Judges 11 Bible Study (Jephthah Delivers Israel/Jephthah's Tragic Vow) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

It's almost difficult to consider how we can focus on a bible study that seems irrelevant to the chaos that we're experiencing as a nation. And the temptation is almost to discuss and try to figure out how to make sense of all of what we're seeing almost on an hourly update. It seems to be changing. But here's what I said earlier, and I wanna say it again. You are part of a different entity.

You're part of the church of Jesus Christ. Let me ask you a question. Do you think that there is political tension in Jesus's day? Do you think that there were different movements in Jesus' day? Do you think there are different sects that were trying to plan and argue and even revolt against the Roman oppression?

There is. Church history proves that there was. And when Jesus came, he was laser focused on the mission that he had from heaven. You didn't see Jesus joining this party and and and saying that he believed in this kind of economic system that would be best for his people. He didn't get involved with those things, at least directly.

He preached the gospel. He declared the good news. He pointed people towards another world, a more real world. And whenever political things were even brought to him, he says, listen, give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God. Don't get it twisted and let's not mix it up here.

And so there are times where the church must address situations and circumstances that are happening in our world, and there are other times, if not most of the times, where we say, okay. It's getting crazy out there. It is dangerous. There is a spirituality behind it, but we must stick with the mission that God has given us. Does that make sense?

I hope it does. But as you turn to Judges 11, you'd be surprised to know that as we're exploring this book and we have come to this chapter, how much of this text gives commentary to the spiritual condition of many professing Christians in the West. Is anybody here familiar with the story of Jephthah? Just raise your hand if you are. Just a few.

Maybe this will help. Are you familiar with the incident in the Bible where a man supposedly sacrifices his own daughter? Lift your hand. Got the same amount of people that were familiar with Jephthah. So a majority of the people here are not familiar with that story.

It's a tragic story and when you start judges, you kinda get a momentum of triumph. Right? That we see good judges that are that are there and they're performing God's will. And as the the book continues and as we progress and move forward, we realize that triumph is being quickly replaced by tragedy. Tragedy after tragedy after tragedy, and that is certainly true in this text.

And we're almost tempted, if you're familiar with the study, to jump right to that moment where Jephthah makes a vow to God that cost him his daughter's life or did it. But we want to honor the whole chapter and see what the Lord has in store for us for every verse possible. So, here we are, Judges 11. We come to a new judge and we are told that his name is Jephthah. Now let's read about Jephthah in verse one.

Now Jephthah, the Gileadite, was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was the father of Jephthah, And Gilead's wife also bore him sons. And when his wife's sons grew up, they drove out Jephthah out and said to him, you shall not have inheritance in our father's house, for you are the son of another woman. Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, and worthless fellows collected around Jephthah and went out with him. Now, it helps to see that this chapter is connected to verse 18 of chapter 10, where it says, and the people, the leaders of Gilead said to one another, who is the man who will begin to fight against the Ammonites?

He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. Then we are introduced to Jephthah. And the first two things that we are told about Jephthah, number one is that he was a mighty warrior, and number two, that he was a son of a prostitute. So right off the bat, you get the impression that Jephthah was not handed a deck in his life that he probably would have chose if he had the choice. He enters into the world from the act of a man's lust and lack of self control.

We read here that Jephthah was not even raised by his own mother, was rejected by his own mother. Gilead, his father, takes him in and raises him up with his wife and the children that he bore with that woman. And so Jephthah here, you get the idea, had a reprehensible reputation. Those who looked at him would realize that he was a product again of a man's sin. He was illegitimate.

His life would be stained to some degree, because of the decisions of another, outside of his control, obviously. And on top of being the object of scorn, you read here that again his mother rejected it, but not just his mother. You had his half brothers that wanted to drive him out of the home, because of their selfish and sinful ambition. They didn't want him to have any sliver of his of their father's inheritance. So he was denied by his mother.

He was denied by his half brothers. And as you read about this man, even in the first two verses, you would think that psychologists would deem this man as a damaged soul, who perhaps be familiar with emotional turbulence for the rest of his days. And as you read on, you think, this man has no future. I mean, your home doesn't accept you. Your mother doesn't even accept you.

Who are you? And we almost see Jephthah here as what? Like a Joseph, right, in the book of Judges? The Joseph of the book of Judges, where his brothers don't want him, they push him out. Who knew what it was like growing up in that household as Jephthah?

And not only that, you see that he is not just like a Joseph, but he is a picture of Christ. He's a picture of Christ, who though he came to his own, was rejected by his own. And those who rejected him, just like Jephthah, did not realize that he was actually their savior. Jephthah was Israel's savior. We're about to see that in a moment, and his brothers didn't see that.

Jesus came to the Jews, and he was anointed by God to be their deliverer, and they didn't see that. And if they saw it, they didn't want that. And so right here already, you see a prophetic picture of the ministry in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. What's amazing as as that is that we see a practicality in these verses as well. Here's Jephthah pushed out by his family, which is the exact opposite attitude of the church.

