Be Careful What You Vow For | Sunday, April 28, 2024

Take out your Bibles; Judges is where we are at. Raise your hand if you don't have a Bible, and one of our ushers will bring you one. Judges chapter 11 is the text that we're going to be in today. This year, we have been studying through this book, and as I've shared a number of times, this is a challenging text of Scripture.

Some books of the Bible are very uplifting and encouraging, but Judges would hardly be classified as uplifting and encouraging. It is a sad story, filled with the depressing accounts of the nation of Israel's continual departures from God and their distresses as a result of that—defeats at the hands of their enemies. However, it is also a story of God's grace. In the midst of Israel's departure from God, turning to idolatry and immorality, God, in His grace, would graciously raise up a deliverer whenever they cried out to Him.

As we continue in the passage today, we will see that God's grace is evident in His choosing of the individuals He decides to use. Quite frankly, many times, the people in the Bible, as well as throughout church history, that God has chosen to use are not standouts of great faith and obedience to the Lord. A friend of mine sometimes says that God uses crooked sticks to draw straight lines, and we've certainly seen that in this book. None of the judges of the children of Israel in the Book of Judges are perfect examples of faith and obedience that we would want to emulate.

Instead, we see a number of individuals who have all kinds of issues and problems in their lives, yet God still chooses to use them. In that choosing is grace, and I am actually really thankful for it. I think all of us, if we reflect quietly on ourselves, sometimes think that God could certainly not use us. If the Book of Judges were filled with a whole bunch of people who were perfect standouts in every way, we might conclude that God could never use us.

What we find in this book, however, is that there are many people used by God, even those with significant problems in their lives. We saw that with Gideon; he was great at the beginning when God called him.

Own weakness. He understood that he was little, and there was some humility there. He trusted in the Lord. However, when he started to do well, he really began to trust in himself. He even set himself up as someone to be worshiped. Although he recognized that he was not supposed to be the king of the people of Israel, when they came to him and said, "We want you to lead us and be our king," he replied, "I can't be your king; God is your king."

Despite not taking the title of king, he lived like a king. His son, whose name was Abimelech, means "my father is king." What kind of audacity do you have to have to name your child "my dad is king"? He didn't take the title of king or the position of being king, but he certainly started to live and act like he was a king.

As we will see in a few months, we are going to pause our studies in the Book of Judges here in just a few weeks. At Cross Connection, it has kind of become the way that we do things through the summer. We will study a different passage of Scripture and come back to Judges in the fall. When we do, we will be introduced to a judge, probably the most well-known judge among people: a judge who had long, flowing, beautiful hair—Samson.

I received a text message about a week ago from a woman who has been a member of our church in the past but has since moved away. She watches all of our content online and texted me, "Miles, what is with your hair?" We will be studying Samson in the fall, which actually has nothing to do with that, but I’m just too cheap to pay for a haircut.

When we meet Samson, we will see another individual who makes you scratch your head and think, "Really? This is who God chose to use?" He has all kinds of issues, but that’s true for many of the people God chose to use as we read through the Old Testament. There are a lot of Christians who greatly honor and look up to King David of Israel, the one who wrote many of the Psalms of Scripture, the great king of Israel. Yet, when you really get into the story of David, there were some major problems.

We’ve seen this with Gideon, and we see it with Abimelech. We’ve encountered a number of different people as we’ve gone through this, including Othniel, Ehud, Barak, and Deborah. Last week in Judges chapter 10, two judges were mentioned: their names are Tola and Jair. Yet, their lives seem to...

It can be so insignificant that it simply states that they judged Israel for a time and then they died. There is no time even dedicated to tell us anything about them, perhaps because there was nothing great or magnificent about them other than that God chose, according to His choosing, His reasons, and His grace, to use these individuals.

When I reflect on this reality as I study through passages like Judges, I am reminded of the words of a pastor I have looked up to for years. He says, "The best of men are men at best," and God doesn't always have the best to choose from. This is because all of us are ultimately still sinners, yet He still chooses to use sinners. Sometimes we feel a bit of distress when we are called upon to choose leaders because we are left feeling like we are choosing the least bad option or between two bad options. I'm sure none of you are feeling any of that in 2024, but God always only ever has the least bad options to choose from, and yet He is still gracious.

