Jephthah: Lessons from the Past, Present & Future
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Have you ever made a promise you regretted? Most of us have.
Have you ever made a decision in the midst of facing a problem, that only made the problem worse? Most of us have.
Have you ever made a decision, that at the time you didn’t realize would have negative consequences for your children, but ended up negatively affecting them? Most parents have.
Have you ever been judged for something you had no control over? Most of us have.
Have you ever been used by others, that originally wanted to have nothing to do with you? Some of us have.
Today, as we open up Judges 11, we find a man named Jephthah that faced each and every one of the scenarios I’ve listed above...
We are introduced to Jephthah in Judges 11:1
Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah.
He was a MIGHTY WARRIOR (mighty man of valor)
BUT he was the SON OF A PROSTITUTE (son of a harlot)
There was a stimga attached to his name, and it wasn’t his fault. He had no control over what kind of life his mother lived. He had no control over the circumstances in which he was conceived. But everywhere he went he was connected to this stigma.
You know there may be people in this room today that has a STIGMA attached to their name.
They are a Christian, BUT they were molested...
They are a Christian, BUT they’ve been divorced...
They are a Christian, BUT they’ve been incarcerated...
They are a Christian, BUT they never knew their dad...
They are a Christian, BUT they hurt someone when they were high...
They are a Christian, BUT they struggled with pornography....
They are a Christian, BUT they struggle with alcohol...
They are a Christian, BUT, BUT, BUT...
The DEVIL is always reminding you of the “BUT” that YOU think is in your way....
But it gets even worse for Jephthah.
Notice Judges 11:2-3
Gilead’s wife bore sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall have no inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.” Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tob; and worthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him.
Jephthah’s father, who was an obvious adulterer, had other children by his wife and as they got older and realized that Jephthah was conceived as a result of sexual promiscuity with another woman, drove Jephthah away from his father, away from his family, and away from his inheritance.
As a result Jephthah surrounded himself with “worthless men.”
Keep in mind Jephthah’s reputation as a MIGHTY WARRIOR…BUT…he’s constantly facing this stigma. He’s constantly facing the reminder of his past. He’s constantly badgered with the thought that because of other people’s choices he’s got to live with this albatross around his neck.
I’d dare say there are some people in this room today, and some listening online, that feel the SAME way.
But I’ve got good news for you today...
Your Past Does Not Have to Determine Your Future (11:1-28)
Your Past Does Not Have to Determine Your Future (11:1-28)
Because of BAD CHOICES either in YOUR past, or the past of your parents, or the past of your spouse, or the choices that other friends or family members made…you are constantly trying to RUN FROM THE DARK SHADOWS of the past. But they seem INESCAPABLE.
No matter what you do, someone is always saying, “BUT he or she...”
No matter what you accomplish, someone reminds you, “BUT”
There’s always a “BUT” in your way...
Notice what happens next in Jephthah’s life....
It came to pass after a time that the people of Ammon made war against Israel. And so it was, when the people of Ammon made war against Israel, that the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. Then they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Ammon.”
So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me, and expel me from my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?”
And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That is why we have turned again to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the people of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back home to fight against the people of Ammon, and the Lord delivers them to me, shall I be your head?”
And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will be a witness between us, if we do not do according to your words.” Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord in Mizpah.
When Gilead’s descendants find themselves in a pickle they remember Jephthah who they had run off. They remembered that he was a MIGHTY WARRIOR. They remembered that he had something they needed…leadership and bravery.
All of a sudden, when they needed him, the fact that his mother was a prostitute didn’t seem to matter so much anymore. The fact that he had a different mother than they did wasn’t as big of a deal as it once was. THEY NEEDED JEPHTHAH and it no longer mattered that “he didn’t belong.”
I love the question Jephthah asks in Judges 11:7
So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me, and expel me from my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?”
But even though he is quite sarcastic he doesn’t let that stop him from doing the right thing in this instance, even though they had treated him badly.