We don't push out those of broken backgrounds and shattered upbringings. We bring them in. We bring them in. We embrace them in the love of Christ, because our father's inheritance is large and wide enough for anybody and everybody to share in, if they do so by repentance and faith. So there's no intimidation.

We should be open as a church for the worst of the worst to come in, and not be grossed out by them. Not to look down upon them. Not to try to not want to be included in our little clicks. Now we embrace them, and we accept them, and we hope that they would be a part of God's family. So as you read this, you see the prophetic implications of Jephthah's life, and you see the practical.

And beyond that, you get a list a a lesson that we see in first Corinthians. Right? That lesson that we're all familiar with. That those in the world that are often overlooked and rejected, are they that God tends to raise up and use for his glory? You look at this man in the first three verses, and you think this man doesn't have a future.

He doesn't even have a family. And that is the exact person that God is gonna use to do mighty exploits for his name's sake. He didn't have a pedigree. He didn't have a home that loved him. He didn't have a noble birth.

Any memory association with his upbringing was dysfunction, And those that were supposed to comfort him and embrace him were actually the source of rejection and pain. And God is about to reach out into the land of Tob and call a man by the name of Jephthah. And Jephthah's gonna return back, and I would have loved to seen the faces of his half brothers when they realized that this was the elected judge that would help see victory over the Ammonites. God is not unashamed to associate with the worst of the worst. The genealogy of Jesus Christ alone proves that God is more than willing to take the most unlikely and to take the most unwanted in terms of worldly standards to be a part of his family and his ministry.

I love that. I praise God for that because you sitting in this place should not for a moment think that God shows more favor or attention to somebody who had a more impressive ancestry line, or was raised up by godly parents, or did not sin as much as the next person in your unconverted days. You'd be amazed to know what God is willing to do with the most broken and shattered life. Because God is the master taking broken pieces and making a mosaic out of it, and displaying before the world what he can do with a man or a woman who's been crushed by sin and their own choices even. And so God has a different standard in raising up men and women for his glory.

We see that right away in Jephthah's life. So what happens? Let's look at verse four. After a time, the Ammonites made war against Israel. And when the Ammonites made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob, and they said to Jephthah, come, be our leader, that we may fight against the Ammonites.

Now, I want you to look at verse seven, and if you've been with us throughout the book of Judges, please tell me, what does this sound like? Where have we seen this before? Is this wording familiar? Look at verse seven. But Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, did you not hate me and drive me out of my father's house?

Look at this. Why have you come to me now when you are in distress? Who does that sound like? Who does that sound like? God.

That's exactly what God said in the chapter before this one. That is exactly how the people had been treating God up to this point. How the nation of Israel has been relating to God is now reflected in how they are relating to Jephthah. Only coming to him when they're in distress. Notice that when they came, they didn't come with any remorse.

They didn't come with any genuine repentance. They didn't come with any sorrow for how they have treated him in the past. The only thing that they were after when they approached Jephthah, was that they would receive from him what they needed to satisfy their own political, personal, and practical agendas. Welcome to the world of how many people relate to God. He's a utility God.

Whatever I need, and if he's gonna if I can utilize him to advance my purposes, when I'm in trouble, I can go to him. That's exactly how many professing Christians relate to God. That the only communication they have is in moments of distress. And just like God, again, there's no repentance here. There's not like, Jeff, that we've treated you wrong.

We shouldn't have looked down on you because of your uncontrollable decisions. You're just the offspring of another man's decisions. No. They just came right for the jugular. We need you.

Are you in or are you out? And as I was reading this, I thought to myself, how would it be if we knew what God felt from time to time? I'm sure we would relate to God a lot differently. If you and I just got a sample of God's heart, I'm sure we would not do certain things that we are in the habit of doing. Hey, Jephthah.

How does it feel to have a people only approach you when they need something from you? Lord, it doesn't feel very good. It doesn't feel very good. May I never ever relate to you in such a way. You know, you better be careful praying that prayer, God break my heart for what breaks yours.

He might actually just break it and shatter your life forever. You'll never view the the world the same way again. You'll never view the church the same way again. You'll never view compromising Christians lukewarmness ever again. If you pray that prayer long enough and you mean it, God will actually put his finger on your heart and break it permanently.

Be careful what you pray for. Be careful. Because God, if you look in the Old Testament, when he recruits a servant, when he recruits a messenger, you know what he often does? He often lets them a sample into his own heart concerning how his people treat him, so that they would have the heart to speak behind the message that he would give them. They would actually feel it.

And so he makes an Ezekiel lay on his side so he can feel the message. He makes a prophet marry a prostitute only for that prostitute to cheat on, so he can feel what spiritual adultery feels like. So that when they would declare the word, there was heart behind it. There was unction behind it. There were tears streaming down their face.

