Jephthah’s Vow and Victory

Transcript

GRS 2-54
1/28/2007
Jephthah’s Vow and Victory
Judges 10-12
Gil Rugh

We're in the Book of Judges and we come to Chapter 10 where the Book of Judges carries us from the time of Joshua. So we had Moses, Joshua, and then we're going to come to the time of the kings. So we have a period of about 350 years from Joshua to the establishing of the monarchy and you have various individuals that come raised up in Israel because Israel comes under the discipline of God.

They rebel against God, they turn to become involved in the sin and false worship of the peoples around them and so God disciplines them and his discipline often takes the form of having the people’s around subjugate them and make life very, very difficult for them. And then in their time of pain and suffering, they turn to the Lord, God mercifully raises up a deliver, a judge and that's the cycle that goes on and on as you are aware through the Book of Judges.

In Chapter 6 to 8, we had Gideon and his judgeship in Israel. We noted these judges don't necessarily ruled over all the nation Israel, all 12 tribes but usually their judgeship, if you will, takes place in certain areas because the unified opposition to Israel was crushed under Joshua. But in each of the areas where each of the individual tribes are centered, you still have people that Israel did not obediently remove from the land and so they get stronger and then they become the instruments that subjugate Israel. Chapter 9, we found the account of Abimelech and Abimelech was the son of Gideon and it was a sad story. Basically Abimelech and the people of Shechem end up destroying each other for their rebellion against God. So that was a rather unpleasant time.

Chapter ended in verse 56, thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father and killing his seventy brothers and also God turned all the wickedness of the men of Shechem on their heads. And the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal who is Gideon came upon them. So there you see the destruction that took place all around both for Abimelech and for the people. Chapter 10 brings us into the domination again of some other people, the Ammonites and the situation with them. But first they’re just a couple of Judges mentioned.

So what the Book of Judges does is select out individuals and some of them were just named and nothing really told of any detail about them, others you have like Gideon, you had Chapter 6, 7 and 8 devoted to Gideon. Chapter 10 opens up and says now after Abimelech die, Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar arose to save Israel and he lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. So he judged Israel 23 years, that's a long time but there are no details given about his judgeship and what when on, what kind of opposition did he face, what kind of actions did he take. We’re told he ruled for 23 years and obviously the Spirit of God has directed so with this was of a selective account otherwise we would have volumes for our Scriptures.

Following his 23-year judgeship, you have Jair, verse 3, and he rules for 22 years, judged Israel. Jair, the Gileadite, arose and judged Israel 22 years. And we’re taught a little bit more about him. He had 30 sons who rode on thirty donkeys and he had 30 cities in the land of Gilead. So he was a rather prosperous, successful person. Then you come to verse 6, and things where we’re reminded of the cycle verse 6, then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. They served the Baals, the Asheroth, the gods of Aaron, the gods of Zidon, the gods of Moab, gods of the sons of Ammon, the gods of the Philistines as they forsook the Lord and did not serve Him.

And we have noted and we will continue to be reminded of that relentless pressure for the people of God to compromise and become like the unregenerate people around them, the unbelieving people, a pressure that continues for us today. And you read a verse like verse 6 and see them being turned to sight all these other gods but there was an attraction there and there were some appealing things associated with the worship of these gods and that was the context in which Israel was living. I'm not saying this to excuse them, I am saying they were like we are and we find the world appealing in so many ways and if we're not carefully, we find ourselves drawn into areas where we should not be and our attention gets turned away from faithfulness of devotion to the Lord.

So the angry of the Lord burned against Israel, here is the cycle, remember, Israel sins, God is angry with them for their sin, he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, into the hands of the sons of Ammon. The Ammonites are the dominant people in the account that is going to follow in the Chapters 11 and 12. They afflicted and crushed the sons of Israel that year and for 18 years; they afflicted all the sons of Israel, who were beyond the Jordan and Gilead in the land of the |Amorites. Some distinctions of people here that will become important that we’ll note, why it's important a little bit further into the story but you'll know the Ammonites are afflicting all the sons of Israel who live in the land of the Amorites.

So don't get confused, these are two different people; the Ammonites, the sons of Ammon, and the Amorites, in verse 8. Now we’re across the Jordan on the east side of the Jordan river, region known as Gilead, as there no balm in Gilead, as there no physician there, live in is the health of the daughter of my people not restored and we have the song from that prophetic Scripture, there is no balm in Gilead. Well, this is the region we are talking about across the Jordan, in fact the land of Jordan and that part of the Jordan then between the sea of Galilee and down to the Dead Sea, on the east side of the Jordan river, we get into that region. 18 years, that's a long time; this is the severe judgment from God where 18 years of Israel and this region is enslaved by the Ammonites, the sons Ammon or the Ammonites.