What is awesome to me is that many of these individuals, whose lives were not perfect, are still, by God's grace, listed in Hebrews chapter 11, which many Christians refer to as the Hall of Faith. These men and women of God in the Old Testament, the first two-thirds of the Bible, are identified by God as being men and women of faith, even though there were all kinds of inconsistencies and problems in their lives.

When we get to Hebrews 11:32, we read about Samson and Gideon. It says, "What more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell you of Gideon and of Barak and Samson and Jephthah," who is the judge we will be considering here in Judges chapter 11 this morning.

At the very least, when I see whom God chooses to use in the Scriptures, throughout church history, and even in our time, I am reminded of this point: God is far more gracious than I am in who He chooses and how He uses individuals to accomplish His purpose. I know there is a lot there, but it is something really to think about. Maybe today or this week, we can reflect on how God is so much more gracious. I have been working with a church for the last eight months or so to help them as they are in a period of transition.

Transitioning from one senior pastor to a new senior pastor can be challenging. I did some consulting work for a church during this transition and conducted an assessment for them. I spoke with the leaders of their pastoral search committee, and they sent me the documents outlining who they were looking for in their new pastor. As I read through it, I thought to myself, "Man, you guys are never going to find this person. His name is Jesus, and he hasn't returned yet." It’s going to be really hard to fill this spot. But that's kind of the way we are, isn't it, when it comes to our choices?

Then I look at who God chooses to use, and He is so gracious in His selection. Before we jump into the story of Jephthah in Judges chapter 11, it's important for us to back up a little bit into Judges chapter 10, where Pastor Mark was last week. We need to see some of the parallels between what was happening at the end of Judges chapter 10 and what occurs in Judges chapter 11. There are some crossovers and parallels.

In Judges 10:6, we find the words that have been repeated in the Book of Judges several times already: "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord." This book reveals the truth and reality of where the children of Israel were at this point in their history, and it's not a pretty picture. This is one of the reasons that is put forward as proof that the Scriptures are divinely inspired. Many times, when we write the histories of our heroes, we gloss over some of their problems, so we don't really know those issues. The Bible doesn't do that. It paints in perfect color the reality that God's people had all kinds of issues and problems.

We see the condition of the nation of Israel during this period of history, which was about 3,100 years ago. At this point in time, Israel's history was not a beautiful picture. God had redeemed them out of Egypt under Moses. They had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, and then they came into the Promised Land under Joshua, saying, "Everything that you have commanded, God, we’re going to do and be obedient, and we’re going to serve You, the one and only true God." Israel was supposed to be set apart and distinct, different from the rest of the world around them, as those who worship the one true God. They were to reject the gods of the people.

Around them, they were even to expel the Canaanite peoples that lived in that region of the world out of the land so that they could be fully and totally committed to the one true God. They were to avoid being seduced into the idolatrous worship of the other gods surrounding them.

By this point in time, Judges chapter 10 says that the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. They bowed down to and served all the gods of the people around them. It states in Judges chapter 10 that they served Baal. Baal is a general word that means "master" or "lord." If you were to study the archaeological evidence from this period among the Canaanites, Hittites, and other groups, you would discover that in each of these cities, they worshiped Baal, the master or lord. Each region had its own Baal that they bowed down to and worshiped.

Baal was the male god of the Canaanites, while the female god was Ashtoreth. In that passage, Judges chapter 10 indicates that the children of Israel served Baal and Ashtoreth. It also mentions that they served the gods of the Syrians, the Sidonians, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. They forsook God, the one true God, and served the gods of the nations around them. As they did this, it invited God's anger. The anger of the Lord was stirred against His people. He had wanted them to be distinct and set apart from the nations around them.

The one true God, identified in the scriptures in the Old Testament with the word "LORD" (capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D), is actually the word "Yahweh" in Hebrew. Yahweh is the name that God announced to the children of Israel as "I am Yahweh Elohim," the one true God. However, by this time in Israel's history, Yahweh was just one among many. He was treated like one among all the others in the pantheon that the children of Israel began to bow down to and serve. They were called to be distinct, different, and set apart unto the one true God, yet they had started to worship the gods of all the people around them.

