Judges: Jephthah
Notes
Transcript
So we are doing a preaching cohort to fill in while i’m recovering from my surgery.
Part of preaching is to try and craft and introduction where you capture peoples attention…
There are many ways of doing this effectively. Story, joke, questions etc.
Do I have your attention? Turn to chapter 10 of the book of Judges
over the new two weeks we are going to finish up the book of Judges by looking at the last two judges…
But first a quick reminder of where we have been.
The Judges have provided us with some of the greatest stories
Othniel the Nephew of Caleb - the Giant Slyer, he fought the sons of Anak
Ehud - the Left handed assassin
Deborah - the Mother of Israel
Berak and Jael - the head crusher
Gideon - the unlikely hero
Abimelech - Gideon’s son - the Anti-Judge, who set himself up as Israel’s first king.
He was killed when a woman threw a milestone on his head.
God raised up these judges in the midst of a cycle that plays itself out over and over again throughout the book
The Cycle of the Judges
1. Israel does “evil in the eyes of Yahweh” by abandoning him and serving the gods of the nations.
This happens when the break the covenant God made with them on mount sinai
2. Israel’s actions provoke Yahweh’s anger, and he sends foreign nations against Israel to oppress them.
These are like mini-exiles
3. The Israelites cry out to Yahweh for deliverance.
The people repent of their unfaithfulness
4. Yahweh raises up judges who save the Israelites from their enemies.
These are mini-exoduses’
5. The “land has rest” (i.e., experiences peace) for a specified period of time.
And then the cycle repeats
1. Israel does “evil in the eyes of Yahweh”
This cycle plays out again in the story of Jephthah
6 The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him.
7 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites,
8 and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
Because Israel was serving other gods, YHWH sends them into the hands of the Ammonites and the Philistines…
This rebellion is the worst one yet in the book of Judges.
And the next two Judges, Jephthah and Samson are the one God uses to deliver (yasha) Israel
Jephthah delivers Israel from the Ammonites
Samson delivers Israel from the Philistines.
When Israel finally calls out to God to deliver them, YHWH has had enough
11 And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines?
12 The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand.
13 Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more.
14 Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.”
Let them save (yasha) you.
YHWH is saying I have saved you, i have sent saviors (yashas) to you… but you keep going these other gods… let them save you
Israel continues to beg God for deliverance, and they put away their foreign gods and turned their hearts to YHWH and served them.
YHWH then got tired of the misery of Israel and decided to act.
He decides he will yet again send a Yasha to save Israel…
Israel then begins to try and find their leader, The judge who will deliver them.
18 And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said one to another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight against the Ammonites? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
Israel is looking for one who will fight for them. And the one who fights and saves the people also be their head - that is, their political leader.
This is when we are introduced to Jephthah, the next Judge
Jephthah
Jephthah
Gets a bad rep’ as if he is a vicious and violent man who commits one of the most horrific sins in the bible.
However, what we will see is that this is not true at all.
Hebrews 11 mentions Jephthah by name in the hall of faith
And Jephthah is a man who is filled with the Spirit, and knows the law of God.
Was Jephthah a perfect man? no! But he was a good man and a good leader for Israel.
The story of Jephthah covers two full chapters, so we will not have time to look into every detail of his life. But I want to share his story in a way that helps us see the glory of Christ through the life of this great Judge.
Jephthah’s Early Years
Jephthah’s Rise to Power
Jephthah’s Vow
Jephthah’s Early Years
Jephthah’s Early Years
1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was the father of Jephthah.
The territory and city of Gilead was occupied by the tribes of Manasseh, Gad, and Reuben.
It was to be a city that was historically a safe haven, a city of refuge for people.
So Jephthah is from Gilead and is a Mighty Warrior. Yet, more than being a mighty warrior, he was known as a half-breed illegitimate son.
He was born to a prostitute (this would have been someone outside of the people of Israel.)
Now, according to Deut 23, children born out of wedlock with someone outside the covenant were not able to have full citizenship until the 10th generation.
However, they were still to be taken care of, blessed, and are able to receive an inheritance.
So Jephthah, according to God’s law was not allowed to be king or political ruler.
Therefore, his brothers thought him to be nothing but a worthless shame to the family and the city. So they drove him out of the city.
And we see this in verse 2
2 And Gilead’s wife also bore him sons. And when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You shall not have an inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.”
So not only did they kick Jephthah out of the city, but they told him that has no inheritance in their fathers house, because he was a son of another women.
“no inheritance in our fathers house”
We don’t know what degree of shame Jephthah brought upon his brothers
We don’t know if there was a level of insecurity they felt because of how great of a warrior he was.
We really don’t know what happened, but what we do know that Jephthah was treated horribly by his brothers.
Similarly Joseph was treated horribly by his brothers (who also had a different mother than him) and he was driven out of his home when he was sold into slavery.