Verse 9, the sons of Ammon crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim so that Israel was greatly distressed. So the Ammonites also crossed over the Jordan river, and well, you think of Israel proper, remember there's two and half tribe settled on the east side of the Jordan river and the rest of the tribes of Israel are across the Jordan on the west side of the Jordan river. So now the oppression of the Israelites is severe. So verse 10, down verses 10 to 16, Israel’s in distress, what did they do; O Lord, deliver us. Then the sons of Israel cried to the Lord, saying, we have sinned against you, indeed we have forsaken our God, we served the Baales.

And the Lord reminded them, Didn’t I deliver you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the sons of Ammon, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites, the Maonites; you cried out to me, I delivered you; Yet you have forsaken me, served other gods therefore I will no longer deliver you. You want help? Why don't you go to the gods that you keep turning to? Verse 14, go and cry out to the gods, which you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your distress. I have delivered you repeatedly and you keep turning and going back to the gods of the peoples around you, when you need help to be delivered why don't you turn to those gods?

When I delivered you and you were free from oppression and things were going well, then you turned to those gods. Why is it now when you are in trouble, you want to turn back to me for deliverance? We are still the same, I mean, easy we begin to drift, we wander from the Lord, he brings distress and pressure into our life. What do we do, O Lord, help me. O Lord, deliver me, O Lord -- why didn't we just turn to him and begin with. What are we doing in wandering around out here and dabbling in things and becoming involved in things we have no business being involved in? But as soon as there's trouble, we rush to the Lord, here's Israel, O Lord, deliver us.

They know the God’s around can do that and they just been enjoyed some of what the gods and the worship of those gods provided in the fleshly realm. God’s interested in remorse, he say what is going on here. Well, everybody comes remorseful, they are unhappy that they are being punished for their sin. It doesn't necessarily mean they've truly repented of their sin but they have remorse over all the trouble they have. And we comes, Lord, just get me out of the trouble and so the Lord says, help yourselves or go to the gods that you like so much.

Verse 15, the sons of Israel said to Lord; we have sinned, do to us whatsoever seems good to you; only please deliver us this day. There is a little bit of a conflict here. Do whatever seems good to you, only deliver us and always whatever seems good to you, do to us whatever things good to you but that doesn't include continue oppression. Deliver us. Verse 16, they act up on their desire, here for God to intervene, they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord and he could bare the misery of Israel no longer. So they do demonstrate something more than just remorse but true repents. How they continue to proceed and they give up the worship of these other gods and put away household idols and that and they begin to worship the Lord and that indicates something of a true repents least to a degree. And so the Lord does intervene on their behalf. The sons of Ammon were summoned, they camped in Gilead.

The sons of Israel gathered together and camped in Mizpah. The people where leaders at Gilead said to one another who is the man who will begin the fight against the sons of Ammon, he shall become ahead of all the inhabitants of Gilead. All right, that sets to stage now. They’ve cried out to the Lord, God, his sovereignly moved, he sovereignly moves among his people of Israel. He sovereignly moves among the angry generate the ungodly Ammonites.

Now in Chapter 11 opens up, we have to get a little bit of background on a key character here, Jephthah the Gileadite. So we're going to get a little bit of background on him so that we will then be prepared for the answer, verse 18, to the question of the 10:18, who is the man who will begin the fight for the sons of Ammon? Well now we have to go back a little bit and give a little bit of background on the man who will be to deliver. So now Jephthah the Gileadite was a value of warrior but he was the son of a harlot, and Gilead was the father of Jephthah. Gilead's wife bore him sons; and his sons' wives grew up, and they drove Jephthah out, and said to him, you shall not have an inheritance in our father's house; you are the son of another woman.

So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. And worthless fellows gathered themselves about Jephthah and they went out with him. So now here we have something of a little bit of the background. Jephthah has been ostracized from the region of Gilead and his family there. But verse 4 came about after a while the sons of Ammon fight against Israel. While the sons of Ammon fight against Israel the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. They said to Jephthah, come and be our chief that we might fight against the sons of Ammon. So you'll see like versus 1 to 3 of Chapter 11 were something of a parenthetical explanation, so you would know who this person Jephthah was when the Gileadites go to get him.

He’s a man that has been cast out by these people. And so he gone and lived in another area but he has a strong reputation as a valued man and he has a group of renegade soldiers, if you will, who have gathered around him. So this is a group that would be able to lead this group, the Israelites, against the Ammonites. There’s nobody else that they know of that that they can call on. Interesting, isn't it to him, the people with God chooses to use if we were going to write this account if it happen today we'd just say that Jephthah was from a dysfunctional family and it just affected his whole life.