Now, we are so advanced; we live 3,100 years later and think we have progressed beyond that. We believe we don't have idols or gods that we worship.

People worship and bow down to various things. We may not have the same names, but we still have things that master people's lives, that they trust in, that they devote themselves to, and that they look to for help. We, who are called to worship and serve the one true God, do so in a very distinct, clear, and different way than the other things of this world that people devote themselves to and trust in.

We can be tempted, like Israel was 3,100 years ago, to devote ourselves to and trust in the things of this world. Generally speaking, you can tell what a person trusts in or is devoted to by looking at their credit card statement and their calendar. Consider what it is that they turn to when something unexpected happens—something difficult or hard. When something challenging comes into your life, you might be tempted to turn to your MasterCard or another credit card. Alternatively, you might be tempted, like the Greeks and Romans, to turn to Dionysus or Bacchus, seeking solace in alcohol when distressing situations arise.

We may not have the same names, but we can see what people are devoted to or trust in within our culture. Just like Israel 3,100 years ago, we are tempted to trust in those things and to intermingle with them. However, God wants us to be distinct and set apart.

What are those things that ought to be clearly seen in my life that differentiate me from those I live next door to or those in my family? In the Scriptures, particularly in the New Testament, some of those things would include a love for our neighbors and even for our enemies. Jesus said they will know that you are my followers by the love that you have for one another. He called us not just to love those who are lovely or those who love us. It is easy to like people who like us, but it is not so easy to love our enemies, which is what Jesus called us to do.

You may say, "Well, I don't think I really have any enemies." Perhaps not, but there are probably some people in your life that you don't necessarily like. They may not look like you, smell like you, talk like you, or vote like you, and we are often tempted to hate those people. This is no different from 2,000 years ago when Jesus was here. He said, "You have heard that it has been said, 'You shall love...'"

Your neighbor and hate your enemy. That was the teaching in His day as well—that there's a category of people that you can hate. Boy, wouldn't we like that to be the case? That God would say, "You know, it's perfectly fine. I want you to love your neighbor, but it's okay if you hate some people. I'm okay with that." But He doesn't say that. Oh, that would have made things a little bit easier. Instead, He says to love your neighbor as yourself, to will the good of another.

What should differentiate my life? I wrestle with this frequently. I think one of the great passages that deals with this, or shows the things that ought to characterize my life as a follower of Jesus, is Galatians chapter 5, where we're given the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. These are some of the things that should characterize my life, where people would say, "That right there is a follower of the one true God." His nature begins to be that which dominates my life and flows forth from me. Would to God that that would be the case!

However, the children of Israel, like us, were tempted to trust in and devote themselves to all the things that were around them. By this period in their history, they were worshiping the gods of the Canaanites, the Syrians, the Sidonians, the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and also Yahweh. He was just one among many. This resulted in immorality; many of these idols were worshiped in immorality.

God passively punishes His people. What does it mean that God passively punishes His people? Simply, He allows them to reap the consequences of their actions and choices. They chose to bow down to the gods of the people around them, and He says, "Okay, I'm going to let you reap the consequences. I'm not going to intervene. I'm not going to put a speed bump, a toll booth, or any sort of stoplight in front of you. If that's what you want to do, I'm going to allow you to do that."

As a result, Israel would end up oppressed by their enemies, and they would cry out to the Lord. Because God is gracious—and this is the cycle we've seen in the Book of Judges—God, in His grace, would hear their cry and graciously raise up a deliverer. Until we get to Judges chapter 10, Judges 10:6 says, "The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord," and God's anger was stirred.

The children of Israel found themselves oppressed by their enemies, and in their distress, they cried out to the Lord. In Judges 10:11, the Lord responded to the children of Israel as they pleaded for deliverance, saying, "Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians? Do you remember your history?" Although it had been about 300 years since their deliverance, God reminded them of the past. He had rescued them from the Egyptians and had delivered them in the wilderness from the Amorites, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. When they entered the land, He saved them from the Sidonians, who are in modern-day northern Israel and Lebanon, as well as from the Amalekites and the Maonites who oppressed them.

