In a book filled with strange stories, his is one of the strangest.
Judges 11 recounts the story of Jephthah, by most counts, Israel’s eighth judge. From the beginning, we are told that while Jephthah was a mighty warrior, he was also the illegitimate son of a prostitute. Because of the harassment of his “legitimate” brothers, he abandoned his family and nation and fled to Tob where he became, essentially, a gang-leader. (We haven’t even gotten to the strange part.) But when his country came calling for his help to lead their army against the Ammonites, Jephthah agreed.
Here's where it gets weird.
Before going to war, Jephthah made a vow to God that if God would give him the victory, he would give back to God (ESV – “offer it up for a burnt offering”) the first thing that came out of the door to meet him after returning victoriously. Well, Jephthah won the battle and returned home, only to be greeted by his only daughter.
This story raises all kinds of questions. Did Jephthah know it would be a human that greeted him? Did he really offer up his daughter as a human sacrifice? And if so, did the Holy Spirit make a mistake when He included Jephthah in Hebrew 11’s “Hall of Faith” alongside the likes of Abraham, Sarah, Joseph and Moses? (You did notice Jephthah’s name in your reading yesterday, right?)
While I don’t have all the answers (Miles Van Pelt has an excellent post addressing possible misunderstandings), one thing I am confident about: the Holy Spirit didn’t make a mistake! Is it possible that the thrust of the story is something completely different? Maybe this is not so-much a story about the death of an innocent child, but instead, how disastrous a messed-up view of God can really be.
Most of us have probably done something just like Jephthah… tried to negotiate with God. “God, if You’ll get me out of this,” or “If you’ll keep me from getting caught, I’ll never do (fill in the blank) again.” Like Jephthah, we know that many of life’s challenges are simply too big for us to handle on our own. And so, like Jephthah, we try to barter with God for His help. That’s not where God’s help comes from.
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 4:5-6 NIV84)
Whatever you are going through, God wants to help. Don't get confused about what you have to do in order for Him to care. He already cares! Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you! (James 4:8)