What could he do as an adult with this kind of background, I mean, his own family kicked him out, they, do you know, is half-brothers, they don't want anything to do with him, the people of the city done with him, this poor guy what's his future, he's going to be a nothing, he's going to be the key person here. And so they come and talk to Jephthah, God his sovereignly work, all these details are all part of what God is doing to prepare Jephthah to be the man that he wants him to be. So you don't have to sit and stood about what your past was or what happened then. It doesn't matter, Jephthah doesn't, I’m just a bundle of nothing. I got my own problems, you realize what kind of a family I came from, you realize the problems I have, you can’t expect me to be a leader? You know my spirits broken and I have no self-esteem, well, any rate.

They come and they say to Jephthah, come and be our chief so we might fight against the sons of Ammon. Jephthah, verse7, said to the elders of Gilead, didn't you hate me and drive me out from my father's house? Why have you come to me now when you are in trouble? The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, for this reason we have now returned to you that you may go with us, fight the sons of Ammon, become head over all the inhabitants of Gilead, interesting.

We don't want you just come back; we want you to come back and be in charge, to be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. So you go for being nobody, the one who is kicked out of the family, and kicked out of the city, now you come back and we want you to be to dog, in charge, but you have to lead the battle against the ammonites. And so down the verse 11, they interact – verse 9, Jephthah said to the elders of Israel, if you take me back to fight against the sons of Ammon, the Lord gives them up to me; will I become your head? The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, The Lord is witness between us and so we will surely do it to you as you've said. Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, the people made him head and chief over them; Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at in Mizpah. And here their agreement is made before the Lord at Mizpah.

So they have this binding agreement in the presence of the Lord, with God as their witness. So verses 12 to 28, Jephthah’s first action is not to lead the army in the battle against the Ammonites but to enter into discussion with them. We have a lot of discussion going on about diplomacy, we had have more diplomacy. Well, that's what Jephthah does. So verse 12, Jephthah sent messengers to the King of the sons of Ammon, saying, what is between you and me that you have come up to fight against my land? What’s the problem? Have you breached army appeared to fight against us.

The king of the sons of Ammon said to the messengers of Jephthah, because Israel took away my land, when they came up from Egypt, from Arnon as far as the Jabbok and the Jordan, therefore return them peaceably now. And so here is the problem. When Israel came up out of Egypt, they came in and they took possession of this land and it's ours and we want it back. Well, Jephthah has four arguments against their position. The first is given in verses 14 to 22. 14; Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon. And note he does in verses 14 to 22, remember I told you, remember now, the Ammonites, they are little further down south on the east side of the Jordan down toward the Dead Sea.

The Amorites were on the east side of the Jordan but a little bit to the north, up more toward the Sea of Galilee. The land that, the Gileadite have did not belong to the Ammonites, it belong to the Amorites. You can read that account back in Numbers 21, verses 21 to 30, we will go back there. So verse 15 thus says Jephthah, Israel did not take away the land of Moab nor the land of the sons of Ammon. The land of Moab and Moabites and the Ammonites, they are down closer to the Dead Sea area on the east side of Jordan.

When they came up from Egypt in Israel, they went through the wilderness. Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, be account there, verse18, they went through the wilderness around the land of Edom, the land of Moab, came up the east side of the land of Moab, and so on. Verse 19, Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites. Now we're in the territory of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, please let us pass through. Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through Sihon. Sihon gathered his people came out for battle with Israel, verse 21, the Lord, the God of Israel came and fought and they defeated Sihon and the Amorites.

So they possessed all the territory of the Amorites from the Arnon as far the Jabbok from the wilderness as far the Jordan. You know verse 22. The territory of the Amorites was the territory that the king of Ammonites is saying belongs to him, up in verse 13. So he said what he really doing is trying to make a claim that that land was ours, it never was theirs, him belong to you. You’d like to have it but it wasn't yours and when Israel came out of Egypt, then conquered that land, they didn't conquer the Ammonites to take that land, they conquered the Amorites. So your claim is fallacious, it never did belong to you. So, number one, your claim doesn't stand up because that wasn't your land to begin with. We defeated the Amorites, then took possession to that land.

You’re the Ammonites; this land never did belong to you. Number two, verse 23, so now the Lord the God of Israel drove out the Amorites before his people Israel, are you then to possess it? Verse 24, do you not possess what Chemosh; your God gives you to possess? So whatever the Lord our God is driven out before us, will we possess it. Even the pagans and their thinking, when they want a military victory, they credited it to their God, the Ammonites' God Chemosh. So when your God Chemosh, when you on a battle and conquer the people, you said your God Chemosh gave you the land, now which yours.