And so Jephthah here is getting a little little taste. Telling if you just get a little taste of what God feels with the people that are inconsistent, that are more attracted to things that are gonna fail them, oh, we would relate to God much differently. But the main point of this, with Jephthah's response to the request, is that we should never think for a moment that people would treat us any better than they treated Jesus. We should never, for a moment, think that the world and even professing religious people will treat us any better than they treated Jesus. If you wanna know how they treated Jesus, just realize that they nailed them to a piece of wood.

And if we believe that, there would be a lot less complaining on our part. The Lord calls us to be prepared for such a reception. A servant is not better than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you. If they despise the most holy, loving, powerful, wise man that ever lived, and that will ever live, what makes you think that they're gonna treat us any better?

So we should not be surprised at the mockery. We should not be surprised at the betrayal. We should not be surprised at the dishonor. You should not be surprised like Paul who said, we are the scum of the earth. We are the scum of the earth.

He uses that language. And here Jephthah is a picture, a picture lesson of that. They're treating Jephthah exactly the way they treated God. And if you're a true follower of Christ, pursuing godliness, Paul told Timothy, you will be persecuted. Not might, you will be persecuted.

Either from the world out there or like Jephthah, from those who profess to be your brothers and sisters? It's gonna happen. Jephthah is experiencing that right here. But despite the motives of the people, look at verse nine. Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, if you bring me home again to fight against the Ammonites, and the Lord gives them over to me, I will be your head.

I love how he attributes victory to the Lord. I love how he has full knowledge that if not for God intervening through him, then there would be no victory. And I believe that Jephthah here is not one to seek the opportunity to have some kind of prominent position. This is not Jephthah trying to get revenge on his kindred. This is not Jephthah seeking some kind of a way so that he can lord over people.

I believe Jephthah's exception of this invitation was so that he can see God magnifying it, exalted through his ministry. He goes, if this is gonna happen and God will give me victory, then let it be so. How can we assume such a thing? Because when you go to Hebrews eleven thirty two, you realize that Jephthah is mentioned in that Hall of Faith. Jephthah is, specifically.

Telling us to a certain degree that this man was a man of God. He walked with God. He loved God. He wanted to honor God. He trusted God.

And so here's his opportunity to do so and he takes the opportunity to do so. And the Holy Spirit takes Jephthah's life and puts him in Hebrews 11 as an example of faith. He he could have been bitter, he could have been angry at the people saying, now you want me? When when you know I'm a mighty warrior, you realize that I had some skill and ability and leadership? Well well, no.

Forget about it. No. He goes, this is for God. If this is for God, then let it be done. I will I will accept it.

And he does accept it. Now, how are we introduced to Jephthah in verse one? He was a mighty warrior. And when you come down to verse 12 now, after he negotiates with the people of Israel, and he chooses now to say yes and becomes the leader of the nation, we read here in verse 12, then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, and said, what do you have against me? That you've come to me to fight against my land.

You would think that if this guy was a mighty warrior, that he would just go on a onslaught, in a barbaric way to just destroy everybody in sight, but he doesn't do that. The first thing that Jephthah does, the first priority that he has in mind is to promote peace, and to try to come to understand where they're coming from, for them to now take siege and to to rank against them. And he goes, what's going on here? Why are you even doing this? And this is the biblical definition of a mighty warrior.

This is the picture of a man who is mighty in spirit. And Jephthah here again is a picture of another thing that the New Testament says. Marks identify somebody who is related to God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Do you know how in one of the strongest ways possible, you can be identified and known as somebody who is a part of God's family? Jesus said in Matthew five nine, you are somebody who intentionally seeks to make peace in every relationship possible. To be a peacemaker is not primarily you going between two parties that are at odds with one another and try to bring some resolve. It includes that, but that's not what it is. There's something more difficult than that.

Being a peacemaker is someone who though you know somebody's done something to you even, or if you have the thought that perhaps you've done something to somebody else, seek with every effort and every fiber of your being to bring some kind of restoration to that relationship. Some reconciliation. You're not satisfied with knowing that you have potentially severed a relationship because of sin or misunderstanding. You you don't move on in life knowing that potentially your testimony for Christ is marred because somebody might have somebody or something rather against you. And so you you fish that person out, you you put down your pride, you you go and you communicate and you try to make peace with all men.

And Jesus says, if you're a peacemaker, I look down from heaven and I say, to all the hosts and all the creatures in sight, that is a child. That is one of my sons. That is one of my daughters. Do you know why? Because it is an attitude that reflects God when he extended to humanity a contract of peace.

The same way Jephthah here is sending out a letter to make sure that all things are clear, so that peace can be the priority. God sends the person of Jesus Christ to his enemies, to try to bring peace before there is any war. He could have thrusted all of humanity into hell for all the eternity, start a new world if he wanted to. But instead, he goes into the world and he wants to make peace with his enemies through the blood of Christ. And when you adopt that attitude in your life, in your realm, in your world, you're reflecting the heart of God.

Not that God has anything to ask forgiveness for, that's us. But the attitude of longing to be in the place of love and understanding, That is God's desire. Romans twelve eighteen. If possible, so far as it depends on you, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Does that mean just the people of the church?

