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Scripture

Going Deeper

Going Deeper

Jephthah (2-13-16)

As we started into our study on Jephthah this week, we saw that he was “a mighty warrior” but also the son of a prostitute. (Judges 11:1)  Right out of the gate, we are given a reminder of real life.  While we can be great at using the gifts God gave us, we can still have struggles and situations in life that are incredibly hard and consequential.  Just because all of life is not grand, doesn’t mean that God can’t or won’t use us for mighty things.  Jephthah had every fleshly reason to be mad at God for his deplorable conception and the fact that it meant he was exiled from his family, but it didn’t cause him to stop trusting in God.

Many of us get so caught up in our hard or unfair circumstances in life that we just let it swallow us into the pit and into depression and sin.  We start giving up on God and the things he has set before us to steward for his glory.  I pray that this week you are blessed by the reminder we get from Jephthah that even though things may be incredibly hard, if you are still alive, God is not done with you. We need to be reminded that “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” Philippians 1:6.

Next, God not only brought Jephthah full circle back to his people, but gave him the opportunity to lead them and to be victorious over his enemies.   The problem is that his hunger for conquest came at the highest price in his life.

He vowed to the Lord God that  “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 problem is what came out of his tent upon his victorious return home was his daughter, his one and only child. The only hope for his legacy and namesake being passed on would not get the chance to have children and raise his grandchildren for he vowed to offer her up to God as a sacrifice.

Not only is this horrible news and the most tragic situation but it shows us how serious we should take our vows before the Lord.

Why is it so important?  Because we are never to take God’s name in vain or to use it flippantly to make a vow we will not keep.

At the end of the day, even when unbelievable loss and pain is before you, will you stand as a person of faith in God and keep your promises or will you bail and take the road that is best for you even if it means betraying an oath you made to God or in his name?

One of the tragic ways many have justified this in modern day life is in that vow of marriage.  Many have justified the breaking of a vow they made in God’s holy name to be one with another in marriage until death do them part in order to be done with a lifetime of hardship and pain.  But our vow before God was not until love goes away. It was until death do us part.

Even if divorce and the breaking of this kind of vow is in your past, know that you are forgiven in Christ and don’t let the legacy of your broken vow end on that note. You can and should be a part of the conviction and implementation of seeing through your vows to God in the future no matter what it costs you.  You can be a part of teaching a new generation coming behind us that they are to take way more seriously the degree of commitment they are making when committing before God to be faithful to one until death do them part than those that have gone before them.   Jephthah’s testimony proves to be a faithful lesson because even though seeing through his promise meant a life-long consequence for him and his daughter, he was faithful to the end because it was a commitment he made to God.  God’s name is what holds the most weight and not the pros and cons of another option.

The main reason why this kind of oath is not to be made for “ordinary” occasions has to do with the fact that our oaths must be sworn in God’s name. The Bible commands us to hallow God’s name.  The mistake Jephthah made was to vow something he did not need to and because he did, he paid an incredible price.   Jephthah rashly made a vow to sacrifice whatever came out of his house if God would give him a victory. Instead of breaking his vow, he kept it and sacrificed her (Judges 11:29–40). We do not know if that sacrifice meant her death or her being sent away a lifetime virgin- never to have kids or make for him a legacy and family heritage. The other thing to note here is her faith.  For her to say, may it be as you have promised is also an incredible display of faith and uprightness.

May we take the vows we make way more seriously than we do.  May our yes be yes and our no be no so that we are known as people of integrity and uprightness.  May the vows we make in God’s name be of the highest importance because God himself is worthy of this kind of obedience and resolve.  His very name is worthy of our greatest expense and endurance to see it through.

In Judges 12, we see that his victory and rule continued for 6 years in total.    He didn’t let his origins take him out of the fight nor did he let great personal loss take him out of the fight.  He endured and continued to be a man of faith.  I believe this is why Jephthah is listed with the other great brothers and sisters of faith in Hebrews 11 (the faith hall of fame).