Now our God gave us the land to the Amorites, why should we turn around and give you what our God is given to us? You don't function that way. That’s his second argument. It’s our land because our God gave it to us, when he gave us the victory over the Amorites. So why would we turn around and give to you what our God is given to us. Third argument, verse 25, now are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, the king of Moab? Did he ever strive with Israel, or did he ever fight against them? The king of Moab, down there by Ammon, did he ever challenge Israel’s right to this land? He opposed them because of personal hatred but he didn't challenge them their right to the land because that land never belong to the Moabites.

So what you Ammonites coming appear trying to say it's yours for? I mean, look what your neighbor did, the Moabites, they never tried to claim this land for themselves. He didn't go to war with us over this land because they knew it wasn't theirs. It was Amorite land. And lastly, verse 26; while Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and all in the lands that are on the banks of the Arnon, three hundred years why then you recover them then? We’ve been here for 300 years. It’s a little bit of blame to claim if the act is way too long to make your claim. It’s too late.

So if don't like any of my three seating arguments, if the first three arguments don't hold water, the fourth argument is we've been here for 300 years, you waited too long to stake a claim, it's ours. Bottom line is we aren't give it back. We’re just summarized his arguments, we just see how carefully Japheth answered. It’s not just some dumb guy out here who could fight, he's a guy who can think and reason and argue carefully. We're told here Israel’s been in the land now about 300 years, time's going by. The period of the judges covers about 350 years.

Now from the time of the Exodus until the fourth year of Solomon, we will have 480 years and you're told that in First Kings Chapter 6, verse 1, that it was 480 years from the time of the Exodus until the fourth year of Solomon’s reign. And before Solomon you had his father David, and before David, you had Saul, before that you had Samuel and you had their period of the Judges. So we do have some definite dates, some mark things out. So verse 27, I therefore have not sinned against you, but you are doing me wrong by making war against me: may the Lord, the Judge judged between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon.

Again you see Jephthah makes his appeal to Lord that we haven't done anything wrong against you. So you have instigated the trouble and the king of the Ammonites doesn't pay any attention to Jephthah's message because it’s God’s plan to what, deliver Israel. You see God is sovereignly in control and even the wicked actions of sinful men and sinful ruler is under God’s control for God’s purposes. so the king of Ammon refuses stubbornly even to listen to what makes good sense logically because why God is about to judge him and free Israel from servitude. Verse 29, now the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, a member of the Spirit of the Lord came upon individuals in the Old Testament to enable them and empower them for certain acts of service. Is this necessarily enable them to a holy living?

The Spirit of the Lord comes upon Saul to enable him to be king, he should live a godly life but doesn't always, he will be rejected. But his -- the Spirit coming upon Jephthah here is to enable him to function as the Judge of Israel and be successful in his battle with the Ammonites. Verse 30, this becomes key here, one of the problematic passages in the Old Testament is this last portion of Chapter 11. Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and said, if you will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand, then it shall be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, it shall be the Lord’s, I will offer it up as a burnt offering.

So Jephthah makes a vow here to the Lord. Lord and only you can bring the victory, anything acknowledgment of that if you give me the victory and I return to my house in peace, then whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me I will offer it to you. Any he goes to battle against the Ammonites and he's successful. And verses 32 and 33, verse 33; he struck them with a very great slaughter in 20 cities are defeated and destroyed on the Ammonite cities. So this not just one battle, on a battle field and its done, I mean, this spreads out over the land and goes from city to city. And you know embattle here, you have cities and the wall cities and so on.

So you have summarized here what would take place over the course of time, a mini war, if you will, not just one battle but a series of battles and conflicts carried out until the Ammonites are totally crushed. Verse 34; when Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, he's returned now in peace, behold, his daughter was came out to meet him with tambourines and with dancing. Now she was his one and only child; besides her he had no son or daughter. Now we have a problem. Jephthah has vowed to the Lord, I will offer as a burnt offering whatever comes out of the door of my house when I return, verse 34, the one who comes out of the door was his daughter, his only daughter, his only child. And she is excited her father has had a great victory.

So she comes out with tambourines and is celebrating and wants to welcome him and honor him. When he saw her, he tore his clothes. Alas, my daughter, you’ve brought me very low, you are among those who trouble me: I have given my word to the Lord, I cannot take it back. She said to him, my father, you have given your word to the Lord, do to me as you've said since the Lord has avenged your enemies, the sons of Ammon. He obviously told her his vow. She said well you can’t go back your promise to the Lord, your vow. He gave you the victory; you have to do what you promised you would do. So he gives her two months to go to the mountain, she asked for two months to weep because of my virginity to take her close companions, serving girls and close companions and they will go to the mountains.

