reading – Spirit of Prophecy
Ellen White | Patriarchs and Prophets – Chapter 43
The Death of Moses | Justice, grace, and hope beyond the grave
Read online here
BLOG 3 – The Great Vision
When Heaven Opened – Moses’ Final Revelation
God shows Moses more than just Canaan
Introduction
On the summit of Nebo, Moses sees more than the land—he sees through time.
It is as if God Himself draws back the veil of history so that His old servant can behold what he lived for.
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Commentary
There, where the silence of heaven touches the earth, Moses stands—and suddenly the world begins to change.
The land before him becomes bright, not with sunlight, but with the light of God.
Mountains, valleys, olive groves, grain fields, lakes and cities shine like a painting of paradise.
It is not the Canaan of the present—it is Canaan under God’s blessing.
But the vision is not limited to the landscape.
It becomes a river of history:
He sees Israel dwelling in the land—its victories and its apostasies, its captivity, its return, its struggles.
Then another image rises—a stable in Bethlehem.
A child. A star. Angel choirs.
And Moses understands: This is the promised star out of Jacob.
He sees Jesus teaching, healing, weeping, loving—and suffering.
He sees Gethsemane; he hears the cry from the cross.
He sees the risen Christ ascending to heaven and recognizes: This is the heart of all the promises.
The vision continues to unfold:
The disciples go out; the gospel spreads; light enters the nations.
Moses sees centuries of faithfulness—and centuries of apostasy.
He sees God’s law cherished—and despised.
He sees the final struggles of the world, the great conflict over truth and loyalty.
Then a final image rises:
Christ coming in glory.
The righteous rising.
The earth made new.
And Moses feels his heart flooded with the radiance of that future.
When the vision ends, he stands again on the mountain.
But something in him has changed.
Heaven is no longer far—he has seen it.
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Summary
God gives Moses a tremendous vision: the land, the history of Israel, the life of Jesus, redemption, and the new earth.
His heart sees more than his eyes ever could.
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Message for Today
Sometimes God does not show us the next step but the greater view—so that we understand our life is part of a far larger story.
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Thought Prompt
What “greater perspective” might God show you today if you paused long enough to see it?
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