Let’s Make a Deal
May 30th, 2006
Brett Gilchrist
Judges 11
Jephthah was one tough guy, too tough for the rest of the nation and they kicked him out. But now they needed what Jephthah could provide, a warriors leadership, and they begged him to protect them. He agrees to return and lead them in battle against the troublesome Ammonites. This is a confused and barbaric time for Israel; they have been way too familiar with the wrong gods and lost interest in the one true God. Jephthah is confused as well and he makes a vulgar and immoral pledge to God that cost him his only daughter.
Now we should not get the idea that God wanted that pledge or even that he honored it, nor did he want it fulfilled. They would have won the battle without it, in fact human sacrifice was forbidden by God (Deut. 18:10, 12:31). Pledges appear to be a spiritual way of manipulating a sovereign God. We all try to make deals with God to get the outcome we want. Wouldn’t it just be better to trust the character of God and the outcome he has for my life? What can be gained in trying to manipulate the very God who sacrificed his only son on my behalf? Frankly, it’s insulting and James tells us we do it at our own peril (James 5:12). How much better to obey God and rest in His goodness, that’s the best deal we could ever swing.
May 31st, 2006 at 12:51 pm
So, this whole section of scripture is interesting and challenging. Judges 11:29-40 raises some pretty difficult questions. First of all verse 29 says that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. So Jephthah is being led by the Spirit as he leads the army against the Ammonites, in verse 30 he makes his vow, which seems like a deal or “rash” statement, yet the text doesn’t make a distinction that he was no longer led by the Spirit, because verse 32 says that the Lord gave him victory. So my assumption would be he is still being led by the Spirit of the Lord. So what do we do with, the next part of this scenario? His daughter comes out celebrating the victory and Jephthah fulfills his vow. He is in anguish, but he fulfills his vow, that he made when the Spirit of the Lord was upon him. So how did he fulfill the vow? Did he participate in actual human sacrifice to the Lord? Did he sacrifice something else and set apart his daughter to the Lord for service and celibacy (thus the reason for her mourning over her virginity and living a life without producing children)? Did God accept an offering of human sacrifice? This would seem totally contrary to His character and what He had commanded His people to stay away from. And would a person who sacrificed his daughter be someone that the writer of Hebrews would honor in Hebrews 11:32 as a person of extraordinary faith? It raises some good questions to wrestle with and consider. I’ve got some ideas and did some research, but what do other people think? Thoughts?
June 2nd, 2006 at 9:15 am
Good post and solid follow-up Matt. No doubt this text haunts God’s people just as Jephthan’s decision did him. There is simply no way around the fact that something utterly terrible has occurred in the narrative and for whatever reason it is now in our Scriptures. And this is the Word of the Lord (?).
Matt, I too find it puzzling that the guidance/empowerment of the Spirit is said to be at work. But perhaps here the language is (intentionally) ambiguous? That is, is Jephthah really being led by the Spirit of God? If he was indeed, then why in the very next verse are we told that he made a deal with the Lord? Is he really trusting the Spirit? I think not; his bargaining with God was his own way of securing a victory he so desperately wanted so that he might be brought back into Gilead.
It is further puzzling that God some degree honors this deal. But perhaps the Lord, having empowered Jephthah with his Spirit intended him to win the battle all along, so that when “the LORD gave them into his hand” it is not solely because Jephthah offered a sacrifice to appease God. The only thing changed then is Jephthah, as common with the spiraling morality and character of the judges, fails to trust Yahweh and his plan. Thus later tradition rightly praises Jephthah for leading God’s people to victory (1 Sam. 12:11; Heb. 11:32), but he should also be looked upon as an example of how not to fulfill the Lord’s plan.
These are thoughts from the top of my head, and further reflection and research may very well correct them, but hopefully they help further discussion and thought. Blessings to those in Eugene.
June 3rd, 2006 at 7:07 pm
Hey Derek:
Once again you’ve stirred me up!!! I love it!!! Diggin’ deep, gettin’ interactive with the text. I appreciate your thoughts and perspective.
Thanks for the emphasis on… “the Lord gave them into his hand.” I missed that or didn’t consider it. It is clearly communicated here that God “did it”, not Jephthah, God gave him the victory. That is a good reminder of the fact that God is in control, He’s the one that works, His power is what I need to rely on, even in the midst of uncertainty or an unclear situation, God works and does His thing.
I’m reminded of John 15:5, Jesus says “Apart from me you can do nothing”, and also 1 Corinthians 12:6 “There are different ways God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work through all of us.” I might be taking that one a bit out of context but there seems to be some connection or application here. Lastly, the verse I keep coming back to is… Rom 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
I don’t know if I am rabbit trailing at this point and there are still questions that are swirling around in my mind, but those are some things that I’ve been kickin’ around in my head and heart. Let’s keep wrestling with it. I’d love to hear other views or insights????
June 4th, 2006 at 5:07 am
Hi Matt,
I don’t profess to be ANY sort of expert on this passage, but the first of verse 39 (”Afer the two months, she returned to her father and he did to her as he had vowed.” suggests that Jephthan indeed DID sacrifice her as a burnt offering. I did some casual research on the last sentence in the chapter (”From this comes the Israelite custom that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.”) This commemoration seems to support the thought that she was indeed sacrificed.
I just want to offer this thought. Verse 30 (”A Jephthah made a vow to the Lord…”) uses the word “to”, not any word suggestion an interaction with the Lord. I don’t believe that the Lord made any agreement with Jephthah at all. Or, am I missing something? Can anyone show where God interacted with Jephthah and in this “deal” (vow) that Jephthah made?
blessings,
Michael
June 5th, 2006 at 10:43 am
Thanks Michael for your post. It is fun to dig a little deeper and see what other people think about things.
Your insight on Jephthah making the vow “to” the Lord is a good observation. Rather than “with” the Lord. In terms of interaction, there is no verbal communication from the Lord, but the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and the Lord gave the Ammonites into his hands. So there is some interaction there from the Lord in regards to the situation.
Good stuff!!! I like the dialogue and the interaction.
Matt