Does that mean all, like your neighbors? You know as a church, we care about what our neighbors think. Right? We don't want to have a negative testimony to those around us. We we don't wanna be at war with people in their mailboxes.

Some of you understand that your the back of your car can testify to it. We want to live peaceably with all. And that's one of the characteristics of a mighty man, a mighty woman who is a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. They don't plan to take personal vengeance. They seek forgiveness when they need to seek forgiveness.

And they attempt to even deal with their enemies in a way where they have some level of understanding. And these things God says, this is my child. And so Jephthah has a pen to do that, but what happens in verse 13? And the king of the Ammonites answered the messenger of Jephthah, because Israel on coming up from Egypt, took away my land from the Arnon of the Jabbok, into the Jordan. Now therefore, restore it peaceably.

So, the king of the Anomites, he wants to have a peace treaty, or he wants to have a truth. But upon a condition, you give back what you stole from us. You took our land. It's been hundreds of years, but now we're concerned about it. You took our land, so you give it, and then there won't be any war.

Now, we just we just learned that Jephthah was a man of peace here. He didn't just go out and attack these people, he wants to communicate and find some resolve. So we would think what? Jephthah, if you're really a man of peace, give them what they're asking for. Right?

No. Because we learned something else about a true peacemaker. A peacemaker ceases to make peace or to build a relationship once truth and righteousness are being compromised. Because the Ammonites are not right in making this request. And what Jephthah does for the next lengthy few verses, is explain theologically and historically, why what they're asking for is not right.

So what do we make of that? That when it comes to trying to be in harmony with people, if their request for there to be harmony and peace makes you compromise your allegiance to Jesus Christ, you in love and respect frame it differently. And if they want to excommunicate you or push you out or treat you in a certain way, as long as it depends on you and your stands for truth, you've done your part. So the same Jesus that said, blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God, said this in Matthew ten thirty four. It's quite amazing.

Do not think that I've come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace but a sword. Jesus, I read you five chapters ago, and you said, blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. And now you're saying that you didn't even come into this world to bring peace, but you actually came with a sword. That doesn't sound like somebody that's coming to make buddy buddies.

Well, if you look at the context, what he's saying is, that if a person accepts my rule in their life, if you embrace a reconciled relationship with Jesus Christ, know this, it will affect your relationships with other people. So translation, that's why he goes on to say that mother-in-law will be against daughter-in-law, and then brother will be against sister, all these different things. Why? Because some of you know what it's like to accept Jesus into your heart and then bring him home to people who do not love Jesus Christ. And what is he trying to say here?

That he longs to make peace. That's why he was sent, to make peace. To offer his blood so that men can be reconciled to God. But there's a condition. His truth must be honored.

And so there can be no peace apart from an acceptance of his condition of truth and objective reality. And so Christ here is not trying to, I love you, you love me, let's just be a big happy family. No. That's a lot of people's versions of Jesus, but it's not the one found in your bible. Christ here has a standard, and you and I also have to understand that in any realm of relationship where somebody calls us to give up or to compromise our stance on truth, I'm sorry if it's gonna make your Christmas dinners awkward, and I'm sorry if you're not gonna have as many worldly friends.

But if that intimidates you, and you've convinced yourself in the name of peace to be a compromiser, so that you don't make tension in your relationships, you're not a peacemaker, you're a compromiser. Christ said, I've come to bring a sword. Your acceptance of my rule will change the way you relate to others. And that's the way I've ordained it to be. It's an interesting thought because when Jephthah hears this news that, yeah, yeah.

We'll be at peace, but give us back our land. He gives this wonderful accurate understanding of God's work in the past. And then we read down here when I'm not gonna read all this, so go down to verse 28. See what it says. But the king of the Ammonites did not listen to the words of Jephthah that he sent to him.

So they're gonna go to war. They're gonna fight. And as you read up to this point, don't you get the impression that Jeff does very, very, very much an admirable man? That he is someone to emulate. This is a man of faith.

This is a man of no compromise. This is a man who didn't let his upbringing and his past damage up to the point where he couldn't see himself being used by God. This isn't a person that allowed his circumstances to cripple his confidence, when it was, in fact, God giving him the confidence. This is a man who was focused in serving God. This is a man who stood for truth.

And I encourage you on your own time, you read between verse 15 and verse 27, and you see how much Jephthah knew you thought he went to seminary. You thought the man got a PhD in theology. He wasn't just a mighty warrior with a sword, he was a mighty warrior with the sword of the spirit, the word of God. It's a very powerful When he when he gives the the reasons why, it's so so compelling. It's amazing how people, when they're confronted with truth, are so emotionally bound to their convictions that they can't surrender.

And that's what the Ammonites did. They said, you know what? We're not here to have some kind of debate. We we just want what we want, so let's go to war. And you would hope that judges 11 would end here, with this high note, with this wonderful testimony of a man of faith, who gives a flicker of hope in the book of judges, but it turns very quickly to something that I would deem one of the darkest incidences in the entire scriptures.