Each time they cried out to Him, He delivered them by His grace. Yet, despite this, they had forsaken Him and served other gods. In verse 13, God declared, "Therefore, I will deliver you no more." In what seemed to be an uncharacteristic response, God replied with sarcasm, saying, "Go cry to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress." He pointed out that they had bowed down to Baal, worshipped at the altar of Ashtoreth, and followed the gods of the Sidonians, Syrians, and Ammonites. Now, in their distress, they were to cry out to those gods and see if they would help them.

However, God would not deliver them. The children of Israel repeated their tearful appeal at the end of Judges chapter 10. In past times, God had raised up a deliverer for them, but in this instance, as we read in Judges 10:17, God did not send a deliverer. Instead, the people of Ammon gathered together and encamped in Gilead. The leaders of Gilead said to one another, "Who is the man who will begin to fight against the people of Ammon? He shall be our head over the inhabitants of Gilead."

This situation illustrates that the children of Israel had once again departed from God, turning towards idols and immorality. God allowed them to reap the consequences of their actions. Now, as they faced oppression from their enemies, they cried out to God, but He responded, "I’m done. I’m not going to deliver you."

Time passed, and now their enemies came against them. The Israelites found themselves in a position where they had to go out and fight. They looked around and asked, "Who is going to deliver us?" This sets the stage for what we will see in Judges chapter 11. It is a challenging reality that God did not immediately intervene; He did not show up to rescue them this time.

Point number two: sometimes God's grace and rescuing hand purposefully delays. Perhaps you have experienced this yourself. Why does God delay? I don't always know the answers for sure, but as a father, I can relate. Many parents have likely found themselves in situations where they are watching their children and could intervene. You might think, "Let's wait and see what happens." Sometimes, you are pleasantly surprised. You wait and say, "Hey honey, let's just see what happens." Occasionally, you are totally blessed because they did the right thing. Other times, not so much.

One great Bible teacher said that the greatest judgment God can send to His people is to let them have their own way and not interfere. In this situation, God did not interfere. The Ammonites were coming against the children of Israel in a region called Gilead.

Now, a quick point about Gilead: when God delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt and brought them to Sinai, the whole purpose was to bring them into the land He had promised to their forefathers—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and to all of their descendants. This land is located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. You may have heard the saying, "from the river to the sea." That refers to the land God promised to Abraham some 4,000 years ago in Genesis 12. The children of Israel were to cross the Jordan and enter that land, which was called the Promised Land.

They were to expel all of their enemies out of that land, and that's what they did under Joshua. However, right before they came into the land, when they were still on the east side of the Jordan River, in the region of the world that we know today as the modern state of Jordan, they were in what is even to this day called the Moabite Kingdom of Jordan, where the Moabites and the Ammonites live. The capital of Jordan is Amman, which sounds like Ammon.

In this region, when they were in that place, two and a half of the twelve tribes of Israel—the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh—came to Moses and said, "Hey, listen, we really like this land." I'm sure that's how they said it. They wanted to stay here on the east side of the Jordan. Moses responded, "Why? Why would you do this? You're going to discourage the hearts of the people of Israel. We are supposed to go in and take the land that God has given to us over the Jordan."

They replied, "Yeah, but we like this part." So, they entered into a covenant, a contract if you will, with Moses that they would come in and help the children of Israel take the promised land, and then they could go back and stay east of the Jordan.

Even when you're reading through this in the Book of Numbers, there is a part where you might think this could be a foreshadowing of bad things. This group of people was content to dwell outside of the fullness of God's promised blessing. These people were the children of God by birth, but they were content to have one foot in the promised land and one foot outside.

I think this serves as a cautionary tale for you and me as well. We can be born of the Spirit, have the new birth, be Christians, and yet we can find ourselves living in a place like Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, where we have one foot in the things of God and one foot in the world. It is a dangerous place to be. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament caution God's people: "How long will you falter between two decisions? Choose one." In the New Testament, it is stated that God desires you to be hot or cold, but not lukewarm. These people, in one sense, are a picture of the lukewarm.

