Take your Bibles with me tonight and turn to Judges 10. Judges 10.

Our Bible story tonight is called "Jephthah and His Vow" and it is one of the most interesting and debated stories in the Bible.

As you are turning to Judges 10 though, I want to read you another passage that I am going to use to help guide how I approach this tonight. Hebrews 11 is called the "hall of faith" - it really is like a spiritual hall of fame and after the chapter goes into detail about the faith of Abraham and Moses and Joshua and others, Hebrews 11 verse 32 says this:

Hebrews 11:32 32. And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

Did you notice a name on there? It talks about Jephthae or as the Old Testament would put it, Jephthah. So whatever we take away from this story, Jephthah wasn't a bad guy, he was a man of faith.

And let me say something else before we get into our story tonight:

In the book of judges, when one of the judges messes up - the author of the book has no problem pointing that out. For instance, when Gideon made an Ephod and the people worshipped the Ephod, Judges lets us know it was a sin and it was wrong.

But the things that Jephthah does here in Judges 10-11. He doesn't get the same treatment. He isn't censured for his actions.

So as I preach through this story tonight, I'm going to try to do what the Bible writers did and see this story in a positive light, because that is what I believe the scriptures intended.

The Same Old Story

Judges 10 opens with a long period of peace. For 45 years under two obscure prophets Tula and Jair, Israel has peace.

But in verse 6 it says this:

Judges 10:6 6. And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.

This is interesting. It's like a shmorgashboard. Israel was worshipping everyone and everything except the God of Israel. Except the Lord.

And so, as we see time and time again in this book - God disciplines them. (Verse 7)

Judges 10:7-9 7. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. 8. And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9. Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.

God punished Israel. This punishment is more severe than we have seen before. Israel is sore distressed. And it isn't just a part of Israel, it is all of Israel.

So they turn to God. Look at verse 10:

Judges 10:10 10. And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.

But it wasn't sincere. The children of Israel by this point knew how the game was played. They knew if they said the right things that God would deliver them.

They didn't really want God. They wanted deliverence. They didn't really want to be free from idolatry, they just wanted to be free from the oppression that idolatry brings.

And I think this is true of a lot of religious people. They want God's salvation, but not His Lordship. They want a Savior, but not a master. They aren't really interested in being free from their sins, just the consequences of their sins. They aren't really interested in God, just God's deliverance.

And God sees right through that. Look at verse 11:

Judges 10:11-13 11. And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? 12. The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. 13. Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.

God says, we've played this game long enough. I am not delivering you any more. I am not your get out of trouble free card.

Look at verse 14:

Judges 10:14 14. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.

God is saying, "You chased these other gods - why can't they deliver you? Why can't they help you? You've been trusting them, so trust them."

And to the credit of Israel, they got the message. Verses 15-16 say:

Judges 10:15-16 15. And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. 16. And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

Notice a few things here:

• First, they admit their sin.
• Second, they put themselves into the hands of God.
• Third, they get rid of their idols.
• Fourth, they start serving God.

Before God lifted a finger to deliver them - they got the message and they got their relationship with God right.

This is a different response than they have shown before. This is more serious and it brings a response from God.

The end of the verse says that God's soul was grieved for the misery of Israel. They humbled themselves and they repented of the sin they had done, and God said "Ok, you are ready for my help now."

I think sometimes we want God's help but we don't want God. We want deliverance from the consequences but we don't want deliverance from the sin. And God sees right through that.

But when we really confess of our sin and repent of our sin and we turn to God not to get something out of Him but because He is God and deserves it, God has compassion on us and helps us.

So how did God help Israel? God was going to send them another judge. This judge is as unlikely a judge as we see in the whole book of judges.

Jephthah's pedigree

Look at chapter 11. Look at the first 3 verses:

Judges 11:1-3

1. Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.
2. And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a strange woman.
3. Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.

So Jephthah was the son of a guy named Gilead, but he had a questionable birth. He was the son of a harlot. He was an illegitimate son.

And Jephthah was rejected by his brothers. His brothers saw him as a threat to their inheritance and so they threw him out. They put him out of their home.

So Jephthah goes out on his own and he finds a home and he becomes a man of war. He gathers some vain men to him and they start attacking Israel's enemies.

This reminds us a lot of Joseph - rejected by his brethren, sent out into the land of the heathen, he becomes the savior of His people.