Surely, arguably, in the book of Judges. What happens? Look at verse 29. The spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed on to Mizbon to Gilead, and from Mizbon to Gilead, he passed on to the Ammonites. So the spirit of God rushes upon him, clothes him, anoints him, empowers him to be a general.

And you think now he's gonna go to war, he's gonna lead the charge, but he does something in verse 30 that's quite interesting. He makes a vow. And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, if you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. See what he's saying here? God, if you give me the victory over my enemies, at the moment I step foot back into my town, and I look to my front door, and whatever comes out of my front door, I will lay it on the altar, and I will it to you.

So what happens? In two short verses, we read that Jephthah gains the victory. And it says though the author here doesn't want to focus on the details of the warfare, he wants to now jump to the vow and what's going to happen with Jephthah's response to now God giving him the victory, and what he's about to face when he goes back home. So what happens? Well, from verse 32 down to verse 33, we read that the Anonites were subdued before the people of Israel, and now you come to verse 34.

Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah, and behold, his daughter came out to meet him. With tambourines and with dances, she was his only child. Besides her, he had neither son nor daughter. So just picture this for a moment with you, with me, please. Jephthah comes with blood stained clothing, and as he is approaching his village from a distance, he hears the music, he hears dancing and chanting, and he still senses the the sensation of the spirit of God that animated him to be a mighty warrior and to slaughter an entire group of people.

And as he approaches the village, he sees the people coming out of their homes, and coming into the streets, and throwing petals into the air, and music, and tambourine, and dancing, and he looks over and he sees that there's a feast being prepared, and people are just celebrating that God has brought about liberation once again. And here is Jephthah with a smile on his face, though winded and tired, excited and thrilled that God would use the son of a prostitute to do mighty things for the kingdom of God. And as people are jumping around him and embracing him and kissing him on the cheek, Jephthah looks over and he sees his home, and he sees the door open slowly, and with a smile on his face, his daughter, twirling around, comes into the scene with a huge smile on her face, with a tambourine, and she's playing with it, and celebrating God, and celebrating her dad for being a man of faith. And all for a sudden that smile on Jephthah's face quickly, sinks. And his eyes open up with horror, when he realizes that his daughter comes out.

And the man is so grieved that what was a celebration quickly turned into a funeral, at least in his sight. Verse 35. And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, alas, my daughter, you have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me, for I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot take back my vow. And the music stops. The tambourines in the background cease.

Jephthah's daughter places that instrument on the ground, looks at her father as he's on his knees with a tour shirt. And as she looks, she says in verse 36, my father, you have opened your mouth to the Lord. Do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth. Now that the Lord has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites. Very faint picture of the attitude of Jesus, that when the father made a decree for his death, for the sin of the world to be placed upon his shoulder, he showed no hesitation.

But willing and joyful submission to him being the ultimate burnt offering for the sins of the world. This is one of the most debated text in the old testament, and I would say it's literally fifty fifty. I mean, in a room like this, you might have 50% saying one thing and 50% saying the other. And here is what the two main conclusions are from this moment. Number one, Jephthah's daughter was not actually sacrificed, but she was dedicated to perpetual virginity.

And because she was Jephthah's only child, the grievance of this was that his descendants, his lineage would cease at this point. The second viewpoint is no, no, no, no, no. He put her on the altar, and he lit a fire. And she became an actual burnt offering. This is not a salvific issue.

It would make a great conversation for fellowship. But let me present to you the arguments for both, and you prayerfully make your conclusion, I'll give you what I believe, what took place after this moment. And so we read, She said here, my father, you have opened your mouth, oh Lord. Do to me according to what is gone. And now look at verse 37.

So she said to her father, let this thing be done for me. Leave me alone two months that I may go up and down on the mountains and weep for my virginity, I and my companions. So he said, go. Then he sent her away for two months, and she departed, she and her companions, and wept for her virginity to the mountains on the mountains. And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made.

She had never known a man, and it became a custom in Israel that the daughters of Israel went year by year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year. Let me give you the points to why many believe that Jephthah's daughter was not actually killed, but that she was sacrificed in a different way. First off, we are not explicitly told that he actually sacrificed her. It's silent. Many believe that she was not just a perpetual virgin, but she was dedicated to the service of the Lord in the tabernacle.

Why is that the case? Because in the Old Testament, you see glimpses of women serving at the tabernacle. So here's a verse in Exodus 38 verse eight. He made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze from the mirror of the ministering woman who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting. Exodus thirty eight eight.

Remember Hophni and Phineas? Remember those two scoundrels? Remember the sons of Eli and first Samuel? Eli would not discipline his sons who were priests. Remember that story with Samuel?

He was a little boy and he grew up in that environment. We're told about Hothai and Phineas that they slept with the woman who ministered at the tabernacle. So there was woman who were placed, who have given themselves to serve to an extent at the house of God. Now, it doesn't mean that they were all virgins, but it does tell us that there were women who gave their lives to service. Thirdly, or secondly rather, we know that God condemned human sacrifices.