So she went away for two months, wept on the mountains because of her virginity. At the end of two months she returned to her father who did to her according to the vow, which he had made. She had no relations with the men. Thus it became a custom in Israel that the daughters of Israel went yearly to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year. So became an annual event to remember the daughter of Jephthah, her virginity, and the vow that Jephthah made.

Two possibilities here. number one, Jephthah offered his daughter as a human sacrifice, burnt offering and she got back after two months, took her to the altar, laid her on the altar, set the fire and she was burned as a burnt offering. The second suggestion that is made is that his daughter was presented to the Lord at the temple and she was a perpetual virgin serving at the temple. I’m going to give you some pros and cons of both views. I think I’ll start with the burnt offering, the reasons why would be a burnt offering, go back words in my notes. So I’ve got six reasons why she would – why there is a probability she was offered to his burnt offering and I’ll give you series of reasons why she might have been just a perpetual virgin, then you combine your money and take your choice.

First reason why he followed through, why he may well followed through and offered her as a burnt offering. The word for burnt offering, Hebrew word, olah, always means a sacrificial burnt offering in the Old Testament. No one ever had talked about the burnt offering, now I’m talking about something representative; it's talking about a literal burnt offering that would imply that she became a literal burnt offering. Number two, the fact that Jephthah was a judge, it doesn't mean that everything he did would have been the best thing to do, remember Gideon, he made an ephod out of the gold earrings and nose rings from the people he conquered and then that became a center of worship for Gideon and his family and the people around.

You think of the major stumbling, a major stumble, major fault, even if we don't think Jephthah should have offered a burnt offering, we have to acknowledge some of these judges did something that were out of character for a man who was to be used of God, we get the Samson and we're well familiar with his story. Number three, Jephthah could be – he was called to lead the Gileadite not because he was a nice guy, not because he was someone you would like to have coffee and a burger with. He’s a violent man, they called him to lead the Gileadite in the battle against the Ammonites because they knew he would be ruthless and could win the battle. In fact as we'll see, we get down into Chapter 12, he is going to kill 42,000 Israelites who have the edacity to oppose him and challenge him.

So he is not a man that was in anyway reluctant to use violent means. So they’ve been a man here, they would think I’ve made a vow, I honor the vow, in character he could probably have offered his daughter as a burnt offering. Number four, the sorrow over her not having children would fit. If she died and she never been married and she never had any children then that is a great tragedy, as you're aware, in Old Testament times to be childless and here too have died childless would have been a tragedy for her. Number five; you wonder what was going on in Jephthah’s mind. Who did he think an animal would come running out the door? Was that the family dog he was thinking?

I mean, when you say I’ll sacrifice as a burnt offering whoever comes out of the door of my house, he didn't say a whoever comes out of the barn, who you thinks going to come out of the door of the house, maybe he was hoping, it was his wife, I don't know. If it didn't get long, I mean, who are you expecting to come out of the door when you come back from a battle? The pig? I mean, where did he keep in his house? So you think what was going through Jephthah’s mind when he made such a vow. Whatever comes out of the door of my house when I return, I’m going to offer the burnt offering, maybe he thought it would be a servant, I don't know. but you know, you do mind does stop to think what is he keep in his house, you wouldn't think he kept his life stock in there. So I would make you think he was thinking of some kind of human burnt offering here. So that would indicate that he had in mind a human sacrifice.

And number six, until the middle ages this was probably the only view, he was at least the accepted view. Josephus, many of you familiar with Josephus, the first centaury Jewish historian wrote, Jephthah sacrificed his daughter as a burnt offering, offering such an oblation as was neither conformable to the law and are acceptable toward god. But he didn't give any thought to what would be the proper view with this. Now Josephus is living over a thousand years after the events but nonetheless you get the idea what a first century Jewish writer thought. And thought that Jephthah made his daughter a literal burnt offering.

So these are six reasons why he might have offered her as a burnt offering. let me give you seven reasons why he might not of and I don't have any ulterior motive endowing six for the burnt offering and seven which is a more perfect number, that shouldn't tilt you one way or the other, I just made these lists up, so it's not a same the filed list. but why he may not have offered her, maybe the position that he didn't offered her as a burnt offering but she was a perpetual virgin would be a better view. Number one, human sacrifice was contrary to Mosaic Law and you have to be careful, sometimes in the Mosaic Law what is forbidden is human sacrifice to faults gods.

so that wouldn't apply because this is a sacrifice going to be made to the living guy but back in Deuteronomy Chapter 12, verse 3, I’ll get there quickly and you can come there if you want otherwise I’ll read it to you, Deuteronomy 12, verse 31, you shall not behave thus toward the Lord your God: for every abominal acts, which the Lord hates, they have done for their gods, the peoples of the land, for they even burnt their sons and daughters to the fire to -- in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command you shall be careful to do, you don't add to or take away. In other words, you don't learn how to how to worship me from the pagans around you, church needs to remember this.

