Jephthah's Joy

"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.'” Judges 11:30-31

The Holy Bible tells us quite a bit about vows.   

One of the most significant passages about vows is found in Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 which says, "When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?"

God takes vows very seriously.  And He also knows the heart of every man and woman in all His creation. Some do not consider the weight of their words, while others agonize over each and every one.  What a comfort to know that God sees all these things.  

And He saw Jephthah.

Consider both the tragedy and triumph of Jephthah's story, so misunderstood in our earthly mindset, yet this man made it into the Faith Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11.  Here is the account found in Hebrews 11:31-34, "By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight." 

Who was Jephthah?  

Scripture tells us that he was a Gileadite, a mighty warrior, the son of a prostitute, and that Gilead was his father.  Judges 11:2-3 tells us what happened next, "And Gilead's wife also bore him sons. And when his wife's sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, 'You shall not have an 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."

But Jephthah had something the Gileadites needed, and no one else had.  He was a mighty warrior with a strong faith in God.  So when a conflict arose between the Gileadites and both the Ammonites and Ephraimites, who did they call?  They called Jephthah.

Read the entire account in Judges 11.

Before going into battle against the Ammonites, Jephthah prayed and made a vow before God to give as a burnt offering whatever or whomever came first from his house if he was granted victory and peace in returning from the battle.  

And God answered Jephthah's prayer.

Judges 11:34 tells us what happened next, "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."

Jephthah tore his clothes in anguish because he knew the power of the vow he had made before God, and so did his precious daughter.  She was his joy, gift, most precious earthly blessing.  The expectation and what came next—unthinkable, incomprehensible.

But notice something else.  That was not the end of Jephthah's story.  There is much more that the darkness of this earthly life fails to illuminate.  And while we may fail to grasp the many lessons in this story, there is one that stands taller than the rest.  It is that Jephthah's greatest joy, his faith in God alone, was the foundation upon which his life was built.  Jephthah was driven out from his father’s house, but not his Heavenly Father’s house.  He was excluded from his earthly inheritance, but not his heavenly one.

It’s not the end of your story, either.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 19:29, "And everyone that hath forsaken houses or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall inherit everlasting life."

Is God the foundation upon which all else in your life is built?

Goodnight, Runners.