Bible Verse: “And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: ‘If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.’” (Judges 11:30-31)
Scripture Reading: Judges 10:1–12:15
Are you tired of the continual downs that the book of Judges presents? To be honest, I am. It is a difficult read.
But that is part of the beauty of the Bible. It does not shy away from the reality of life in this world. It does not put its heroes (if that’s the right word here) on a pedestal and shine a beautiful spotlight on them. It shows them (and reflects us) with all their faults, fissures, and foibles, just as they are. We have read of bloodthirsty men, deceivers, cowards, and the vengeful, and we are not done with this book yet.
After Gideon delivered Israel and led them right back into apostasy, Israel needed another deliverer (after leadership by Tola and Jair).
Jephthah was the man God empowered to deliver Israel from the Ammonites and the Philistines. And he did, but Jephthah’s story, much like that of Gideon, is not really about the delivery of Israel from their enemies. It is about Jephthah.
In a moment of seeming piety, Jephthah makes a rash and reckless vow: If God grants him victory, he will sacrifice the first thing that comes out of his house upon his return.
God does. And Jephthah follows through, sacrificing his daughter, his only child, her being the first thing that came out to greet him.
The action itself is deeply disturbing, but we cannot miss the larger picture being painted here. This leader of Israel knows God so little that he essentially interacts with Yahweh as though God is a Canaanite deity. Jephthah seems to know nothing of the God of Israel. He is more familiar with the false gods of the nations around them. So far from God is Israel and her leaders that Jephthah thinks his vow of sacrifice, which turns out to be a human sacrifice, is God-honouring!
At this point in the book of Judges, we are meant to see the diminishing differences between Israel and her neighbors. The distinctions that initially characterized Israel are lost; her light does not shine among the peoples; she does not draw them to God.
The nations that were not driven out have proven to be more than just a military hardship; they are a spiritual nemesis that Israel cannot overcome.
Prayer: Father in Heaven, I know there is no such thing as a small allowance that pulls me away from You. Help me see if there are any things I have allowed in my life that may fester and grow into a barrier between me and You. Help me to root out all those things that stand in the way of being fully committed to You. Amen.
Reflection: Are there any ways in which the culture around you has shaped you? Take some time today to ask yourself some hard questions about your own views and practices. Are they God’s, or are they shaped by something else?
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