God used Joseph to save his brothers in the end, and we will see that God does something similar with Jephthah.
3 Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, and worthless fellows collected around Jephthah and went out with him.
Jephthah fled from his brothers and Lived in the land of Tob
The Hebrew word for Tob means “good”
Jephthah built a crew of worthless fellows to be with him.
Remember Jephthah is a mighty warrior, and the men he collected were part of his army.
“worthless fellows” does not necessary mean morally worthless, but that they were no men of honor, perhaps they were poor. Or they they were illegitimate children like Jephthah.
When Joseph was sold into slavery we could say that he was around worthless fellows as a slave.
So Jephthah is in the land of Tob, away from his brothers, away from his people. and he is making a name for himself as a mighty warrior.
Meanwhile, back in Gilead, the Ammonites were make war with Israel - and they had no one to lead them.
Jephthah’s Rise to Power
Jephthah’s Rise to Power
Israel didn’t have a Judge to deliver them.
They needed a great warrior to fight for them and to save them from the Ammonites.
So guess who comes to mind?
The Elders of Gilead had to eat some humble pie.
They went to the land of Tob to find Jephthah to see if he would come back and lead their army.
Look at Judges 11:4-6
4 After a time the Ammonites made war against Israel.
5 And when the Ammonites made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob.
6 And they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our leader, that we may fight against the Ammonites.”
These same people who kicked Jephthah out of their city for being a “an illegitimate son” now come asking him to come back, because it benefits them.
Application
This habit struck me this week.
Out of self-righteousness and conceit, Jephthah’s brothers drove him out of the city… they had no need for him.
Until, they were under attack… and then the realized how valuable he was
What a poor excuse for family. What a horrible demonstration of brotherhood.
yet, this habit is one that lives in all of us…
We so easily view people not at brothers and sisters in Christ, but as resources.
friends, family, neighbors
Church, God, Scriptures
This is what his brothers did, and this is what we so often do.
So the Elders of Gilead find Jephthah, and asks him to come back and be their savior… they ask him to come back and fight for them as the leader of their army.
But Jephthah is not going to acquiesce right away...
In fact, this is where we see one of Jephthah’s downfalls in the story.
Jephthah doesn’t only desire to be the leader of the army, but he wants to be the leader of the people.
He wants the kingship role, that God himself said he couldn’t have due to the fact that he was an illegitimate child.
Jephthah wants to reach out for something before it is his time.
The leader of Israel get to build a dynasty… his own children would become leaders after him… this is something that was outside the realm of possibility for him, until now…
So Jephthah responds
9 Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you bring me home again to fight against the Ammonites, and the Lord gives them over to me, I will be your head.”
10 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will be witness between us, if we do not do as you say.”
11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and leader over them. And Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at Mizpah.
So now Jephthah take control of the army, and if he defeats the Ammonites he will be crowned their head or the leader of the people.
Now, if Jephthah was the violent cruel individual people often think him to be, what would he do next?
He would go slaughter the Ammonites take his throne, and begin his dynasty.
However, this is not what he does, rather than going to slaughter the Ammonites with his army, he instead gives them the gospel.
Jephthah begins by asking the King of the Ammonites, “what wrong?” why are you so upset and why are you warring against Israel?
12 Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites and said, “What do you have against me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?”
The king of the Ammonites replies in verse 13
13 And the king of the Ammonites answered the messengers of Jephthah, “Because Israel on coming up from Egypt took away my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jordan; now therefore restore it peaceably.”
So the king makes a demand based off what he understood to have happened during the conquest right after the Exodus.
Jephthah, as the God fearing man that he was knew the book of Numbers really well.
He knew what God did with his fathers when they came out of the land of Egypt. And he knew this history much better than the king of the Ammonites.
14 Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites 15 and said to him, “Thus says Jephthah: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites,
Jephthah then goes on to give the king of the Ammonites a history lesson as to what really happened. Jephthah concludes in verse 27
27 I therefore have not sinned against you, and you do me wrong by making war on me. The Lord, the Judge, decide this day between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon.”
at this moment the king of the Ammonites could have repented, changed his mind, backed off… he even could have join Israel in worshipping YHWH.
Jephthah offered him a way out of the conflict… he offered him the good news of a covenant relationship with YHWH.
28 But the king of the Ammonites did not listen to the words of Jephthah that he sent to him.
The king of the ammonites did not listen to him. He rejected peace and wanted war.
Now, you would think that What follows in the story of Jephthah is not a detailed account of his great military victory against the King of the Ammonites…
but rather, the story zooms in and focuses on a vow Jephthah makes with God asking him to give him victory over the Ammonites.
Look with me at verse 29
29 Then the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites.
The Spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah as he moved closer to the ammonites…
This is important to note, because the vow Jephthah makes is one he makes under the guidance of the Spirit
And then in verse 30
30 And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, 31 then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.”