This reminds us of David. Again, rejected by his brothers. David like Jephthah gathered a band of vain men to him and fought battles for God's people.

And I really think this was meant to remind us of Christ - who like Jephthah was considered to be an illegitimate child. Like Jephthah he was rejected by His brothers. Like Jephthah He rose up to be the savior of His people. Like Jephthah He gathers a bunch of people to Him who are not the greats of this world and with them does battle against the devil.

So when the people needed a man of war - they didn't have one. They looked around and thought "Who can lead us into battle?" And they came up empty. Then someone remembered Jephthah, and so they sought him out.

They go in verse 6 and say to Jephthah:

Judges 11:6 6. And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.

Come and be our captain, come and be our deliverer. Let's see how Jephthah handles that...

Jephthah's Stipulation

Look at verse 7:

Judges 11:7 7. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?

You can feel for Jephthah can't you?? You guys didn't want me. You guys rejected me. Why are you coming to me now?

Jephthah here sounds exactly like God in chapter 10. "You rejected me and now you are calling for me when you need me?"

So Jephthah says "not so fast. You have to make me a promise." Look at verse 8:

Judges 11:9 9. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head?

Jephthah makes them promise that if he delivers them, that they will let him be their leader, their ruler, not just some outcast that came in and delivered them.

And the children of Israel make a promise in verse 10:

Judges 11:10 10. And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.

So in verse 11, Jephthah has them go to Mizpeh, which is where several important things in Israel's history were solemnized and they make this relationship official.

Listen, God wants to save us. He saved us through Christ. But He doesn't want us to just take Him as Savior and not as leader. Hundreds of times in the Bible, Jesus' name is given as the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus wants to be our Lord. He wants to be our head. He wants to be our leader. He wants us to serve Him and follow Him.

Too often, we get in trouble and we expect Jesus to bail us out - but we aren't willing to accept Him and to submit to Him.

Jephthah is a good reminder about that.

This next section we can call...

Jephthah's Wisdom

Jephthah is now the official leader of Israel, and so with his new status - he rushes to war right?

Actually, Jephthah doesn't do that. He actually tries to resolve things peacefully with Ammon. In verses 14-28 Jephthah has a kind of parley with Ammon and basically says "Why are you guys doing this? Why are you oppressing us?"

And Ammon says "because you stole our land."

Now, doesn't that sound like something that could be on the news today? You have a bunch of people oppressing Israel and saying "you stole our land."

In both cases, that isn't the case. So Jephthah actually makes a very thoughtful and accurate case for why Israel has a right to their land.

First, Jephthah appeals to history. He basically tells them they have their history wrong.

In verses 17-21 Jephthah rehearses the history. Israel was coming out of Egypt. They purposely were trying not to bother Moab and Ammon. They asked for safe passage through and were denied. They were even attacked. The only land they took from Moab or Ammon was in self-defense.

That very much sounds like Israel's argument today. They have been attacked time and again by the arabs, and every time they expand it is in self-defense after being attacked.

The second thing Jephthah appeals to is to God. It was common whenever one of these heathen nations went to war to say that God gave them the land they took. God had obviously and really given Israel the land they possessed. So Jephthah says "why don't you stay on the land that Chemosh has given you?"

The third argument Jephthah makes is that Israel has been there now for 300 years and Ammon never cared before, so why now?

And Jephthah wraps this up by saying in verse 27:

Judges 11:27 27. Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.

Now, I want you to stop here and I want you to take a measure of this man Jephthah.

• He's been rejected by his family but he doesn't try to get any vengeance.
• He's been rejected by his people Israel but he obviously knows their history and worships their God.
• He's been elected to be a military leader and fighting is what he knows, but he tries diplomacy first and makes a very good argument.

Does Jephthah seem like the kind of guy who does things rashly to you? Does he seem ignorant? Does he seem carnal and idolatrous? That doesn't scan here.

So let's look at the next section:

Jephthah's Spirituality

Judges 11:29-31 29. Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon. 30. And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, 31. Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.

I want you to notice some things about these verses:

First, God put His spirit on Jephthah. He was a spiritual man. Again, Hebrews 11 commends him as a man of faith. He was empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Second, what he does in verse 30 and 31 is consistent with him being a spiritual man.

Almost every bible you read and many commentators want to point out how Jephthah is rash here. But I don't think he was rash at all. He promised God that He wouldn't just use Him as a Savior, He wanted to give to God.