We go to the word of God, we do what God tells us, run to the world all the time to find out what are worships, should our worship be like. But this what we God says and what example he gives, they even burnt their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. I don't expect you would be learning from what they do for me. So that wouldn't be something that God would desire.

In Chapter 18 of Deuteronomy verse 9, When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the testable things of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, or one who uses divination, or practice of witchcraft. And again those who would believe that she literal burnt offering would say these are all referring to human sacrifices offered to pagan gods. While you know God does connect with things that Israel is not to learn from pagan worship and put into practice in their worship of him that would seem to include human sacrifice.

And in this context still part of my first reason; Jephthah seems well familiar with Israel's history. So we would have to assume that he is familiar or at least generally with Mosaic Law because he got recite Israel's history and what happened when Israel came out of Egypt. And remember, the course they took and what happened in connection with the Moabites when they didn't want them to go through their land and all the one on there, what happened was Sihon and so on. So Jephthah's familiar with Israel’s history and he didn't make his vow before the Lord in Sihon so which seem to indicate that he has a familiarity with the law. He would be familiar with the requirements on burnt offerings that we've just noted.

The second reason; so the first reason was human sacrifice is contrary to the Mosaic Law. Second reason, Jephthah would have known that a human would come out of his house at his return. so I mentioned this on the other side but the fact is Jephthah would have probably been aware that human will come out of his home and when you come home from work, a man go to work, you go home and you'll think if probably more chance your kids are going to run out to meet than your wife, maybe that was just at my home. The kids come out, come run out the door, I assume that it would have been a logical thing maybe to think his daughter but he wasn't expecting that but nonetheless he would have expected a human would have come out of his house.

That being the case may indicate there is something more that will get to later but at least the expectations of human being would have come out of the house to meet him, may well indicate that there is another plan to the burnt offering. Number three, and I have several points under this to support it. I think Jephthah was basically a godly man, some are the reasons why; in Chapter 11, verse 11, when he entered in an agreement with a man of Gilead, he entered into that agreement before the Lord. He acknowledges the Lord and the one who would make this agreement binding.

Number two, he gave the God, the God of Israel, credit for Israel’s initial possession of the land that was in Chapter 11, verses 23 and 24. What he said now the God, the Lord the God of Israel drove out the Amorites from before his people Israel. And whatever the Lord our God has driven out before as we will possess. So he gives, he doesn't claim military might for Israel, he claims that the God of Israel has done these things. Verse 29, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah and that was before he made his vow, that doesn't assure that he will make bad decisions but at least we had, maybe another indication that Jephthah was somewhat of a godly man because the Spirit of Lord does come upon him to direct and guide him, to give him the victory.

He recognized that only the Lord could give him the victory in verse 30. When he made his vow he said, if you indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand. He hasn't gone to the point that he thinks Ammon such a valiant soldier and I have this band of ruthless soldiers around me, mercenaries, he says, if you will. Those who don't know anything, how to do anything but fight and then you add to that the Israelites and Gilead that are joined me when get this job done. Now he comes to the Lord and there is a certain humility. If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, and he comes to the God of Israel that this acknowledge that only the Lord could give him victory.

Another reason why I think he's a godly man, he honors his vow. I mean, he made a vow to the Lord; he's not willing to go back on, it is painful, is it is? And there'll be great cost to Jephthah because he has no other son or daughter. so he'll end up being an affect childless, whatever happens, whether his daughter is offered as a literal burnt offering, or she is dedicated to the Lord and lives the perpetual virgin serving at the tabernacle to all in terms of purposes, he's a childless man, that's a disaster in the Old Testament economy but he's a faithful and he honors his vows. That’s a testimony something to his character. And last reason why I think there's an evidence of a godly man he is listed as one of the examples of faith in the Book of Hebrews, Chapter 11.

Hebrews Chapter 11, verse 32, time would fail to tell you of Jephthah, the men of demonstrated faith. Okay, so, the first three reasons, human sacrifices were contrary to the Mosaic Law; number two, he would have known that a human would have come out so he may have in this context taking that into account; the third reason was he was a godly man. Number four, women didn't serve at the tabernacle at Shiloh. So his daughter could have remained a perpetual virgin dedicated to the Lord and served at the tabernacle at Shiloh. Turn back to Exodus Chapter 38, verse 8, Exodus 38:8. And here you're telling about the finishing up of the tabernacle and some items and Chapter 38, verse 1: And he made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood.

