“Jephthah, a dirty $20-dollar bill”
Pastor Bob Leroe, Cliftondale Congregational Church, Saugus, Massachusetts
A young child was saying his bedtime prayers, thanking God for the day. He ended his prayer with: “And thank You, God, for the nice boy you gave this family—Amen.” His mother asked, “What nice boy?” He grinned, pointing to himself and said, “Right here—I was thanking God for me!” This positive attitude sounds a lot like Jephthah.
Once again Israel was trusting idols instead of the living God. Pagan deities offered ample opportunity to sin, but provided no means of salvation. The people cry out to God again because they’re in trouble; their devotion is one of convenience, not commitment. They only want God when they need Him. Note the biting sarcasm of God’s response, back in 10:14, “Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!” In other words, “Let the things you’ve trusted shelter you, since you’ve refused to trust in Me!” Our modern-day gods fail us—the gods of health, fame, power, wealth and comfort. When we rely on them instead of the True God, we find ourselves as lost as Israel in the distressing days of the Judges. Nonetheless, God doesn’t desert His people; instead He raises up another unlikely leader to deliver His people.
Jephthah is a striking example of rising from humble circumstances. He’s been called “the loser who became a winner” (Donald Campbell). His less-than-stellar qualifications perhaps reflect the infidelity of Israel. He was the illegitimate son of Gilead. We can assume he didn’t have a happy childhood. He was forced to leave his homeland, an outcast, driven away by his 30 half-brothers. In spite of being rejected and exiled, he rises above his circumstances and establishes himself. He gained experience and a reputation as a warrior and leader. In God’s eyes, everyone has worth. We may feel like outcasts, but we can be assured that God loves us. Jephthah’s life teaches us that we can rise above our circumstances. The most motivated people are those with confidence in God and in themselves. When we feel shattered, forsaken and lacking, we learn that the approval of others isn’t what keeps us going—we need first and foremost God’s approval to achieve true success in life.
Jephthah became the only hope to stop the Ammonite invasion. His fame grew through organizing a band of warriors (perhaps fellow outcasts and misfits), which—in hindsight we see as God’s preparation for greater responsibilities. His half-brothers soon arrive, desperate for their estranged brother’s help. He agrees, but with a condition: if he is successful in driving out the enemy, they must vow to accept him as their leader. They haggle with him over this, and finally agree to raise Jephthah’s status as a full citizen of Gilead with a reinstated family inheritance. Jephthah the outcast becomes Jephthah the judge. He finally gains the respect of his family…but first, he had to believe in God and in himself. We can learn to heal the pain of the past. The past doesn’t have to weigh us down. The author of Hebrews encourages us to “throw off every weight that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles, and run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (12:1). What baggage from our past is hindering us from living for the Lord?
Jephthah doesn’t immediately storm into battle; he first attempts a diplomatic solution by negotiating with the Ammonite king. To his credit, he tries to resolve the conflict without bloodshed. His line of reasoning is recorded in vss 14-27. The inhabitants of Canaan regarded the Jews as invaders, and Jephthah uses this opportunity to explain their legitimate claim and divine right to possess the land. The enemy is given an opportunity to yield to God’s will before force is used. Jephthah is not afraid to combat the enemy, but he sought to avoid an unnecessary war. It’s not surprising that the king rejects Jephthah’s reasoning, so both sides prepare for battle.
We’re told in verse 29 that “the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah.” He was anointed and empowered by God for the task before him. It is evident that the hand of God was enabling Jephthah to deliver Israel. So why does Jephthah make what many regard as a rash, foolish vow? Verses 30-31 are puzzling to many: “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.”
Vows in the Bible are binding obligations, not to be taken lightly. They are oaths, pledges, obligations, even prayerful transactions between God and individuals. I stress the significance of vows when I conduct premarital counseling. Unfortunately some regard vows as bargains made with God. We’ll learn more about vows when we study Samson, who took a Nazarite vow, with detailed requirements. In the Bible, vows are not commanded, but they were tightly regulated. Once made, they were binding. Jephthah didn’t rashly go to war, and perhaps his vow isn’t rash. Vows are very serious matters in Scripture. Ecclesiastes 5:5 warns, “It is better not to vow, than to make a vow and not keep it.”
Bible scholars are divided at this point—some maintain that Jephthah sacrificed his daughter, while others say she was given to the Levitical priests to serve in a religious vocation. My position is that she went to serve at the Tabernacle. Here’s my line of reasoning:
Everything in Jephthah’s life was already dedicated to God. Human sacrifice was an abomination specifically forbidden by the Law (Lev 18:21, Deut 12:31) and condemned as pagan practice. No Jewish priest would have ever approved or participated in it. Jephthah realized that either an animal or person would meet him when he returned from battle. If an animal appeared, it would be sacrificed as a burnt offering, and if a person came out, he or she would be dedicated to God for life-long service at the Tabernacle. He probably expected a servant to greet him; instead, his daughter rushes out of their home. Jephthah set apart his daughter for the Lord’s service, which was in line with Jewish practice (Lev 27:2ff); we see a similar promise made concerning the prophet Samuel, who was dedicated to God’s service by Hannah, his mother (perhaps Samuel, the likely author of Judges, knew Jephthah’s daughter). There were orders of unmarried females at the Tabernacle who assisted with the logistics of worship. Jephthah’s sorrow came because his lineage would end with his only child, a significant loss. Her sadness centers on the fact that “she had no relations with a man”, which shows that rather than being slain she was being devoted to an unmarried, celibate life.
The fact that Jephthah won a great victory over the Ammonites further proves that human sacrifice was never being considered—God would not have given Jephthah success in battle if he had intended to sacrifice a human being. Also, Jephthah’s vow wasn’t some impulsive, “foxhole bargain”. I’ve heard plenty in my time in the military: “God, help me and I promise I’ll serve You!” The proof is how we live when the crisis has passed. Although scholars disagree about Jephthah’s vow, they all agree that it was unnecessary—God would have given Jephthah the victory regardless of his promise.
The Apostle Paul urges us with similar metaphorical language in Romans 12 to offer ourselves completely to God as “living sacrifices” (vss 1-2).
A seminar speaker began his presentation by taking out a crisp, clean $20-dollar bill. He asked, “Who would like this $20-dollar bill?”, and hands started going up. He then said, OK, but first let me do this—and he crumpled up the bill. The students’ hands remained in the air. The speaker then dropped the bill on the floor and started to grind it with his shoe. It was now crumpled and dirty. Still plenty of hands were in the air. The speaker said, “You’ve learned a valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we’re worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, we never lose our value in God’s eyes. To Him, dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, we are still priceless.”
Considering his background, Jephthah could’ve resigned himself to obscurity, assuming, “People like me never amount to much.” Yet God made him a hero. Eleanor Roosevelt stated, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” If we really believe that God is working in and through us, then we can assume He is pleased with the work He is doing. Why then should we degrade ourselves? Others may be more talented, smarter, better looking, but none of that matters—what matters is whether we’re seeking to do God’s will for our lives. We are made in His image, and God doesn’t make junk! Paul writes, “I am what I am by the grace of God” (I Cor 15:10). If Jephthah felt he had nothing to offer, he would not have attempted much in life. If we see ourselves as worthless, we will tend to back away from relationships and challenges. Jephthah had a healthy sense of self-respect, in spite of his past. Because God loves us, He never gives up on us. God will help us conquer the pain of our past and lead us a bright future.
