May 28, 2025
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Judges, Proverbs, and Psalms? Here’s today’s reading:
Judges 11 (NIV)
1 Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. 2 Gilead’s wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. “You are not going to get any inheritance in our family,” they said, “because you are the son of another woman.”……Continue Reading
Judges 11
Judges 11
Judges 11
Once again God uses the rejected one to rescue Israel. Jephthah is wise to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict as well as give a history lesson explaining his understanding of the situation. He is not wise to make the vow that he does though. Making a deal with God should not be a usual practice anyways in our lives. If something is right to do, then do it. If we ask God to help, leave that up to Him as to how He chooses to do so, as opposed to promising something to Him if He does. I suppose Jephthah didn’t consider that maybe his daughter might be the one most likely to come through the door….I mean, who came out when he came home? did a sheep or goat usually greet him at the door? And kudos to the daughter to be willing to do her part to honor her father’s vow to God. It is strange, but an honorable thing for her to do.
An unlikely candidate to save the people once again. Jephthah does start with best of intentions to negotiate with the Ammonites but this attempt was unsuccessful. Sad that he thought he needed to make deals with God. God simply expects us to ask and then trust His will. I was amazed at the bravery of his daughter to go along with such a misguided vow that we know God did not expect or want.
Judges 11
Steve and I talked about whether this sacrifice of Jephthahs daughter was actually a “burnt offering”. I was thinking about it more this morning. It seems like from her response, mourning her virginity, is that the sacrifice is more like Hannah’s sacrifice of Samuel and that she would be a dedicated servant to the Lord, like maybe Anna? I wouldn’t think one would be calm and accepting of being made a burnt offering.