The Verdict on Judges
One Crumpled Leader
What a story line…
Boy unhappily born and unwanted, goes bad, is called home by his humbled, repentant family, and then saves his tribe from the enemy in a fierce battle and rules over the people happily ever after. The credits roll and the story is over and we are ready for some out-takes.
That’s in Hollywood. It’s not in this story! In the story of Jephthah there a subplot – a minor story line – that is so terrible; so tragic; and so dark that it casts a shadow of evil overwhelming the glorious victory with deep despair and unbearable agony. And it all happens because Jephthah makes two terrible mistakes – the second error was one of pride built upon the stupidity of the first.
Oh, you are going to have a hard time with this story. I did. Let’s begin at the beginning…
Jephthah was born to a prominent soldier and a common street prostitute. It’s an old story – as old as war and soldiers. Jephthah was an accident, unloved and unwanted. The story is told in Judges 11.
Jephthah – The Unlikely Judge
Jephthah was a strong soldier from Gilead. His father was named Gilead, and his mother was a prostitute. 2 Gilead’s wife had several sons. When they grew up, they forced Jephthah to leave his home, saying to him, “You will not get any of our father’s property, because you are the son of another woman.” 3 So Jephthah ran away from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. There some worthless men began to follow him.
Judges 11:1-3
Jephthah was an outsider
His father was Gilead but his mother was a prostitute. Daddy was sowing his wild oats and there was a crop – Jephthah. Unplanned, unwanted, and unloved, Jephthah was a treated like human trash.
Jephthah was an outcast
When he was old enough to fend for himself his half-brothers drove him away because they had no intentions of sharing any of their inheritance with him. In those times the eldest son inherited a double portion, the rest divided equally between all the brothers. These brothers made sure their portions would be as large as possible.
Jephthah became an outlaw
No surprises here. Jephthah – unloved and angry, became a streetwise punk with a flair for attracting others to him. Jephthah became the leader of a gang of outcasts, brigands, and punks. He became the first “Robin Hood” – except he stole from the rich and kept it for himself and his friends.
But this is when the story takes a sharp turn toward God. Gilead was attacked by Ammon and the best fighter in the clan was named – you guessed it – was Jephthah.
Jephthah
4 After a time the Ammonites fought against Israel. 5 When the Ammonites made war against Israel, the older leaders of Gilead went to Jephthah to bring him back from Tob. 6 They said to him, “Come and lead our army so we can fight the Ammonites.”
Judges 11:4
So the outsider becomes the ruler of the tribe. The outcast becomes a skilled negotiator and diplomat – unsuccessful mind you – but skilled none the less. And the outlaw becomes a mighty warrior. Jephthah leads the Gileadites into a fierce battle and they crushed the Ammonites.
So where is the problem? What is dark side of this story. Well, the problem is a little itty-bitty promise that in Jephthah made to God. Jephthat struck a bargain with God. He made a vow. It’s recorded for us in the 30th verse.
Jephthah made a Vow
30 Jephthah made a promise to the LORD, saying, “If you will hand over the Ammonites to me, 31 I will give you as a burnt offering the first thing that comes out of my house to meet me when I return from the victory. It will be the LORD’s.”
Judges 11:30
This was a foolish vow. No, it was more than that. It was stupid promise for two reasons. First, it was made without thinking it through. Second, it was completely unnecessary. Let’s look at each of these reasons in order.
It was a foolish promise because Jephthah – rash and undisciplined, didn’t consider all the possible consequences. Homes in those days and those locales were not only for the people but also for their valued animals. There were rooms for people and right nearby – often attached were pens for camels, sheep, goats, and cattle. These animals were the measure of your wealth and were kept close to you as you slept. If you let them wander off just anywhere they could be easily stolen by marauders.
Given Jephthah’s years as an accomplished camel rustler he probably took no chances and kept a close eye on his wealth.
I’m certain that he had in mind that should he win his battle that he would sacrifice a camel, a sheep, a goat, or a cow. It didn’t work out that way. No, it didn’t work out that way at all.
Jephthah’s Keeps His Vow
34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, his daughter was the first one to come out to meet him, playing a tambourine and dancing. She was his only child; he had no other sons or daughters.
Judges 11:34
Picture Jephthah returning home in a victorious parade of men and plunder taken in battle. He is exhilarated by the victory and heady with success. His head is up and and his shoulders square when he rounds the bend and comes over the rise to see – his daughter – his only child – first to greet him with tambourine and dance.
Here is the dark tragedy – Jephthah keeps his vow. After two months of mourning by his daughter, Jephthah kept his sacrifices his only daughter – he cuts off his linage and kills his daughter – because he made a vow to God.
How could this happen? Why is it in the Bible? What can we possibly learn from this horrible story?
It was such a good story right up until Jephthah came home – it was a powerful a morality tale where the bad guy is really the good guy and he ultimately wins everything – but then suddenly the bad guy turned hero becomes a horrible father who kills his own daughter – right in front our eyes as we read this terrible text.
And it was completely unnecessary because of the promises of God.
The Promises of God
The Promise of God is Complete Victory
Because of God – Not Us
Jephthah, and all the other Judges for that matter, were all unlikely hero’s – yet God used them with all their weaknesses, flaws, and fears to gain great victories.
This is the outcome of faith – from the time of Judges in a place called Gilead to 2006 and township called Meridian. God’s strength is revealed in our weakness. God’s power is displayed in our frail lives.