He never accepted it. He never asked for it. So surely, if Jephthah would have done such a thing, God would have condemned it. He would have voiced his disapproval of such a thing. Thirdly, a man like Jephthah, as you've read, who on more than one occasion honored God with his lips and honored God with his actions, surely, a man such as this would not perform such a heinous act, especially when you read from those verses between fifteen and twenty seven, of his accurate understanding of the word of God, would he would he actually do this if he has such a knowledge?

Fourthly, prior to Jephthah's vow, look here in verse 29. What happens to him? The spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah. Would a man clothed with the spirit of God make such a vow and commit such an act of human sacrifice? Look at verse 39.

We are told here that when she comes back after her two month retreat into the mountains to mourn her virginity, that she had never known a man. She had never known a man. So the emphasis here is the fact that she remained a virgin. Now, why is that important if this woman was gonna die anyway? Why talk about her virginity and her perpetual celibacy?

Go up to verse 37. She said to her father, lest this thing be done for me. Leave me alone two months that I may go up and down on the mountains and weep for my virginity. If I knew I was gonna die, and I wasn't married, I'd weep for other things. But here, the focus is that she's weeping for her virginity.

She will never know a man. She will never know the joys of being a mother. And remember, in this culture, it was a great honor. You would almost rather die in this culture than not continue your father's lineage or your husband's lineage. In Leviticus 20 verse two, God enforced a law that if any of the people of Israel or foreigners in the land committed child sacrifice, they were to be put to death.

They were to be put to death. Now, why is that important? Well, after this moment, Jephthah continues in Judges chapter 12, and he remains as a judge. You would think that if a man committed human sacrifice, he would have been dealt with accordingly. But instead, he he dies as every other judge does, and he remained a judge until his dying breath.

Look at Judges 12 verse seven. Jephthah judged Israel six years, then Jephthah the Gilead died and was buried in the city of Gilead. Seven. Seventh point. If he was to sacrifice his daughter on the altar in the tabernacle, right?

Because that's where you perform a burnt offering, would you not think that there would have been a national uproar for somebody entering into the house of God and placing a human being where animals were supposed to be slaughtered? Lastly, how could the bible speak so highly of Jephthah, as you read in Hebrews, and it's, he's also mentioned in first Samuel, if he has committed such an atrocious deed? So you just heard some of the main arguments for why this was a symbolic sacrifice and not a literal one. Now, let me give you the arguments for why it is a literal sacrifice. Number one, when we look at Jephthah's vow to the Lord, he intended to make a literal burnt offering.

He's not speaking about a spiritual burnt offering. There's no mention of dedicating somebody to be a virgin forever or for them to serve in the house of God forever. Secondly, look at verse 39. Look at the language here. At the end of two months, she returned to her father who did with her according to his vow.

If you just read it plainly, and if you're just honest with the vow, you come to an honest conclusion that he performed what he said to God that he would perform, and that was to give a burnt offering. Thirdly, when we look at the vow that he makes, now listen to this, it seems to indicate that Jephthah, even in his own mind, did not have just an animal sacrifice or even an animal sacrifice in his plan. Think about it. What did he say? Go back here in verse 30.

He says after, if you give the Ammonites into my hand, verse 31, that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace, that will be offered up as a burnt offering. Question, do you keep goats and bulls in your house? That's right, you don't. And so, the idea that there was farm animals in his home to meet him as he came home, doesn't seem realistic, and if he did have an animal in mind that he would encounter when he came home, then why did he respond in such a way when his daughter came out? Why didn't he just wait for the daughter to move out of the way until a sheep came out behind her?

Why why was the deal done with the moment he saw her? If he had an animal in mind, then he just would have waited for an animal to come out. Does that make sense? So it's quite possible that he did have a human sacrifice in mind, and he was hoping that one of his servants probably would come out. Fourthly, if we examine verse 40, look with me.

The daughters of Israel went year by year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gilead four day four days in the year. So it became now a matter of recounting every year where the the woman of Israel for four days would lament as they retold the story of Jephthah's daughter. And it seems quite excessive to do such a thing if a woman just dedicated her life to service to God as a virgin. The counterargument is that the word lament can be known as celebrate. That's a stretch.

This seems to indicate a grieving time, a time of reflection, and a time to remember somebody that perhaps wasn't there any longer. If you're feeling discomfort about this possibility, that's the point and we'll get to that in a moment. Maybe I just gave away my answer to what I believe. Though the incident is recorded, who said God approved of it? Who said God accepted it?

Who said this is God's idea? This is how many Christians and even people who try to criticize Christianity, this is what this is where their main hermeneutic is is at a fault here. Just because it's in the bible, especially in a narrative, in a story, doesn't mean God approves of it. And just because God is silent of the matter in the specific moment, you have to look at the entirety of the scripture to see his opinion on a on a truth, or a matter, or an action. In this particular moment, God is silent.

