Keeping Vows Before Jehovah God (Judges 11)

Keeping Vows to Jehovah
Jephthah (Judges 11)

INTRODUTION:
Have you ever done anything impulsive? I think I have mentioned before that I am not spontaneous. I will be spontaneous if I can put it on my calendar. But what about impulsive actions?

How much do we think through our actions? The story of a judge named Jephthah illustrates to us the consequences of being impulsive in our relationship with God and he illustrates to us how important it is for us to be “self-controlled,” one of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23).

The time of the judges, you will remember, was a cycle of: faithfulness, prosperity, unfaithfulness, slavery, deliverance by a judge, and then faithfulness again. Let’s take a few notes from 10:6-18 as we get into our text, Judges 11.

“Jephthah” is mentioned 29 times in the OT, the vast majority are in this chapter. He will be mentioned again in chapter 12 where he leads a battle against the Ephraimites because these guys were mad that Jephthah did not take them into battle in this chapter, against the Ammonites. Samuel will refer to Jephthah as a deliverer in a speech he gives in 1 Samuel 12:11.

AN INTRODUCTION TO JEPHTHAH - 11:1-3:
He was a “valiant warrior” (ver. 1). “Gilead” was from the family of Manasseh.
But he was a son of a prostitute (ver. 1) - this is introduced to show the reason why his half-brothers drove him from their family (ver. 2).
He lived in “Tob,” where “worthless fellows” (literally “empty men”) gathered around him (ver. 3) - this is introduced to show the leadership quality that Jephthah had.

IN THE FACE OF WAR, THE ELDERS GO AFTER JEPHTHAH - 11:4-11:
The “sons of Ammon” fight against Israel (ver. 4).
So the elders of Gilead (a phrase used 6 times in this chapter) go after Jephthah, asking him to be their “chief” (ver. 6). This is likely a military position.
Jephthah challenges their sincerity and motives by clarifying that they did, in fact, “hate” him and drove him out from his family (ver. 7).
The elders respond that they need him in fighting the sons of Ammon and they will allow him to be “head” of all the inhabitants of Gilead (ver. 8). We do not know if “head” here refers to a larger, perhaps political position, or if it is just used as a synonym for “chief” in verse 6.
So Jephthah clarifies their offer (ver. 9) - to be “head” - assuming the Lord “gives them up to me”?
The elders agree that this is their offer (ver. 10) - the Lord is “witness” between us. Literally, the text says Jehovah is a “listener” between them. He hears their promises. This is the first allusion to the broader, overall theme of the text: making vows before Jehovah God.
Thus Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead to battle against Ammon. And the historian records that Jephthah spoke “all his words the Lord” (ver. 11) - the second reference to the idea of making vows in the text. Mizpah was the village where Jacob and Laban made vows of nonaggression between themselves in Genesis 31:9. In our timeframe, Mizpah is the village where Israel is camped against Ammon who is in Gilead (10:17).

JEPHTHAH EXTENDS AN OLIVE BRANCH - 11:12-28:
First, Jephthah looks for clarification - ver. 12.
The king of Ammon responds that Israel has taken their land when they came up from Egypt - roughly 300 years earlier (ver. 26) - ver. 13.
Now we have one of the longest speeches in the book of Judges: verses 15-27. Here are Jephthah’s major points:

1. On the way out of Egypt, Israel came to Kadesh and asked Edom if they could pass through their land. Edom refused (ver. 17). That story is recorded in Numbers 20:14-21.
2. Then Israel asked Moab if they could pass through their land. Moab refused (ver. 17). That story is recorded in Numbers 22.
3. Then Israel camped near Arnon (the border of contention with Ammon - ver. 13) - but they did not take Arnon since it belonged to Moab.
4. Israel asked Sihon, king of Hesbon, if they could pass through their land. Rather than simply refusing, Sihon made war against Israel (ver. 20). This story is recorded in Numbers 21:21-31.
5. In that battle, Jehovah God gave Israel victory and the land of the Amorites (ver. 21).
6. That’s how Israel came into possession of the land which Ammon is now claiming (ver. 22). In other words, the land that Ammon is claiming now did not belong to Ammon when Israel took it.
7. Since this land was given to them by Jehovah God, could Ammon take it from them (ver. 23)?
8. Ammon possesses what the god of Moab, Chemosh (8 times in the OT), gave them when Ammon took over Moab (ver. 24). Israel will possess what their God gave them.
9. Next Jephthah reminds Ammon of what happened to Balak, king of Moab (ver. 25). That story is reported in Numbers 22-25.
10. Then Jephthah responds by saying that 300 years have passed while Israel camped in and around the area; why did they not claim the land before? Isn’t there a “statute of limitations”? This would put the exodus around 1500 B. C. and Jephthah living around 1100 B. C.