The Gileadites lived in Gilead, east of the Promised Land. We are introduced in Judges 11:1 to Jephthah. Now, Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, which means he was a strong, tough individual. However, he was the son of a harlot.

In this passage, we are introduced to two individuals: Gilead, the father of Jephthah, and Jephthah himself. It is interesting that Gilead shares the same name as the region, suggesting that he must have been a notable individual among the leaders or rulers in this area. The children of Israel lived outside the Promised Land, and Gilead was among the other individuals of the two and a half tribes: Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. They lived among the Ammonites and the Moabites, and the danger of living among these groups was that they could be seduced into the behavior and conduct of the Canaanites.

This is exactly what we see here. Gilead, who is ultimately the father of Jephthah, had this son by a harlot. We need to understand the reality of what is going on here. Most likely, though we cannot be absolutely certain, the mother of Jephthah was probably a Canaanite prostitute associated with a pagan deity. Many of the pagan deities during that time were worshiped in very immoral ways, often involving temple priestesses or temple prostitutes. It is highly likely that Gilead, a great man among the children of Israel, was living among the Canaanites and engaging in Canaanite behavior. As a result, Jephthah was born, becoming a mighty man of valor.

However, we are also told in this passage that Gilead had a wife who bore him sons. In verse two, we learn that his wife's sons, the legitimate sons by marriage and birth, grew up and drove out Jephthah. They said to him, "You shall have no inheritance in our father's house, for you are the son of another woman." They literally said this: "You are the son of a harlot. You have no part with us; you are the half-breed son, and we want nothing to do with you." As a result, Jephthah fled from his brothers.

Jephthah dwelt in the land of Tob, and worthless men banded together with him. Jephthah was the product of an immoral act in an idolatrous environment, half-bred among the Hebrew people and potentially half-breed among the Canaanites. His brothers said, "You have no part with us; get out," and they ran him out. This reminds us of something that many people have sadly experienced. In fact, I have met a number of people over the last several years who have gone through similar situations.

Sometimes, the people of God can be incredibly cruel. Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tob. I love this part: it says worthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him. He seems to turn, in a sense, to a life of crime. It's interesting because the New Living Translation translates these worthless men as "worthless rebels," while the New International Version calls them a "gang of scoundrels." If you were the head of a punk band, that would be a perfect name: a gang of scoundrels. Jephthah is the lead singer in this gang, engaging in worthless and scoundrel activities, raiding and stealing from people.

But it came to pass, after a time, that the people of Ammon made war against Israel. This situation in Judges 10:6 is all happening at the same period of time. The Ammonites are coming against the two and tribes, those who lived on the east side of the Jordan River. They find themselves in a position where God is not delivering them; He has not raised up a deliverer. Now they are asking, "Who's going to lead us?"

So, it was that the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. Jephthah had been run out from his father's house. They wanted nothing to do with him, saying, "You have no part with us; you're part Canaanite." They ran him off, but now they are in a difficult situation. The Ammonites are coming against them, and they need someone to fight for them. They think, "Well, who do we know? There was that guy... what was his name? Jephthah. Oh, you mean the guy we ran out of here?"

He's kind of a tough dude; he's a mighty man of valor. But isn't he not a very good dude? Well, sometimes you have to remember that desperate times call for desperate measures. In those situations where it doesn't seem like God is showing up or intervening, we can become very pragmatic. Beware of pragmatism!

It's an amazing thing because, as I said, God is gracious. He chooses to use sometimes those that we might say, "Yeah, maybe that's not the best plan." But it's incredible that God puts this guy, Jephthah, in the Hall of Faith. He is still going to use him in spite of his issues and problems.

The men of Gilead said, "Let's go get Jephthah from the land of Tob." They said to Jephthah, "Come be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Ammon." There is a parallel here: the children of Israel had departed from the Lord, and God had sold them into the hands of their enemies. They cried out to God, but He didn't show up to deliver them immediately.

So here they are, in this desperate situation, under the hands of their enemies. Since God isn't showing up, they decide to cry out to Jephthah, the furthest thing from God that they can find. Maybe he will help.

