Today’s post explores another instance of biblical history where something horrible happened. It wasn’t the massacre that occurred in Judges 9, and it also wasn’t the graphic detail of the events of Judges 19-21. But it was a singular tragedy that was allowed to happen, not because God endorsed it necessarily, but because a man who made a request to God for military success also made a short-sighted vow:
“Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced toward the people of Ammon. And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.””
Judges 11:29-31 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/jdg.11.29-31.NKJV
Verses 32 and 33 briefly detail Jephthah’s military success, which God granted him. But the text, beginning in verse 34, detail why his vow to God was short-sighted:
“When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given my word to the Lord, and I cannot go back on it.””Judges 11:34-35 NKJV
The thing is, God takes vows very seriously. It doesn’t matter how well thought-out or how poorly thought-out each one is. In this case, the fault was not God’s; it was Jephthah’s.
“If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.”Numbers 30:2 NKJV
““When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you. But if you abstain from vowing, it shall not be sin to you. That which has gone from your lips you shall keep and perform, for you voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth.”Deuteronomy 23:21-23 NKJV
To Jephthah’s daughter’s credit, she understood completely what was going on, and she submitted to it. And for anyone complaining about that, do remember that she did make that choice. Maybe you would’ve chosen differently if you were in her position; if so, that’s your prerogative, and you alone would still be accountable to God for it. That said, I would challenge you to respect her choice as well.
As for the complaint about how Jephthah’s vow meant an end to his daughter’s life, also consider the below passage which reveals her character:
“So she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to the Lord, do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon.” Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and bewail my virginity, my friends and I.””Judges 11:36-37 NKJV
There are two things I want to highlight about the daughter’s character from the above passage: first, she submitted to her father‘s vow, even though she fully knew what that meant; second, she made a request to her father, not demanding that he respond affirmatively to it, but instead balanced putting out what she wanted while still respecting her father‘s word as the final word.
The point I want to make about highlighting her character is that, because she responded with humility, and because she showed great respect to her father, despite what he had done that forever changed the trajectory of her life, I have every reason to believe that she carried the same reverence and respect for God. As such, I have no reason to believe that she is not also in heaven with her Heavenly Father. Yes, her death was tragic, but because of her character, her death also meant eternal fellowship with the Lord in heaven.
“We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”II Corinthians 5:8 NKJV
As for any details about the completion of Jephthah’s vow, God’s Word is succinct and discreet:
“So he said, “Go.” And he sent her away for two months; and she went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains. And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man. And it became a custom in Israel that the daughters of Israel went four days each year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.”Judges 11:38-40 NKJV
One thing I continue to appreciate as I continue to read through God’s Word is the honesty of the history that happened. Yes, it’s humbling, and sometimes it’s very humbling, but to be able to know that God still loves us and pursues us even in spite of how grievously bad we have sinned… that’s where real hope comes in. At such a point, why should anyone of us ever consider rejecting God’s love, through His Son Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross for our sins, so that we might live and live with Him forever?
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”Romans 5:8 NKJV
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