Just Plain Dumb. Period.

Judges 11-12; Psalm 101; Proverbs 14:13-14

 

Did he have a bad relationship with his wife? Was he hoping that some relative who had overstayed his welcome would be the first to walk out the door of his house? What was Jephthah thinking?

 

Things were going well. The elders of Gilead had promised to make Jephthah their ruler if he could lead them to victory against their enemies. This was settled before the LORD (Judges 11:8, 11). The king of Ammon was clearly in the wrong; he had no good basis for attacking God’s people (Judges 11:12-28), so Jephthah was standing on solid ethical ground. And the Spirit of the LORD was on him (Judges 11:29)!

 

Everything was lining up. God seemed poised to honor Jephthah and overcome the Ammonites through him. So why did he make this vow? If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD’s and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering. – Judges 11:30-31.

 

God hadn’t asked for this! He was already blessing Jephthah! He was already blessing Israel through Jephthah! Surely God knew that Jephthah’s daughter would be the first person out of the house to greet her dad! Why did God allow this vow? Why did God allow it to be fulfilled? What was God supposed to do—let the Israelites be defeated so that Jephthah’s daughter could be saved?

 

It is utterly important that we choose to worship God in the ways that He asks for worship! Otherwise we make destructive, terrible mistakes. We harm each other when we try to make an offer to God – as though anything we have to offer, besides our own faithful service (or even that!) is impressive enough to get God to do something He doesn’t want to do! God was already planning to defeat the Ammonites. Jephthah’s vow didn’t change that. Jephthah could have saved everyone a lot of pain if he had just responded to God with thankful, faithful praise and service.

 

Father, help me to follow You. Help me not to think that anything I have to offer can pique Your interest enough to make You do what I want. Instead, may I follow You in what You want done. And may I worship You as You ask me to. I trust You to keep me from Jephthah’s harmful ways.