Sometimes, when I read these passages of Scripture, I imagine how I would produce this if it were a film. I picture Jephthah with his gang of scoundrels, doing scoundrelly things all afternoon. As the sun sets and their fire is lit, they are lounging around when the leaders of the Gileadites come to him.

"How can I help you, gentlemen?" Jephthah asks.

"Well, Jephthah, I know this is a weird situation, but we really need your help."

I imagine Jephthah responding, "Wait, this is my bad ear. Could you say that a little bit louder? I don't think I heard you correctly. I thought I heard you say that you need my help. Could you just maybe tell me a little bit louder what you said?"

So Jephthah said to the elders, "Did you not hate me and expel me from my father's house? Why have you come to me now in your distress?"

In the same way, when they came to God, He responded with a little bit of sarcasm, saying, "Hey, listen, you've trusted in these other gods. Go ask them for help." Jephthah, with the same kind of sarcasm, says, "You're coming to me for help? Wait, didn't you kind of hate me?"

Didn’t you kick me out of my father’s house? Didn’t you say I have no part with you? Didn’t you say that I’m a half-breed? And now you come to talk to me? The Elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “Well, that is why we’ve turned to you again, now that you may go with us and fight against the people of Ammon and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

Point number four: sometimes it seems easier to try to fix the problem yourself than to repent and wait upon God. God didn’t show up. Why didn’t God show up? Maybe because they had not fully turned to Him in faith and repentance and turned away from their idolatry. Instead, they tried to fix the problem themselves.

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 ruler, your head?” You see, at this moment, Jephthah is kind of doing the calculation. It seems like my stock just went up. It seems like the tables have turned. It seems like I might be able to leverage this position. I don’t really want to just be your leader, your commander in this one battle; I want to be your head. You want my help; you’re saying you want me to be your head.

The Elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will be witness between us if we do not do according to your words.” In other words, they said, “God judge us if we don’t do what you’re saying.” So Jephthah went with the Elders of Gilead. The people made him the head and commander over them, and Jephthah spoke all the words before the Lord in Mizpah.

Beginning at verse 12 and on through verse 24, we see that Jephthah now begins to function as their head and really to function in an ambassador sort of role with the king of the Ammonites. He recounts some of the history between Ammon and the children of Israel, explaining how the land that they had there was theirs by right because they had taken it. It was not the land of the Ammonites. They said, “Listen, we’ve been here for 300 years. You had 300 years to deal with this dispute; you haven’t done anything. This is our land. Why are you coming to fight against me?”

Well, the Ammonites don’t really listen to the words of Jephthah, and they band themselves together to come and fight against the children of Israel. But it’s interesting; in this whole conversation between Jephthah and the people of Ammon, it becomes rather clear.

In the way that he speaks to them, though he knows the history and heritage of his people and understands how the children of Israel came to be in the land, he doesn't really recognize God as the one true God. He just sees Yahweh as one God among many, just another God to be served.

What is seen in this passage, and I hope I have enough time to get into it, is how this guy functions at the end of this chapter and into the next chapter. As we'll see next week, though he knew a bit of the history and heritage of his people, the children of Israel, he did not know God. This brings to light something that we desperately need to ponder and consider.

Our fifth and final point this morning is that sometimes the leaders we choose do not know God nearly as much as we assume. I encourage you to consider this. Sometimes the leaders we choose do not know God nearly as much as we assume.

Now, God, in His grace, is going to use Jephthah to deliver the children of Israel from the Ammonites, but at what cost? That is the question. While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its villages, in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities along the banks of the Arnon for 300 years, Jephthah asked, "Why did you not recover them within that time?" He said to the people of Ammon, "Therefore, I have not sinned against you, but you have wronged me by fighting against me. May the Lord judge and render judgment this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon."

However, the king of the people of Ammon did not heed the words of Jephthah. So the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he was empowered. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and advanced toward the people of Ammon.

Now, Jephthah goes out to war against the Ammonites. He gathers the people of that region together to fight against them. As he does, we read in verse 30 that Jephthah made a vow to Yahweh. He 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 from this place in peace, surely it shall be the Lord's, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering."