Jephthah concludes by saying, “I [meaning his people] have not sinned against you. But Ammon is sinning against Israel by making war against them.” So, in verse 27, Jephthah calls on Jehovah, the Judge to judge between Israel and Ammon. In other words, whoever wins the battle between Jehovah and Chemosh will be the true God and their people can live in the land of their choosing.

Ammon rejects Jephthah’s olive branch.

THIS MEANS WAR! - 11:29-33:
Ammon rejected Jephthah’s overtures for peace, but then he picked a war with the Sprit of God! The Holy Spirit had come over Othniel (3:10) and Gideon (6:34). There will be several references to the Spirit and Samson (13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:4). Verse 29 informs us that the Holy Spirit came over Jephthah and he went around gathering an army.

In the process of gathering his army, Jephthah also made a vow to the Lord and this vow is emphasized in several places in the text. We’ve already seen the idea of making vows before Jehovah in the text: 11:10, 11. Now Jephthah makes a vow (ver. 30). If the Lord will give the sons of Ammon into his hands, then whatever comes out of his house to meet him when he returns, it shall be the Lord’s and he will over it as a burnt offering. As you probably know, burnt offerings were sacrifices that were totally consumed on the altar. There was no meat left to eat. The Hebrew word for “burnt offering” is related to our modern word Holocaust.

Jephthah then engaged in battle (ver. 32) and the Lord gave them victory. Not only was Jephthah successful, but he gained for Israel 20 cities and he subdued Ammon on behalf of Israel (ver. 33). Success! Satan instigated the Ammonites to fight with Israel in order to enlarge their land-holdings; instead, Ammon loses land! Don’t we always see Satan losing?

THE VOW JEPHTHAH FULFILLS 11:34-40:
The Law of Moses said, “Then Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the sons of Israel, saying, “This is the word which the Lord has commanded. “If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or takes an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth” (Num. 30:1-2).

Solomon wrote: “When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay” (Ecc. 5:4-5).

On the other hand, God categorically forbid human sacrifices: “You shall not give any of your offspring to offer them to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am the Lord” (Lev. 18:21).

Furthermore, the Law said, “You shall also say to the sons of Israel: ‘Any man from the sons of Israel or from the aliens sojourning in Israel who gives any of his offspring to Molech, shall surely be put to death; the people of the land shall stone him with stones. ‘I will also set My face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given some of his offspring to Molech, so as to defile My sanctuary and to profane My holy name. ‘If the people of the land, however, should ever disregard that man when he gives any of his offspring to Molech, so as not to put him to death, then I Myself will set My face against that man and against his family, and I will cut off from among their people both him and all those who play the harlot after him, by playing the harlot after Molech” (Lev. 20:2-5).

Jephthah comes home from the Spirit giving him victory and “behold!” his daughter comes out (ver. 34). Notice that the historian notes twice that he has no other child besides her.

Jephthah responds with great distress and consternation, “I have given my word to the Lord and I cannot take it back!” (ver. 35).

His daughter responds, “Do as you have sworn to the Lord” (ver. 36). She only asks one thing, that she may go up to the mountains alone with her female companions and lament the fact that she will die without a husband and without a child (ver. 37).

Jephthah allowed her to go (ver. 38) and she lamented her virginity. When she returned Jephthah did to her what he had vowed (ver. 39). She had no relations with a man. From that point forward - although there are no more references to this practice in the OT - Israel commemorated the daughter of Jephthah for four days each year.

The OT seems to make allowance for “undoing” a vow in Leviticus 27. However, as far as I’m concerned the text is ambiguous as far as application of the text to Jephthah’s behavior. By Jesus’ day, you remember the Pharisees had different degrees or levels of vows so that some vows could be ignored. The OT does not allow one to ignore a vow made. This event illustrates to us that just because someone is sincere, does not mean that he or she is right with God. No doubt, Jephthah was sincere when he made that vow to the Lord in verse 30. But, now he follows through by engaging in a behavior that was also strictly forbidden by Jehovah God.

CONCLUSION:
12:7 notes that Jephthah judged Israel for only six years. The text also does not note that Israel had “rest” for a certain number of years, as it did before. What is the legacy of Jephthah?

In Hebrews 11:32, Jephthah is listed in the “Hall of Faith”. One of the attractions of the Marvel movies is that the “good guys” have flaws. The movie “Civil War” was between Captain America and the Avengers who followed his lead and Iron Man and the Avengers who followed his lead. But, the “bad guys” also often have redeeming qualities or they have a “back-story” that elicits some kind sympathy from the audience. Why? Because human beings are complex and often contradictory kinds of creatures.

But the main compelling message, I believe, we take away from Jephthah is that - like Rahab who lied - God will compliment what He can compliment. Where there is good, God will acknowledge that good. For you and me, despite the fact that we are flawed individuals, God can still use us for His glory.

Take home message: Despite the fact that we are flawed individuals, God can still use us for His glory.