Even though his mother was a prostitute, notice Jephthah’s testimony in Judges 11:29
Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced toward the people of Ammon.
Don’t miss this…THE SPIRIT OF GOD CAN COME UPON AND USE A MAN WHO WAS DISOWNED BY HIS FAMILY AND WHO WAS THE SON OF A PROSTITUTE!
Just like God used Rahab the prostitute.
Just like God used RUTH who was a Moabite.
Just like God used Saul of Tarsus, who was a murderer, and a persecutor of Christians before he became a believer.
God can take an OUTCAST and turn them into a leader!
The wonderful news for YOU and the wonderful NEWS for me is that GOD CAN USE US IN SPITE OF OUR PAST AS WELL!
Some of you have believed the LIE of the enemy that God could never use you because of what you’ve been or because of what you’ve done
Some of you have believed the LIE of the enemy that because of what has been DONE TO YOU that somehow you are now damaged goods and could never amount to anything in God’s kingdom or service.
Some of you have believed the LIE of the devil that because of your family background that you are destined to LIVE UNDER THE GENERATIONAL SINS of your parents and grandparents.
You may feel disqualified and overlooked, but do not underestimate God’s ability to use YOU to do great things and accomplish eternal purposes.
But I’m telling you today, that God SPECIALIZES in using people with a PAST, because if He didn’t use people with a past, He wouldn’t use any of us!
Although God’s hand and God’s Spirit rested upon Jephthah, he still had a free will and made a tragic mistake. Notice what happens in Judges 11:30-31
And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”
Your Present Challenges Should not Cause You to Make Foolish Promises (11:29-40)
Your Present Challenges Should not Cause You to Make Foolish Promises (11:29-40)
I think the first mistake that Jephthah made was
He Tried to Bargain with God
He Tried to Bargain with God
Jephthah said, “God if YOU do this, then I will do that.”
I do not think it’s appropriate to bargain with God but people do it all the time.
God if YOU fix this in my life, then I’ll do this
God if YOU heal me of this problem, then I will get involved in that
God if YOU give me this promotion, then I will start to give this
The Faithlife Study Bible says:
Jephthah’s vow is foolish and unnecessary and shows his failure to trust God. Jephthah incorrectly believes that Yahweh needs to be coaxed or bartered with to deliver the people of Gilead. All this points to Jephthah treating Yahweh like a foreign god.
Rather than trying to coax God and bargain with Him, we need to have the attitude of Jesus who said:
saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”
In other words, GOD NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO I’M GOING TO DO RIGHT, I’M GOING TO GO FORWARD WITH YOUR WILL, I’M GOING TO LAY ASIDE MY PREFERENCES FOR YOUR GLORY…NO MATTER WHAT!
He Put His Mouth in Gear Before He Put His Brain in Gear…He Made a Foolish Vow
He Put His Mouth in Gear Before He Put His Brain in Gear…He Made a Foolish Vow
We’ve all been GUILTY of that! We’ve all been guilty of SPEAKING before THINKING.
He said “whatever” comes out from the doors of my house…I will offer as a burnt offering...
When we thinking about something coming out of the doors of our home to greet us, we typically think of a “pet” or a “person.”
However, it would not have been unusual in this culture for an animal of some kind to be wandering around in the open courtyard and domestic workspace attached to one’s home.
But that’s not what comes out to meet Jephthah. Notice what happens next...
Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot take back my vow.”
It wasn’t a sheep, or a cow, or a pet…it was his ONLY CHILD…HIS DAUGHTER, and when he sees her he realizes he has made a TRAGIC MISTAKE!
Notice what happens next...
Judges 11:36–39 (NKJV)
So she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to the Lord, do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon.” Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and bewail my virginity, my friends and I.”
So he said, “Go.” And he sent her away for two months; and she went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains. And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man.