The victory is dependant on him not on us and he has promised us the victory. Jephthah’s real problem was his lack of faith in God – not his power but his promise.
We are jars of clay containing the unspeakable treasures.
Jars of Clay
7 We have this treasure from God, but we are like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that the great power is from God, not from us.
8 We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We do not know what to do, but we do not give up the hope of living. 9 We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed. 10 We carry the death of Jesus in our own bodies so that the life of Jesus can also be seen in our bodies.
2Corinthians 4:7-10
There is no need to bargain with God to keep his promises.
Do you trust him or not? This is an issue of faith not negotiation. Our covenant with God is not based on the “conditional if”. If you do this then I’ll do that. When you perform in this way then I’ll perform in that way. Bargain making with God makes us equals with him. It is our attempt to control God and keep his power in our hands rather than surrendering to him
Folks, this is a dangerous practice. In this particular case – God gave Jephthah the victory because he used him to accomplish what he already planned to do! And then God allowed the first mistake – the bargain – to go badly for Jephthah which set up the second mistake.
The Promises of Man
Keep a Good Vow
But Redeem a Bad Vow
The Bible teaches us to never make a vow to God lightly. A promise before God is a holy and sacred thing.
Many of you have made vows to love, honor and cherish your mates until death separates you. This is a good vow. It is pleasing to him when we make and keep such a vow. The closeness and intimacy when two become one in a God designed marriage between a man and a woman is a taste of the intimacy and joy we will have some day in heaven with God himself. This is a good vow!
Such a vow is not a bargain we make with God because of our lack of faith – it is a promise made to enter into the inner room of fellowship and intimacy of two souls – this is God’s plan and it is a good thing.
Breaking this vow by adulterating your relationship is never a good thing. It pains God deeply. Malachi tells us that God hates divorce – not because those who are divorced have broken their vow but because he understands the pain of divorce and broken vows.
God is divorced. God divorced Israel because Israel was adulterous and worshiped other God’s. God was forgiving and merciful allowing his unfaithful covenant partner to come back time after time – until she no longer came back and he divorced Israel and Judah. It tore God’s heart.
When you marry – you make a vow before God – make it well and then make every effort to keep that vow. It is a good vow! If you want to know more about marriage, divorce and remarriage I encourage you to pickup the pamphlet on the information table.
But if you make a stupid, dumb, and foolish vow that is born of the lack of faith – do not keep this vow – redeem it. You pay a price and you make it right. The terrible tragedy of Jephthah is that he could have redeemed his daughter’s life. The law of God forbids the sacrifice of children. It also provides for the redemption of a sacrifice by the payment of a price. Jephthah could have redeemed his daughter’s life with 30 pieces of silver – but his foolish pride got in the way.
If you have made a bad vow do not make it worse by keeping it – redeem it and pay the price of repentance for your foolishness. Ask for God’s forgiveness and leave your foolish vow behind.
Let me tell you about a vow I made to God while in college. We were involved in a Faith-Promise Rally and encouraged to make a commitment to give an offering – above and beyond the tithe – as God prospers us.
Now, this vow was not about my tithe – I believe that you return the tenth – that it belongs to God and you cannot really give it – but you can steal it by withholding it.
Well, I made a vow to give an offering of an extraordinary amount of money – especially for a freshman student working at Burger King to pay his way through college. One who was living off of a pack of bologna and a loaf of bread stored between the inside window and the storm window in his room. This is the same college student that would heat up tomato soup in his popcorn popper for lunch and supper.
Well, I made a vow – for all the wrong reasons. I made a bargain with God… I’ll give but you have to give it back to me and bless me. Well, I couldn’t fulfill the vow and I was consumed with guilt and anguish over my broken promise.
Now, when I realized that I could not fulfill my promise I could have robbed a 7-11 and kept my vow – but it was better I redeemed my vow with repentance and sorrow.
I went to a professor in the college and I confessed my foolishness. We prayed together and I asked God’s forgiveness and went on.
The Desire of God
God Does Not Desire Your Vow
God Desires Your Heart
It’s not about your tithes and offerings – it is about your heart.
Many years ago when Michigan first started the lottery a lady came up to me following the worship service to tell me that she had a chance to win $100,000. She asked me to pray for her to win with this promise, “If God lets me win, I’ll give $10,000 towards paving the parking lot.”
Think about the implications of such a bargain. It makes God the needy partner in the vow and frankly God did not need her $10,000. What he wanted was her whole heart and soul.
What God wants is our love.
The Desire of God is Your Heart
So brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship.
Romans 12:1
Loving God with All Your Strength
A preacher tells the story of the Sunday that a man named Alan Vail was in church.
Alan sat in his wheelchair, stooped over, head bowed, his body racked with Parkinson’s. Speech was difficult, he’d lost most of his ability to control the movement of his arms and legs.
Yet when the worship came to the part of a song, a song that spoke of the greatness of God, this crumpled man placed his hands on the arms of his chair, lifted his feet out of the foot rests, and slowly pushed himself up out of the chair until he was standing. He couldn’t sing any longer, he couldn’t speak easily, but he used every ounce of physical strength he had to stand to worship his Lord.
That is what it means to love God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, and all your strength.
That is precisely what God wants from you here today. If he gets that – all the rest – the tithes, the offerings, the worship, the service, the sacrifice – all the rest is comes easily and naturally.