What is interesting is the fact that even though Jephthah committed a crime he could have avoided, Hebrews 11 endorses him as an example of great faith.   The point here not to be missed is that although Jephthah made a huge mistake and sinned, he was still a man of faith.  This is good for our soul to read about because none of us are without struggle, mistake and sin and yet the power of Christ lives within us so that we too might live by faith in our great God. As reprehensible as his actions were, in Christ he is still a conqueror.

May we be encouraged in our greatest setbacks to remain faithful to God.  Never to betray our oath to him to be our Lord and God. To seek first his kingdom and the making much of his name.  Never to bail out if and when times get incredibly hard and personally unbearable.  Just as God is faithful to us until the very end, may we be faithful to him.

By His grace and for His glory,

-Shepherd

Soldiers for Jesus MC

National Chaplain

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Scripture

Jephthah 2/12/2016

Hebrews 11:1-32

By Faith

11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

32 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—

(ESV)

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Scripture

Jephthah 2/11/2016

Judges 12:1-7

Jephthah’s Conflict with Ephraim

12:1 The men of Ephraim were called to arms, and they crossed to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the Ammonites and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house over you with fire.” And Jephthah said to them, “I and my people had a great dispute with the Ammonites, and when I called you, you did not save me from their hand. And when I saw that you would not save me, I took my life in my hand and crossed over against the Ammonites, and the LORD gave them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?” Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and Manasseh.” And the Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, “Let me go over,” the men of Gilead said to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” When he said, “No,” they said to him, “Then say Shibboleth,” and he said, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it right. Then they seized him and slaughtered him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time 42,000 of the Ephraimites fell.

Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in his city in Gilead.1

Footnotes

[1] 12:7 Septuagint; Hebrew in the cities of Gilead

(ESV)

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Scripture

Jephthah 2/10/2016

Judges 11:29-40

Jephthah’s Tragic Vow

29 Then the Spirit of the LORD was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, 31 then whatever1 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 it2 up for a burnt offering.” 32 So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the LORD gave them into his hand. 33 And he struck them from Aroer to the neighborhood of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim, with a great blow. So the Ammonites were subdued before the people of Israel.

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. 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.” 36 And she said to him, “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.” 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.” 38 So he said, “Go.” Then he sent her away for two months, and she departed, she and her companions, and wept for her virginity on the mountains. 39 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 40 that the daughters of Israel went year by year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year.

Footnotes

[1] 11:31 Or whoever

[2] 11:31 Or him

(ESV)

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Scripture

Jephthah 2/9/2016

Judges 11:12-28

12 Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites and said, “What do you have against me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?” 13 And the king of the Ammonites answered the messengers of Jephthah, “Because Israel on coming up from Egypt took away my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jordan; now therefore restore it peaceably.” 14 Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites 15 and said to him, “Thus says Jephthah: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites, 16 but when they came up from Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh. 17 Israel then sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us pass through your land,’ but the king of Edom would not listen. And they sent also to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained at Kadesh.

18 “Then they journeyed through the wilderness and went around the land of Edom and the land of Moab and arrived on the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the boundary of Moab. 19 Israel then sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him, ‘Please let us pass through your land to our country,’ 20 but Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory, so Sihon gathered all his people together and encamped at Jahaz and fought with Israel. 21 And the LORD, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them. So Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country. 22 And they took possession of all the territory of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan. 23 So then the LORD, the God of Israel, dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel; and are you to take possession of them? 24 Will you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? And all that the LORD our God has dispossessed before us, we will possess. 25 Now are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend against Israel, or did he ever go to war with them? 26 While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, 300 years, why did you not deliver them within that time? 27 I therefore have not sinned against you, and you do me wrong by making war on me. The LORD, the Judge, decide this day between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon.” 28 But the king of the Ammonites did not listen to the words of Jephthah that he sent to him.

(ESV)