we come down to verse 8, he made the laver of bronze, base of bronze for the mirrors, from the mirrors of the serving women, note, this who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting where women who dedicated themselves to the service of the Lord at the tabernacle. When you get over to First Samuel Chapter 2, verse 22; First Samuel Chapter 3, verse 19, verse 21, so this daughter could have been given to the Lord and so she would then go and remain at the tabernacle and remain a virgin, they will have her own family but her life would be devoted to the service of the Lord.

it is also possible in verse 31 that translate the and as or so that shall be that whenever, whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammonite it shall be the Lord's or I will offer it up as a burnt offering, that conjunction ‘and’ could also be translated ‘or’ some of you are using a study bible and I think the note on the study bible gives that is a – study bible who offers that is a note if I remember correctly. so there are really two options, whoever, whatever comes out so full as the family, sheep, then offer the burnt offering, whatever but if it was a human being then they'll be devoted to the Lord.

so that would have been a possible allowance there that would be allow that'll be consistent, you don't have Jephthah just stepping out here, making a pagan vow to the Lord, which would be out of character in the line here is talking to the Lord, now as your Lord can give him victory, this allows for him, his vows to be in the confines of what the Lord would desire. The sixth reason and verse 40, it says the daughters of Israel when took commemorate or recount the daughter of Jephthah the Gilead four days in the year that would recount, it can also acquire the idea of they went to recount her talk to. So in another words four days a year it was the pattern for all the women to come to the temple at Shiloh, to the tabernacle there really not the temple and visit with her and it was a time of honoring her, remembering her vow.

And it's consistent because it is her virginity that is emphasized, they weep because of her virginity at the end of verse 38, it's not her death that is being acknowledged here and wept over or in pending but her virginity that that she won't have children. so which of these use is right, you can find commentaries and good writers on both sides, I checked two Study Bibles this afternoon to see what the notes where, I believe the Ryrie Study Bible favors the fact that she was a perpetual virgin, I believe the one who authored the notes in this section, in the McCarthy’s Study Bible, favor the idea that she was burnt as a sacrifice.

Word that I tell, the pens on the day. I tend – I probably tend to tilt toward the fact she was a perpetual virgin that would fit well but either way I have to say that Jephthah does demonstrate the strength of character here to honor what he is promised the Lord he would do better you don't vow, then your vow will not carried out. I think it would be more consistent that he dedicated her to the Lord. And there's one other thing I should mention, it is possible there is provision made Leviticus 27, even in the Mosaic Law, Leviticus Chapter 27, then we have to wrap this up.

Leviticus 27, the first eight verses, the Lord spoke to Moses, speak to the sons of Israel, say to them, when a man makes a difficult vow he shall be valued according to your evaluation of persons belong to Lord, if your evaluation is of the male for 20 years to sixty years old, your evaluation shall be fifty shekels of silver. Female, your value should be 30 shekels and the different ages and the male and the female. I have gone over 60, so I get to the law and the evaluation down in verse 7 and the poor and so on and these provided for redemption of individuals in the context of vows though that there could be a provision for the – a person would not have to be literally sacrificed in the context of a vow but there was provision in the evaluation of the person, the substitution could be made because it wasn't the Lord's intention that human sacrifice made to him.

So that context, it seem to me be consistent that the daughter was, she does remain a perpetual virgin. so I know that employing that she was redeemed with the financial provisions made Leviticus 27, but just there was provision in the Mosaic Law for a human not to have to be sacrificed but they would be consistent then with her in light she remained a perpetual virgin to have been dedicated to the service of the Lord at the temple.

All right, let's move into Chapter 12. Let me just summarize what I said here because it's somewhat briefing that we can overview in just a couple of minutes. The people of Ephraim, they’re always the people even then called the people of God, broadly speaking, Israel. They’re observers, the one then the hard works done they want to come and complain that they didn't get be part of it. And the men of Ephraim give you the absence of they are those kinds of characters. Chapter 12 opens up the first seven verses, the men of Ephraim come and complained against Jephthah that they didn't – he didn't invite them to come and join the battle and now we don't get the share in the glory of victory because you didn't invite us, you're a selfish man.

As it put down to us, because we take that personally that we weren't invited to the battle, that's in a front. And we don't take that lightly. now, I’d say, the men of Ephraim, I like this because you know what these are the same people, the men of Ephraim who came out and complained to Gideon of the same thing; you didn't invite us to the battle. Remember, Gideon put satisfied their pride by saying, well, look, you killed some of the – you killed two of the key men; I haven't done anything in comparison to you. And they felt better because their pride had been zoon so they accepted that. They’re in a tough spot with Jephthah.

