11:1, 2 Jephthah, an illegitimate son of Gilead, was chased out of the country by his half brothers. He suffered as a result of another’s decision and not for any wrong he had done. Yet in spite of his brothers’ rejection, God used him. If you are suffering from unfair rejection, don’t blame others and become discouraged. Remember how God used Jephthah despite his unjust circumstances, and realize that he is able to use you even if you feel rejected by some.
11:3 Circumstances beyond his control forced Jephthah away from his people and into life as an outcast. Today, both believers and nonbelievers may drive away those who do not fit the norms dictated by our society, neighborhoods, or churches. Often, as in Jephthah’s case, great potential is wasted because of prejudice—a refusal to look beyond ill-conceived stereotypes. Look around you to see if there are potential Jephthahs being kept out due to factors beyond their control. As a Christian, you know that everyone can have a place in God’s family. Can you do anything to help these people gain acceptance for their character and abilities?
11:11 What does it mean that Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord? Those making covenants in ancient times often made them at shrines so that they would be witnessed by deities. Often a written copy was also deposited at the shrine. This was much like a coronation ceremony for Jephthah.
11:14ff Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king wanting to know why the Israelites in the land of Gilead were being attacked (11:12). The king replied that Israel had stolen this land and he wanted it back (11:13).
Jephthah sent another message to the king (11:14-27). In it he gave three arguments against the king’s claim: (1) Gilead was never the king’s land in the first place because Israel took it from the Amorites, not the Ammonites (11:16-22); (2) Israel should possess land given by Israel’s God, and Ammon should possess land given by Ammon’s god; (3) no one had contested Israel’s ownership of the land since its conquest 300 years earlier (11:25, 26).
To Jephthah’s credit, he tried to solve the problem without bloodshed. But the king of Ammon ignored his message and prepared his troops for battle.
11:27 Over the years, Israel had many judges to lead them. But Jephthah recognized the Lord as the people’s true Judge, the only one who could really lead them and help them conquer the invading enemies.
11:29 The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah as he did with many of the Old Testament judges, kings, and prophets. Generally when the Spirit came upon a person in the Old Testament, he empowered the person for a specific task or mission. Sometimes this special empowering did not produce an accompanying moral transformation.
11:30, 31 In God’s law, a vow was a promise to God that should not be broken (Numbers 30:1, 2; Deuteronomy 23:21-23). It carried as much force as a written contract. Many people made vows in biblical times. Some, like Jephthah’s, were very foolish.
11:30, 31 When Jephthah made his vow, did he stop to consider that a person, not a sheep or goat, might come out to meet him? Scholars are divided over the issue. Those who say Jephthah was considering human sacrifice use the following arguments: (1) He was from an area where pagan religion and human sacrifice were common. In his eyes, it may not have seemed like a sin. (2) Jephthah may not have had a background in religious law. Perhaps he was ignorant of God’s command against human sacrifice.
Those who say Jephthah could not have been thinking about human sacrifice point to other evidence: (1) As leader of the people, Jephthah must have been familiar with God’s laws; human sacrifice was clearly forbidden (Leviticus 18:21; 20:1-5). (2) No legitimate priest would have helped Jephthah carry out his vow if a person was to be the sacrifice.
Whatever Jephthah had in mind when he made the vow, did he or did he not sacrifice his daughter? Some think he did, because his vow was to make a burnt offering. Some think he did not, and they offer several reasons: (1) If the girl was to die, she would not have spent her last two months in the mountains. (2) God would not have honored a vow based on a wicked practice. (3) Verse 39 says that she never married, not that she died, which could imply that she was set apart for service to God, not killed.
11:34, 35 Jephthah’s rash vow brought him unspeakable grief. In the heat of emotion or personal turmoil it is easy to make foolish promises to God. These promises may sound very spiritual when we make them, but they may produce only guilt and frustration when we are forced to fulfill them. Making spiritual “deals” only brings disappointment. God does not want promises for the future, but obedience for today.