Judges 12 tells us about a fight between Jephthah and the Ephraimites on the east side of the Jordan. We will have a great eschatological lesson come out of these few verses that will be interesting. Ephraim did not want to fight when there was danger, but when the battle was over, they got all upset about not being called up, but in reality, they were called and did not respond (12.1-3). They were jealous and wanted leadership in Israel.
The Ammonites made war on Israel, and the elders of Gilead went to Jephthah to ask him to lead an army against Ammon. Ammon is accusing Israel of stealing their land when they came from Egypt, and Jephthah explains that it was not true (Judges 11). Jephthah crossed over the Jordan to the east side to fight the Ammonites and they were defeated.
Ephraim comes across the Jordan and falsely accuses Jephthah and Gilead, and wants a battle. So Jephthah and Gilead fought, and Ephraim was defeated. Jephthah and Gilead capture the fords across the Jordan, so now they control who can cross over to the west side. As a result, whenever a fugitive from Ephraim said, “Let me cross over (to the west side),” the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” they would say to him, “Say now Shibolet (meaning “ear of corn” or “river”).” But he said, “Sibolet,” because he could not pronounce it correctly. They pronounced the letter “shin” like a samech (s sound). They spoke the same language as Jephthah, but they had trouble with the “shin” or “sh” sound in Hebrew because of regional dialects. If he could not say it, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan before he crossed over. As a result, 42,000 men of Ephraim fell at that time. Now, here is the spiritual lesson from this simple story that often goes unnoticed.
The river Jordan means “descender” and is a type of death. When we come to the river of death, what answer are we going to give to Yehovah if he should ask, “Are you born again?” What about the “shibolets” of the Torah? Their speech about the Torah and its observances will give them away as to who they really are and what they really believe before the Lord.
Will they talk about how much they love the Torah and the commandments, like David did in Psa 119, or about how they are now, “Set free from the Law” or “I am not under the Law”, and how all that “Jewish stuff doesn’t apply to me.” Will they talk about how Sunday or any other day has replaced the seventh-day Sabbath? Do they believe that they are grafted into the olive tree of Israel (Rom 11.13-24) and follow the commandments as they apply to them (1 Cor 7.17-19), or do they talk about how the “church” has replaced Israel in the plan of God? Will they follow the biblical food laws, or will they talk about how much they love their bacon and shrimp? Their speech will expose them and give them away as they try to “cross over” the spiritual Jordan (descender/death) into the promised land of the Olam Haba. Many will be seized for the second death (Matt 7.21-23; 1 John 2.3-4; Rev 20.1-15).
We also learn that 42,000 fell at that time, and the number 42 is the number of transition, change and distress, and alludes to the last three and a half years of the birth-pains, when many will be slain for their pride against the word of God, and they will not “cross over” and enter into the Kingdom of God on earth when Yeshua returns (Rev 19.19-21). In addition, the number “42” alludes to the times Israel moved in the wilderness (Num 33.5-49, the number of generations from Abraham to Yeshua, the first three and a half years of the birth-pains, the time of Elijah’s ministry during the drought. It is also referred to by using 1260 days, or a time, times and half a time.
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