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Judges · Men's Leadership Study

Week 12: Shibboleth

Judges 12

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Read Together

Judges 12

Read the whole chapter aloud before discussing the handout.

Hidden in the Text

Weekly Devotional

“Shibboleth” means an ear of grain or a flowing stream. It was an ordinary word, but at the Jordan River it became a death sentence. The Ephraimites were not identified by idolatry or betrayal. They were identified by an accent they could not quickly change. A small difference became an excuse to kill their brothers. Earlier, Gideon answered the same tribe gently and stopped a war. Jephthah answered with violence. A leader's unhealed past can decide whether criticism leads to peace or disaster. Never make your preferred words into a test God did not give.

Discuss Honestly

Hard Questions

  1. 01

    Where are people using a small difference to decide who truly belongs and who does not?

  2. 02

    Ephraim's complaint was 'you didn't call us.' When have you made a spiritual issue out of being left out?

  3. 03

    Gideon's soft answer worked; Jephthah's hard answer killed thousands. Which of the two is your default under criticism, and why?

  4. 04

    What divides your local church or ministry team right now that has nothing to do with the gospel?

  5. 05

    Jephthah was still carrying the rejection of chapter 11. How did an unhealed wound turn into a body count?

  6. 06

    Are there believers you quietly consider outsiders because of style, background, denomination, or vocabulary? Name them.

  7. 07

    How do you handle a man who challenges you publicly? Walk through your last real example in detail.

Look Them Up

Cross-References

  • John 17:20-23

    Jesus prays that they may be one, 'that the world may believe.' Division is a gospel problem, not a preference problem.

  • Ephesians 4:3-6

    One body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism. The unity is already there to be kept, not created.

  • 1 Corinthians 1:10-13

    'Is Christ divided?' Paul confronting Shibboleths in Corinth.

  • Proverbs 15:1

    A soft answer turneth away wrath. Gideon obeyed it; Jephthah did not.

  • Galatians 5:15

    If ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. Judges 12 in a sentence.