I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this today, but I do want to briefly mention the two schools of thought about what Jephthah actually did:
The first school of thought is that since his daughter knew she was going to die childless, and die without being married and consummating that marriage, that she wanted to spend some time with her friends mourning her impending death. Then when she returned Jephthah actually did have her killed and offered her as a burnt sacrifice.
The second school of thought is that Jephthah made a burnt sacrifice and then dedicated her and her virginity to Lord, much like Hannah dedicated Samuel to the Lord, and she spent the rest of her life as a single woman wholly dedicated to the Lord and she died a virgin, and therefore childless, leaving Jephthah with no descendents.
Regardless of which interpretation is correct it is CLEAR that you understand something: HUMAN AND/OR CHILD SACRIFICE IS EVIL AND WAS A VERY PAGAN PRACTICE.
If Jephthah went through with that is wasn’t a sacrifice that was pleasing to the Lord, but rather reflected his upbringing around “worthless men” and pagan influences.
Regardless of what Jephthah did HE MADE A BAD VOW. Offerings to the Lord were to be the VERY BEST one had to offer, not just some random animal walking out of the gate.
The point is, we should not make RASH, FOOLISH, THOUGHTLESS, promises to God.
Don’t think you can bargain with God.
We do know this, because of his rash, foolish, and thoughtless vow his daughter died a virgin, died childless, and he was left with no descendants to carry on the family.
But there was something that Jephthah was not aware of...
Your Past Foolishness Can be Redeemed by the Eternal Messiah
Your Past Foolishness Can be Redeemed by the Eternal Messiah
Leviticus 27 allows for a person to be REDEEMED with SILVER persons who were VOWED in this way...
I must say that I’m thankful that MY past foolishness has been REDEEMED!
I am thankful that there is a way for YOUR past foolishness to be REDEEMED as well.
Even though Jephthah could have redeemed his daughter by paying silver according to the Levitical Law, the Word of God tells us that our redemption cost much more than SILVER or GOLD!
Notice 1 Peter 1:18-19
knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
It matters not who your parents are, it matters not how you were conceived, it matters not the foolish things you’ve done in your past, the broken promises you’ve made the mistakes that haunt you and keep you up at night...
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS IS MORE THAN SUFFICIENT TO REDEEM YOU, TO CLEANSE YOU, TO WASH YOU, TO MAKE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL OUT OF YOUR LIFE AND GIVE YOU A FUTURE AND A HOPE!
What are YOU going to do with YOUR PAST?
What are YOU going to do with YOUR PAST?
Are you going to let it haunt you?
Are you going to let it define you?
Are you going to let it break you?
Are you going to let it control you?
Are you going to let it direct you?
Are you going to TRUST in the promises of God’s Word and the POWER of Christ to REDEEM YOU and set YOU FREE?
Are you going to allow a “BUT” to continue to stand in YOUR way of God’s plan for YOUR future?
How are YOU going to handle Present & Future Challenges?
How are YOU going to handle Present & Future Challenges?
One of the reasons people get in the cycle of regret, and mistakes, and continual problems, is they make POOR decisions when their back is against the wall. They make BAD DECISIONS that they think will make their situation better, but it only makes them WORSE.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Where will YOU be 1,000 (1 million) Years in the FUTURE?
Where will YOU be 1,000 (1 million) Years in the FUTURE?
ETERNITY is a long time and you will spend it somewhere. Unless YOUR past sins have been REDEEMED by the blood of the Lamb you are facing a CHRISTLESS ETERNITY that will be full of reminders of your PAST mistakes and PAST opportunities to get right with the Lord.
Trust Christ to redeem YOU and YOUR PAST and be given NEW HOPE for the future today!
I want to end this message today with a song by Micah Tyler that reminds us that GOD LOVES PEOPLE LIKE US....GOD LOVES PEOPLE LIKE YOU and TODAY He is reaching out His nail-scarred hand to YOU, NO MATTER YOUR past and what you’ve been through!
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