And God empowered Jephthah.

Judges 11:32-33 32. So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands. 33. And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

God used Jephthah to deliver Israel in a big way.

And that brings me to the most controversial part of this whole story. The part this is most known for. Look at verses 34-35:

Judges 11:34-35 34. And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. 35. And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.

Remember, Jephthah said that whatever came out of his house first to greet him, he would give it to the Lord and he would give it as a burnt offering. So what comes out of his house? It's his only child, his beloved daughter, and Jephthah has to keep his vow.

So we come to...

Jephthah's Problem

Did Jephthah burn his daughter as a burnt offering?

I want to be the first to tell you that I don't think that he did. I have four reasons for that:

First, because human sacrifice was expressly forbidden in the law.

Leviticus 18:21 21. And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

Deuteronomy 12:31 31. Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

So the law was very clear that God was not interested in human burnt offerings. It seems to me that Jephthah knew the law. He certainly had a better than average grasp of Israel's history. He was a spirit filled man, he wasn't going to do something that God called an abomination.

There is a second reason why I think Jephthah didn't actually burn his daughter as a burnt offering and that is because the law actually had a way of putting a monetary value on people vowed to the Lord.

Look at Leviticus 27 verses 2-4 with me:

Leviticus 27:2-4 2. Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall make a singular vow, the persons shall be for the LORD by thy estimation. 3. And thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 4. And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty shekels.

Jephthah had just conquered Ammon. He had plenty of money. They had a system in place for paying your way out of these vows. It's unthinkable that he wouldn't have done that rather than burn his daughter alive.

But the third reason I think Jephthah didn't burn his daughter alive is this - the text never says that he did. It never specifically says in this text that Jephthah burned his daughter alive.

It says he fulfilled his vow. It says she knew no man. But it never says that he burned her alive.

And that brings me to the fourth reason why I think Jephthah didn't burn his daughter alive. The language of verses 38-40 seem to indicate that what the daughter was mourning was never getting married and never having children.

What most likely happened is she was given to the tabernacle as a servant - much like Samuel was given to the tabernacle as a servant. And as a servant of the tabernacle she was never going to marry and have children of her own. As a servant of the tabernacle she wouldn't have been given the inheritance that surely would have been hers of all of her father's riches.

And remember, this is Jephthah's only child. Which means Jephthah has no heir. The family of Jephthah dies with Jephthah. That is a sad thing today, that would have been catastrophic in that society.

So I think that Jephthah's daughter went off for two months and then made herself a servant of the Lord and never married and that the daughters of Israel celebrated that sacrifice every year.

Takeaways

So what do we learn from this story? Let me quickly give you three thoughts and we'll close.

First,

1. This story should remind us that God wants to be our leader, not just our Savior.

We tend to treat God like the Israelites did in chapter 10 or like the Israelites treated Jephthah in chapter 11. We use God as an insurance policy. We are happy to have Him come in and rescue us, but we don't want any ongoing relationship and we certainly don't want to submit to Him.

Let me remind you that that attitude betrays a lack of understanding of the gospel. It betrays a lack of understanding of sin. It betrays a lack of understand of who our God is.

We tend to be like the children of Israel in Judges, chasing our own idols and hanging on to the idea of following God because it's convenient sometime - and that is not what God wants from us.

The second thing I want you to take away from this is this...

2. This story should remind us that we should keep our vows to God.

Listen, if you make a sinful vow. If you vow to murder your parents or something - then you are in no obligation to fulfill it. You need to repent of the sinful vow.

But if you make promises to God that are not sinful, then you need to keep those promises.

• Maybe those promises are to be faithful in giving.
• Maybe those promises are to be faithful in attending church.
• Maybe those promises are to be faithful in ministry.
• Maybe those promises were to raise your kids for the Lord.

I don't know what you have promised God - but we shouldn't be flippant with our promises and we can learn from Jephthah here.

We need to say like Jephthah did in verse 35:

I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.

3. This story should point us to the ultimate Deliverer who made the ultimate sacrifice for us.

I think this chapter is vague on purpose. I think this is intended not to fill us with disgust, but to point us to Calvary. As terrible as it would have been for Jephthah to offer his only daughter for a sacrifice. Our God offered His only Son for a sacrifice.

I don't think Jephthah went through with it. But God did.

John 3:16 16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Let's stand for prayer.