What's happening here?

A commentator writing on this passage says there is little doubt that Jephthah's vow is nothing short of making a deal with a deity in an attempt to exert control over that deity. This practice is familiar to pagans who believed in the manipulation of the gods for human purposes. What we have here is an indication that Jephthah is very culturally Canaanite, although he has Hebrew heritage.

Why is that? Well, maybe because he was the product of a pagan relationship between a Hebrew man and a Canaanite woman. Perhaps it is because his entire tribe and family had decided to live in between two worlds, not fully committed to God but kind of halfway there and halfway not. Here we see that he is indicating his real Canaanite culture because he is living like just another pagan and viewing Yahweh as just another god among the pantheon of gods, such as Asherah and Baal, and all the other gods that people bow down to.

He makes this vow, and this vow is a foreshadowing of something to come: "Whatever comes out of my house when I come home in peace, Yahweh, if you deliver the Ammonites into my hands, I will offer it as a burnt offering to you."

In verse 32, Jephthah advanced toward the people of Ammon to fight against them, and the Lord delivered them into his hands. He defeated them with a great slaughter, and the people of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. The end of verse 33 states that when Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing. She was his only child; besides her, he had neither son nor daughter.

When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low; you are among those who trouble me, for I have given my word to Yahweh, and I cannot go back on it." If Jephthah was less affected by his Canaanite cultural connections and roots, he would realize that Yahweh does not desire or accept human sacrifice according to the Scriptures in Deuteronomy chapter 18 and Leviticus chapter 20. He would understand, if he more fully grasped the words of the Torah, that God made provision for a way out of this vow. But his daughter 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 your enemies, the people of Ammon. Then she said to her father, "Father, let this thing be done for me. Let me alone for two months. Can you just delay for a couple of months that I may go and wander in the mountains and bewail my virginity? I'm unmarried; I have not had any children." So he said, "Go," and he sent her away for two months. She went with her friends and bewailed her virginity on the mountains.

At the end of two months, she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her, which he had vowed. She knew no man. If you read commentary on this passage, there are two different views. Some try to gloss over the fact that Jephthah did not offer his daughter as a burnt sacrifice, but that she just lived for the rest of her time as a virgin and never married. You might be able to make that case, but the Hebrew seems to indicate in this passage that he carried out his vow.

Why? Because he was more affected by his Canaanite culture than he was by the true and living God. This is why it's so important that God calls us to be set apart, distinct, and different. It is easy for us to be seduced by the cultural trappings around us, and we can find ourselves beginning to look no different than the rest of the world.

As we get into chapter 12 next week, we will see that there are even bigger problems that come on the heels of this whole situation. This passage serves as a challenging reminder that we want to live our lives as close to God as possible, not walk the line between Canaan and the things of God.

Now, God, in His grace, chooses to use crooked sticks to draw straight lines. Sometimes He uses people in ways that we might think, "I just don't see how or why God would do this." In His grace, He does. But oh, that we would draw near to the Lord and walk closely with Him. To be honest with you, as I read through this passage once again, and having taught on this many times before, there was a part of me this week that just wanted to be like, "Man, it would..."

Be great. So, just jump to chapter 12 and not really talk about this last section because it's a dark thing. I had someone come up to me after the first service and say, "Man, this is really dark. Do you really think that he offered his daughter in that way?" I said, "Well, it seems like that's what the text says, not as the Lord would have called."

But it reminds us again to draw near to the Lord and be separate from the things of this world. A challenging, sobering consideration. May we think about it this week.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? Father God, I pray that you would stir our hearts to draw near to you, that the things of this world would grow more and more dim as we draw closer and closer to you. Yes, Lord, it's true you use us in spite of our many failures and inconsistencies, but you desire to transform us more and more into the likeness of your children.

I pray that my life and the lives of my brothers and sisters here this morning would be characterized by and identified more by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control than by the works of the flesh. God, do a work in us that we would be wholly set apart unto you, consecrated for you only, and that you would shine brightly through our lives.

God, do a work of continued sanctification in us, we pray, for we ask this today in Jesus' name. And all those that agreed said, "Amen."