Series: Blind Faith: Taking Action When You Don’t Know What God Will Do
Jephthah is an interesting character in the Bible. But let’s first examine the cultural atmosphere in which Jephthah lived. God was very angry with the evil and idolatry of Israel.
Judges 10:6-18
“And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.
“And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim. And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation. And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.
“Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh. And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead”
As a young man, it sounds like Jephthah was rejected by his brothers, as scripture says “he was the son of an harlot” and “the son of a strange woman”. We don’t know the exact timeline, if this might have happened at or around the time of the death of Jephthah’s father, but inheritance is mentioned in the context of their rejection.
“Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a strange woman. Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.” –Judges 11:1-3
We don’t know exactly was Jephthah was doing as he gathered with “vain men”, perhaps he was something of a pirate, but Jephthah developed respect as a mighty and fearsome person. When Israel faced the tough opponent of the Ammonites, they approached Jephthah to lead them.
“And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words. Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.” — Judges 11:4-11
As Israel’s new captain who had taken some kind of oath of office, Jephthah made a diplomatic inquiry to the Ammonites, and found that the king wanted the lands back that they felt that Israel had unfairly taken. Jephthah then gave them a history lesson, and indicated that the Lord had dispossessed them. “So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?” (Judges 11:23).
It was at that point that Jephthah takes his famous vow. Some imply that Jephthah made a rash vow that involved the pagan practice of human sacrifice, but scripture shows that he did so when influenced by the Spirit of the LORD (Judges 11:29). Jephthah is also commended in the Hebrews “hall of faith” (Hebrews 11:32). Since a woman’s (spiritual) career was thought to be her husband and children, in being dedicated to God she had to sacrifice that dream, and she did so willingly.
For more on that topic see my post: https://livingbyathread.wordpress.com/2015/10/04/men-and-women-in-the-service-of-god-hannahs-son-and-jephthahs-daughter/
So God accepted Jephthah’s sacrificial vow just as he did Hannah’s vow (Jephthah had only one daughter and no sons and now he would not have grandchildren).
In making this vow to God, Jephthah practiced blind faith, and helped his whole nation achieve victory. Jephthah did lose something in the process (his heritage of a continuing line) but he is commended by God in Hebrews 11.