So here is the vow,
If the Ammonites are given into the hands of Jephthah, he is going to offer the first person that comes out of his house to the Lord.
Your bibles might give the heading “Jepthah’s Tragic or Rash Vow”
Yet we see that the Spirit of the Lord was upon him,
and not only that but vows like this are made all the time in the OT and are not considered sinful.
So what happens?
32 So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the Lord gave them into his hand.
The Lord honored the vow, God is the one who gave the Ammonites over to the hand of Jephthah.
Only two quick verses are dedicated to the battle - because the story of the vow takes center stage
So Jephthah heads home ...
Jephthah rides home no doubt thinking about what God has done for him…
He remembers his childhood and being treated poorly by his brothers for being born of a prostitute
He remember their cruelty when they drove him away from his home
I can imagine that their words were still ringing in his ears, “You shall not have an inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.”
But now, Everything has changed!
He is grown, he is mighty warrior, he has the Spirit of God upon him, he is the leader of the army of Gilead and not only that but he is the king of the people!
No longer will he be an outcast, but now he will have his own dynasty, his own linage, his own legacy
And for men at this time, to have a dynasty is the ultimate dream!
So he heads home and we read in verse 34
34 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.
Can you imagine the horrific feeling Jephthah had when he see his little girl running out to him with a tambourine and dance celebrating his victory!?
The text emphasizes the fact that this little girl was his only child, besides her he had neither son nor daughter.
Jephthah’s dynasty rested with this little girl, his only child.
35 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.”
36 And she said to him, “My father, you have opened your mouth to the Lord; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that the Lord has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites.”
37 So she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: leave me alone two months, that I may go up and down on the mountains and weep for my virginity, I and my companions.”
38 So he said, “Go.” Then he sent her away for two months, and she departed, she and her companions, and wept for her virginity on the mountains.
39 And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made. She had never known a man, and it became a custom in Israel
40 that the daughters of Israel went year by year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year.
At first reading this is one of the most tragic stories in the Bible.
This story causes all sorts a consternation for those who hold to the goodness of God and the authority of the bible.
How could God allow or condone a child sacrifice?
Why would God make Jephthah keep a rash or tragic vow?
I want to assure you that God has never condoned human sacrifice. Those in the Bible who practice such evil are demonic and opposed to God.
And I want to assure you that Jephthah did not sacrifice his daughter as burned offering.
Lets look back at the vow Jephthah made with God…
30 And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand,
31 then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.”
The word for burnt offering is the Hebrew word Olah
The world Olah does not mean burnt offering, but rather it means ascension offering.
Burnt Offering = Ascension Offering
Burnt Offering = Ascension Offering
The Olah offering is an offering of something wholly to the Lord.
in the case of an animal, it one that is sacrficed as a whole burnt offering, but not all Olah’s are burnt offerings...
Jephthah Vowed that the first person to come out of the door of his house would be fully devoted to YHWH. That is, they would be given to the Lord’s service in the Tabernacle.
His expectation was one of his servants would come out of the house, but when he sees his little girl come out, he realizes his selfish ambition of wanting to build a dynasty for himself.
thats why when we see in verse 35 when he says, “you have brought me very low”
35 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.”
He not speaking of his own depression, but this word means to bend the knee, its a word of contrition and repentance.
He felt God’s conviction. He knew his desires were wrong. He wanted to build his own house, where YHWH wanted him to build HIS house.
So Jephthah devoted his only daughter to the service of the Lord.
Which means, she was devoted to perpetual virginity in the service of God in the tabernacle.
She was never to take a husband, never give Jephthah grandkids, never give birth to build Jephthah’s dynasty.
Rather, she was given to the Lord to build his house. to minister in the tabernacle for the rest of her life.
This is why she goes and mourns her virginity - which would make no sense at all if she was actually sacrficed.
Jephthah’s daughter was a living symbol for all of Israel and for us.
As she lived her out her life never taking a husband she symbolizes Israel as she waits for the true bridegroom to come.
Jesus comes as the husband Israel and all of God’s people have been waiting for.
Not only that, but she is a living reminder to all of God’s people that we are to seek first his kingdom before our own.
We are to seek to make his name great, not our own.
Jephthah, though a faithful and godly Judge. longed to be the king of Israel, He wanted to see his name in lights rather than seeing God’s name in lights.
This story is not one that should cause us to question God’s goodness, but it is one that should cause us to rejoice in the coming of Christ! That the true husband has come, and in him our legacy is secure.
This story should also remind us to seek first the kingdom of God, and not our own kingdom.
We are to be men and women who submit to the king and seek to make his name great.
As we go and live the lives God has called us to live, we must never forget who is to receive the glory, who is to be magnified and exalted. It is not you, but rather the the name of Christ is to be lifted up in all that we do.
And when we seek first the kingdom of God, all these other things will be added unto you.
Lets pray.