Jephthah’s
Vow
29 At that time the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he went throughout the land of
Gilead and Manasseh, including Mizpah in Gilead, and from there he led an army
against the Ammonites. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord. He said, “If you give me victory
over the Ammonites, 31 I will give to the Lord whatever comes out of my house to
meet me when I return in triumph. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”
32 So Jephthah led his army against the Ammonites, and the Lord gave him victory. 33 He
crushed the Ammonites, devastating about twenty towns from Aroer to an area
near Minnith and as far away as Abel-keramim. In this way Israel defeated the
Ammonites.
34 When Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, his daughter came out
to meet him, playing on a tambourine and dancing for joy. She was his one and
only child; he had no other sons or daughters. 35 When he saw
her, he tore his clothes in anguish. “Oh, my daughter!” he cried out. “You have
completely destroyed me! You’ve brought disaster on me! For I have made a vow
to the Lord, and I cannot take it
back.”
36 And she said, “Father, if you have made a vow to the Lord, you must do to me what you have
vowed, for the Lord has given you
a great victory over your enemies, the Ammonites. 37 But first
let me do this one thing: Let me go up and roam in the hills and weep with my
friends for two months, because I will die a virgin.”
38 “You may go,” Jephthah said. And he sent her away for two
months. She and her friends went into the hills and wept because she would
never have children. 39 When she returned home, her father kept
the vow he had made, and she died a virgin.
So it has become a custom in Israel 40 for
young Israelite women to go away for four days each year to lament the fate of
Jephthah’s daughter. Judges 11:29-40
Have you ever been in a jam and said
“God if you get me out of this I promise I will _________” (fill in the blank)
This passage is a perfect example
that we should be very careful about what we promise to God in exchange for something.
So again, have you ever made promises
to God in exchange for something?
Look what Jepthah bargained away.
Also, I am amazed at how his
daughter responded. Maybe she understood that it was better to be with God.
That’s just my thoughts. What do you
think?
This weeks video~
Today’s reading:
JUDGES 11:29-15:20
Tomorrow’s reading:
JUDGES 16:1-18:31
JUDGES 11:29-15:20
Tomorrow’s reading:
JUDGES 16:1-18:31
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