Judges 11

Judges 11:1

2. Jephthah’s Defense of Israel (11:1-28)11:1-3 The man of the hour was Jephthah. He is described as a Gileadite, a mighty man of valor, and the son of a harlot. Having been rejected by his own countrymen, he had wandered off to the land of Tob (probably in Syria), where he became the leader of a band of desperadoes or outlaws. 11:4-11 The elders of Gilead now asked Jephthah to lead the armies of Israel against the Ammonites, promising to recognize him as their head if he defeated the foe. In some ways Jephthah reminds us of the Lord Jesus: There was a shadow over his birth and he was rejected by his brethren. When they got into bondage they remembered him and called upon him as their savior; and in agreeing to help the Gileadites, Jephthah agreed to be their savior but insisted on being their lord as well. 11:12-28 Jephthah’s first action was to send messengers to the king of . . . Ammon, giving him an opportunity to explain his aggression. The king complained that Israel had stolen his land from him when the nation marched from Egypt to Canaan. Jephthah explained clearly that this was not so. The Lord had instructed His people not to meddle with the Edomites (Deu_2:4-5), the Moabites (Deu_2:9), or the Ammonites (Deu_2:19)all distant relatives of the Jews. Therefore, the Israelites bypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab. However, when they came to the territory of the Ammonites, it had already been captured by the Amorites, whose king was Sihon. Israel took possession of this land by defeating the Amorites. When the king of . . . Ammon refused to withdraw his claim to the land, Jephthah prepared for war.

Judges 11:29

3. Jephthah’s Vow11:29-40 Before going into battle, Jephthah made a rash vow that he would devote to the Lord whatever first came out of his doors . . . to meet him if he returned home victorious. The LORD gave him victory over the Ammonites, and as he returned to his house his daughter came out to meet him. Jephthah therefore offered her to the Lord. There is considerable disagreement as to what Jephthah actually did to his daughter. One view is that he killed her and offered her as a burnt offering to the Lord. This is perhaps the most obvious meaning of the text, even though the idea of human sacrifice is repulsive and was never approved by God (Deu_18:9-14). Only animals were sacrificed; human beings were dedicated, then redeemed by money (Exo_13:12-13; Lev_27:1-8). The other common view is that Jephthah gave his daughter to be a perpetual virgin in the service of Jehovah. Those holding this viewpoint state that Jephthah’s vow was that whatever came forth from the doors of his house . . . “shall surely be the LORD’s, or I will offer it up for a burnt offering” (v. 31). The idea of perpetual virginity is strongly supported by verses 37, 38, and 39. In any case, the lesson is that we should not make rash promises.