There's no approval here. Sixth point. Just because the spirit of the Lord rushed upon Jephthah, does not mean that after that time, when he goes from Gilead to Mizpah, to the Ammonites, that he couldn't have made a vow in the flesh. So it wasn't like the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and in that moment he makes a spirit inspired vow. Time had passed, and this proves that the Holy Spirit can use you and empower you, and you can resist his guidance, and you can walk away from his wisdom and operate in the flesh.

Lastly, the lack of detail of what took place with Jephthah's daughter may indicate that the author did not want to dwell upon a tragedy too long. And let me add another point. When you think about the fact that he's mentioned in Hebrews 11, because that's what people say, how can how can God honor a man who would commit such an act? How can God honor a man like Samson? He was mentioned in Hebrews 11.

Actually, look at every person in the Hall Of Faith, and you can come to a act that they have performed that was greatly sinful. Think of Abraham, think of Jacob, think of David. Not all of them, but a lot of them. So the the applause for the faith is for, and in respect to his military victories, not for this specific incident. Just like Samson was recognized for his faith at the end of his life, and not for his promiscuous lifestyle.

What did Jephthah do? Just for the sake of knowing. Let's see if this will work this time. Who here believes that it was a symbolic sacrifice and not a literal one? Lift your hand.

So four four or five people lifted their hand, I'm assuming everybody else is gonna lift their hand on the next question. Who believes that it was a literal sacrifice? Majority. I'm not gonna tell you what I believe. I will tell you what I believe.

It's my personal belief though, you can see why this is a tough decision to make. You can see why there's a debate. There there's great evidence for both sides, but I believe the evidence is greater in that he actually did sacrifice his daughter. I believe the reason why some might agree that he didn't, and I'm not saying that's the reason why some here might not agree or agree to that, is because we can't imagine a man like Jephthah performing such an act, or we can't imagine God approving of such a sacrifice, but we already dealt with that. If you just eliminate the idea that God approved of it, just because it's recorded doesn't mean he applauded it, then you have a greater possibility of embracing this possibility, as horrific as it is.

So then if that is the case, and again, this is not a hill to die on, and this is not worthy of splitting a church over. But if that is the case, then the next question would be this, how could how could a man like Jephthah make such a vow and then go on to perform that vow? You ready for the application here? I think the answer to that question is with another question. Where would Jephthah have gotten the idea that God would accept a human sacrifice as a way to appease or to negotiate?

You have an idea? Not a past event. That's a good that's a good guess though. Where would he have seen it? Where would it have been a normal thing?

Where would it have been an act that was performed as normalcy? The answer is in Deuteronomy 12. I encourage you to turn there, so then you can have a strong support to potentially why it was that Jephthah felt comfortable enough to make such a promise to God. In Deuteronomy 12 verse 30, we are told, as we've studied in Deuteronomy, God speaking through Moses to prepare the people of entering into a land that has been polluted by false worshipers, of false gods. And look at the warning here, take care that you be not ensnared to follow them after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, how did these nations serve their gods?

Don't even let your curiosity explore the matter. Once you even have the the itch to find out how they serve their gods, cut it off right there, nip it at the bud. These nations serve their gods that I may also do the same. And how is it in this context that they worship their gods? Look at verse 31.

You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates, they have done for their gods. For they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. He warned them hundreds of years ago through Moses, be careful when you come into the land that you take their means of worship and apply it to how you worship me. God knew in advance that this would have been a temptation for his people, so he warns them hundreds of years ago, as they're ready to make a covenant to come into the promised land, they worship by sacrificing their children. And I believe this, that Jephthah, though a man who had and held much truth, and generally honored the Lord, was desensitized by the environment of violence around him, to the point where what did he do?

He adopted their false beliefs and he allowed it to live with his own. And Jephthah is giving us one of the darkest examples. You wanna see how bible study applies to our lives? You wanna see how Judges 11 relates to 2021? Jephthah is one of the darkest examples in the Bible to show how somebody who can be aligned in many areas in the word of God, can also believe false truths that have been molded and framed by the culture.

You read before this point of Jephthah's knowledge and affirmation and familiarity with God's dealings in the past, and his theological reasons for why he came into the promised land and conquered the lands, and you say, this is a man who knows his God and knows his word. And that same man in one particular area allowed the culture to mold and shape his understanding of how he should relate to God. And I argue today that you have believers that would confess foundational truths of Christianity, but at the same time, because they have not been discerning and studied enough, have allowed the world to tell them how to interpret certain areas of life and relationship with the Lord himself. So in Jephthah's case, he had a theological and accurate historic understanding of how God brought his people into the land of Canaan. Good job, Jephthah.

That's wonderful. Very accurate. We applaud you for that, but the same man didn't know his theology on sacrifice. And you have many people today that will say, Jesus Christ is the only way to the father. Praise God.

