Judges 11 | Jephthah

Judges 11 Jephthah
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In today’s daily devotional, we find ourselves at the midpoint of the Book of Judges, where we meet the eighth judge, Jephthah, in Judges 11. The question arises: are all leaders truly selected by God? As we explore this chapter, we’ll examine Jephthah’s rise to leadership, the complex nature of his vow to God, and the consequences that followed. Through personal journal entries spanning decades, we see the evolving understanding of God’s sovereignty, human decisions, and the often tragic outcomes when we try to negotiate with the Almighty. This passage challenges us to consider the nature of our relationship with God—one that should be based on trust and obedience, not on bargains and conditional promises. Let us dig deeper into the lessons of Judges 11 and seek a more biblical, straightforward relationship with our Lord. To learn about the judges that came after Abimelech, read the daily devotional on Judges 10.

Judges 11 Commentary by Allen J. Huth

Today, we cross over the halfway point of the Book of Judges. In Judges 11, we will be introduced to judge number eight. Are all leaders selected by God? Please read or listen to Judges 11.

In the first journal I ever wrote, back in 1983, I wrote, “Jephthah’s obedience, a high price to pay but better than disobedience.”

How do You Gracefully Transition Jobs?

In 1995, as I continued to transition from one job to another, I wrote about my prayers, “Thoughtful time with God about career change to ABA. Transition items: specific direction of steps, blessing of great success in new position, office space, etc., that I fit with them and them with me.” So, things are back on track a little bit with ABA, but decisions have not been made yet. Stay tuned to see what happens.

What Is the Story of Jephthah in Judges 11?

Concerning Judges 11, I wrote, “Jephthah, son of a harlot. A condition of birth, not his fault. But he was discriminated against. However, he appears to have been a godly man knowing the history of Israel. Jephthah made a foolish vow to God. Help me, Lord, not to make foolish vows to You to get a blessing from You. Rather to stand on the promises of Your Word.”

In 2016, I was reading Judges a little bit slower, so I read Judges 11 on two different days. My journal entries are, “Jephthah, the eighth judge, was selected by the elders of Gilead and the people made him head and leader over them. No indication God was in this choice, either. Christians often say, ‘God picks our presidents or leaders.’ Really? He has not been selecting the judges of His own people over His own land. Sometimes He allows us to have what we want because we reject Him as our King. Is He sovereign? Of course. But there are plenty of times He is not involved, nor approves, who was selected as our leaders.” 

On the second day of Judges 11, in my journal, I wrote, “Nice to see the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah, though God may not have raised him up as a leader, He can use a leader as He pleases. (May it be so with President-elect Trump.) But Jephthah tries to negotiate with God. If You will, then I will.”

Did Jephthah Sacrifice His Daughter to the Lord?

I hear people say this, “If you heal me, save me, get me out of the mess I’m in, I will love You and serve You the rest of my life.” Some people follow through. Probably most do not. Jephthah makes a foolish vow. I suppose God could have brought an animal through the door, but He did not. Human sacrifice is an abomination. Vows that lead to sinful behavior are not binding, but Jephthah kept the vow, offering his only child as a burnt offering. Did keeping his vow make him holier-than-thou or foolish?

I turn to my English Standard Version footnotes for some explanation about Jephthah and his vow. Concerning verse 31, it says:

whatever comes out. The wording here would indicate that Jephthah intended to offer some animal as a burnt offering. However, the grammar also allows for “whoever,” in which case Jephthah would have intended to offer a human sacrifice all along. If so, what surprised him was not that he had to sacrifice a person but that it was his daughter. Human sacrifice was strictly forbidden in Israel. Yet Jephthah’s foolishness impelled him to make such a vow and apparently to follow through with this abomination (p. 459).

Concerning verse 35, “I cannot take back my vow”, my footnote says:

Vows were solemn affairs, made only to God. People were not forced to take them, but, if they did, they had to be kept, under normal circumstances. But any vow that would end in sin was not binding; keeping it could not please God, and the Levitical laws provided for such instances. Human sacrifice was an abomination, and Jephthah should not have followed through with killing his daughter (p. 459).

What Is the Moral Lesson of the Judges 11?

The footnotes give us a legal and biblical explanation of what could have happened with Jephthah’s vow. But just like most of us, we do things from a human perspective, not a biblical perspective. In this instance, the vow itself was unnecessary as was keeping the vow with sinful behavior. 

Who negotiates with God in the Bible?

Our practical application from Judges 11 is this: Do not negotiate with God. God does not need to play, “If You will, I will.” Have a straight-up relationship with the Lord. Have a biblical relationship with the Lord. Scripture clearly outlines what God wants from us and how He treats us. There is no need to make vows to God or no need to beg God to get us out of some circumstance and then say we will worship Him. We ought to worship Him anyway, right? 

Prayer

Lord, forgive us if we get ourselves in a place, in a bind, where we beg You to get us out of it and then say we will serve You. Forgive us, Lord, for that kind of attitude. Help us see through the Book of Judges and the rest of the Bible, You love us and You will always care for us if we come back to You with a truthful and grateful heart. Thank You for Your love and Your watch care over us. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

We invite you to watch the “Great News” video on this page and find out more about God’s love for you and how you can receive forgiveness and eternal life – today!

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The Prayer of Salvation

Jesus, I don't know You, and I don't know what Your plan is for me. But thank you for coming to die in my place. I'm sorry for anything I've ever done wrong in my life. I don't understand how You could ever forgive me, but if You really would, I would like to accept your free gift of grace and complete forgiveness. Please come into my life and take control, and help me trust You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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