So they come out, they complain and Jephthah said to them, verse 2, I and my people were great strive for the sons of the Ammon, when I called you, you didn't come out. I did call you, you didn't come. So now, you've got conflicts set up. They’re saying he didn't call us, and we've taken it personally and when they come out it's against Jephthah. Jephthah is not now on a negotiating mode because he said, I did call you and you didn't come. And I saw you wouldn't deliver me in verse 3, I took my life in my hands crossed over against the sons of Ammon and the Lord gave them into my hand. Again, you see the character of Jephthah here.

Even after the situation with his daughter he gives the Lord credit for what happen. Why have you come out against me this state to fight against me? So Jephthah gathers all of his forces, the men of Gilead, they go to fight against the men of Ephraim and he crushes them. He defeats them and then the Gileads go down and they get the forge of the Jordan where you could cross the Jordan. So he doesn't want the Ephraimites to be able to escape back across the Jordan and then they have their password and you're well familiar with this. any other man who come or get across the Jordan you have to pass across the forge while you can get a cross, you had to give the password, and the password is Shibboleth but the Ephraimites couldn't pronounce the ‘sh’ sound. So it always came out as a ‘ss’ problem. he said, all right you want to go across, say Shibboleth and they said Shibboleth and they died on the spot.

We’re in the verse 6, there fell at that time 42,000 men of Ephraim, I mean, Jephthah was a good military man. This is discipline on the Ephraimites who said there that shows he is a godless man that he would do that to Israel, I don't think so because Ephraim showed their ungodly character when they didn't come out and support. Jephthah and the Gileadite in their battle against the ammonites, remember, it was God answering the cry of his people to deliver them from the Ammonites. And so for the Ephraimites to refuse to come out and help demonstrates their godless character. So this judgment on them is fitting judgment for their sin.

Jephthah judged Israel verse 7 for six years, then Jephthah, the Gileadite died, he was buried in one of the cities of Gilead. You see this alone more given by Jephthah, but he only judged Israel for six years. We read about men at the beginning of Chapter 10 who judged Israel for 22, 23 years. We don't get anything on them, anything. But the judgeship of Jephthah, as you'd as having some significant elements. He had 30 sons, now have Ibzan of Bethlehem and he judged Israel after him. He had 30 sons, 30 daughters and he gave them in marriage and brings in 30, his daughters are married and brings in 30 sons and he died, he was buried. And he has these men that are just mentioned and they have a lot of kids; 40 sons, verse 14, 30 grandsons who rode on 7 donkeys, they judged Israel eight years.

Donkeys were symbol of success, wealth, position, that's why you find different times and references like he had 30 sons, each rode on his own donkey. Say, why he didn't get a horse? Well, the donkey was that symbol of success and honor and so on. Interesting in some of these accounts as you read these different men, only thing you know about them is they were well to do, they were successful, in verse 13, you had the man who had 40 sons and verse 13, Abdon. He had 40 sons, 30 grandsons, rode on 70 donkeys. Then the man who had 30s, 40s, all the rest of them there. Only donkeys everything, who cares? What a legacy to leave? What they left? You read about some of these men and they were use of the Lord. Now the best you can say is each of their kid had a donkey.

You know, we read this now and say, oh what they do. And remind what a sad legacy. All that we leave is a little bit of material stuff for our kids and down the road it's going to seem like it wasn't nothing, that's all you did. Oh, yeah, I’ve got this, I left -- that's it? A donkey? On that days it seemed like, who is somebody who is successful, who is somebody made it. Look at he is done for his kids, we look at it now and say that's the best it could be written about him. They each rode on their own donkeys, wow. Does it seem very significant, well, the difference. if Jephthah, man who didn't have a very good beginning, he is the son of a whore, a harlot, and he's kicked out of the family and he's somebody who stands out and even makes the heroes of the faith, Hebrews Chapter 11.

He has these other men, they come into position, the best you can say is they left their kids fairly well off, they had a donkey. Good reminded us one of my kids more than a donkey, legacy that counts but for be in the Hebrews 11 list, then in the well to do donkey honors of the day. So we do that by the way we commit our lives and our faiths in our service to the Lord today. Let’s pray together. Thank you Lord for your grace and goodness even as we read these accounts, so long ago reminded you are the sovereign God and you work in great in mighty ways and you were to work in the activities and affairs of the world in the day which we live whether it is ungodly ruler of the Ammonites, or the godless rulers of the nations of our day, it doesn't matter, you are sovereign and you are using even their rebellion to accomplish your purposes and move things to you're appointed in.

Lord you're faithful to your people and we count it a great honor to belong to you and we would learn lessons from these accounts, the history of your people Israel. We would desire to be men and women who are faithful. Men and women of faith and trust you and are committed to you and see your hand at work in our lives. We might be those who are testimonies of lives of faithfulness to the God who has called us to himself. May that be true of us in the day of the week that is before us. We pray in Christ’s name, amen.