Praise God. But those same people will say, but Jesus Christ accepts homosexuality. Where'd you get that from? I believe that this is the word of God and it's the only revelation that God has given. And yet, those people who would confess that fundamental truth would also say, if you were to ask them their view on money, sexuality, marriage, justice, and it's foreign to this very thing that they claim to know.

Think about it. I am astounded. I am astounded of the lack of discernment of young Christians today in interpreting the events that we see in our generation. I am astounded that Christians today, who claim to believe in the word of God can support an organization like Black Lives Matter. Your lack of discernment is astounding.

It's appalling. On sexuality, on homosexuality, on transgenderism, on priority in the political realm, on all these things. How many Jephthah's are in the churches today? That if you were to quiz them on different areas, like if you were to quiz Jephthah, they would get many things right, but they are dangerously wrong on vital issues. The lack of discernment comes from a lack of understanding of the word of God.

People don't read their Bibles today. They don't. Not for themselves. Majority don't. And so what?

What happens? They allow the arguments of the world, they allow their emotional turbulence and attachment to these things, dictate and frame their convictions. And let me put it this way, most convictions that Christians have framed their lives come from the culture more than revelation of truth. Learn from Jephthah. You can be right about many things, but at the same time, grievously wrong about areas that are so damning.

If you don't agree with this interpretation of Jephthah's vow, please remember that the theme of judges is to show the horror of the moral decay in Israel when they reject God as their king. If you feel disturbed and uncomfortable with the idea that Jephthah would actually slaughter his own offspring, his only offspring, welcome to the world of judges. The overarching idea is, look at a society, look at a household, look at what an individual can come to when they resist or reject God. You're supposed to feel the darkness as you read these pages. And hell becomes more of a reality when God is pushed out more and more.

What should Jeff have done? He shouldn't have made such a foolish vow in the first place. Some people debate, should he have broken his vow? Does God honor a vow? It's very difficult to reconcile how God can honor a vow that contradicts his word.

This man proves that he really did not know God, and it proves that he really did not know what God required of him. So how do we apply Jephthah's life in my Christian walk? Here it is. Knowing God's word is a matter of life and death, whether it's your own life or somebody else's. Emotional life, mental life, physical life, and more importantly, spiritual life.

Here's the new testament equivalent to that in first Timothy four sixteen, and we end our bible study there. He told this young pastor, Paul did, in the spirit, keep a close watch. Keep a close watch on your life and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by doing so, you will save both yourself and your hearers. Jephthah only heeded the great call for men both in the old and the new to know the Lord their God, as he's revealed it to the revelation that he has provided.

How many Jephthah's do you think are in churches today? How many people are being pressured and pressed to interpret certain areas of life and not let this word frame it for themselves. Jephthah, again, is the extreme example of what will happen to America in your lifetime and mine. You're saying, nobody would ever sacrifice somebody in fire. No, you're right.

They just do it in the womb. And they do it as though it was a sport. They do it without even blinking an eye. They do it while boasting in it. Moloch has been worshiped for many years in America.

And whatever atrocities that you see now, unless God sends a revival that will convict this place from east to coast and north to south, we will see greater darkness that is unimaginable, just like what we see in this book. May God help us. Heavy text, heavy message, appropriate for 2021, at least up to this point. Let's seek God. Lord, we thank you that you have not filtered your word in a way that is unrealistic.

Lord, not only is your word a window into the glories and the beauties of Christ, but it's also a window into a world without him. And we look out into that world through your word, and we sense we sense the darkness that can come from our own hearts. And father, if it had not been for you regenerating us, and changing us, and transforming us, we confess before you that we are capable of evils just like what we read. Lord, in this place tonight, we ask that there would be not one soul that would have a misunderstanding of you. Lord, thank you that you are patient with our growth in truth.

But Lord, if we have no pursuit or hunger, then we are open to many deceptions. Keep us in the place of viewing the world in the lens of your revelation. Keep us in the place where all that we know and however we interpret or measure things in life comes from what you've given us. Lord, as you told Timothy, help us to watch our life and what we believe in, and may it line up with what you've given us and we will be safe, we believe it, with all our hearts. And not only will we be safe, but we will know joy.

True Holy Spirit joy. We pray in this church, father, that no one would fall into the mistake of Jephthah. That worshipped you in a way that was shaped by false ideologies and systems of belief. May we instead worship you the way you've called us to worship you. Thank you for a church that loves the word of God.

May that only grow. Thank you for a church that is not pressured by the culture. May that only remain and be strengthened. May this be a church that knows discernment. May this church not parrot everything that they read or see on the internet.

May this church be slow to speak, quick to hear. May this church, more importantly, be an advocate for truth. Father, in this place, as we reflect on such a dark chapter, we're also warned by your light that in that chapter is tucked in a sliver of gospel truth that you willingly became an offering without hesitation. In perfect communion with the father and the spirit, in the perfect divine plan to redeem humanity, you allowed the wrath of God to be poured upon you, so that you can redeem us. Lord, we relish in that.

We give you praise and glory, and we worship you of the revelation and wisdom from Judges 11. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.