Judges 11 – Vows Not Needed, Just Have Faith

Reverend Leo H. McCrary II

The believer must not be rash and impulsive on this journey. Judges 11 shows us that there is a price to pay for “irrational faith”.

Introduction

As we study Judges 11, the subjects of impulsiveness and prudence will be at the forefront.  Something you will learn when you walk with the Lord is that all you have to do is move faithfully.  You don’t have to do anything extra aside from being obedient. 

Sadly, many of us will become impulsive in our faith; rather than just doing the basics of faith, we try to do more.  God doesn’t ask for extra; He says be faithful.  So, this is going to be a wonderful study to remind all of you of why it is so important to be patient and prudent in your faith.

Judges 11:1-3 – Jephthah, the Raider 

Judges 11:1-3 introduces us to Jephthah, the “ninth judge” of Israel, if you’d like to include Abimelech in that list.  All the judges we have studied so far have been quite peculiar choices for God chose to lead Israel; however, Jephthah might be the most peculiar of the bunch.

Judges 11:1 tells us that Jephthah was a Gileadite.  Gilead, the person, was a son of Manasseh, the oldest son of Joseph.  Manasseh, the tribe, you may recall from our study of Judges 1, settled in the land on both sides of the Jordan River.  The region of Gilead, however, was on the east side of the Jordan, which was not a part of the land promised by God, but was promised to half the tribe by Moses (Josh. 13:29-31; 18:7).

While Jephthah was technically of the house of Joseph, he was considered illegitimate by birth.  Judges 11:1 tells us that Jephthah was the son of a harlot, not the wife of his father.  The implication is that his mother was a gentile woman as well, which further hindered his legitimacy.  

The people fail Jephthah and God

By law, Jephthah, being born illegitimate, was not permitted to enter the assembly of the Lord (Deut. 23:2).  Moreover, Judges 11:2 tells us that his brothers drove him out, telling him he’d not share in their father’s inheritance.  So, Jephthah’s childhood was a rough one.  He ended up fleeing the land of Gilead for the land of Tob, where Judges 11:3 tells us he became the leader of worthless men who went out raiding with him.  

Whether he was illegitimate or not, shouldn’t Jephthah have been treated better?  Throughout history, and especially in the present, many people have been mistreated by those who proclaim to be of God.  The one who is of God should move in holy conduct, and holy conduct loves all people; it does not hate nor despise those who are different.

In Leviticus 19, the children of Israel were instructed to be holy as God is holy.  They were instructed to love their neighbors, which included those they know and the stranger (foreigner).  The children of Israel were instructed to love the poor and the needy.  Doing otherwise would be unlawful.

So, in the case of Jephthah, by the law, he could not enter the assembly of the Lord, but at the same time, he was supposed to be loved.  All of those who were the cause of his fleeing to another land had done wrong by him and by God’s law.

To me, I believe this should serve as a warning to all of God’s children who mistreat others, living by a principle they believe is lawful, according to God’s word, but they have misunderstood.  I’ve studied a lot of scripture over the years, and I can’t recall God ever commanding His children to mistreat others.  In Matthew 7:12, Jesus teaches the golden rule – ‘treat others the way you want to be treated.’ 

In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus clearly instructed that love is to be shown not just to those you know or who love you, but also to those who hate you or use you.  Throughout His ministry, Jesus made it clear that we’re supposed to even love those we don’t know, a stranger, as shown through the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

So, as the people failed Jephthah, they also failed themselves and the Lord. I believe there are many Christians today who, thinking they’re doing what’s right, are failing themselves because they are failing their neighbors and the Lord.  You must be prudent in how you treat all of those who are around you!

Judges 11:4-11 – A Need for Jephthah

A lesson in prudence, my parents taught me when I was growing up, is that you have to be careful how you treat others because you never know who you will need one day.  Honestly, that has been one of the most powerful lessons I have ever learned.   

One of the more prominent stories in scripture that teaches this lesson is the story of Joseph.  Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery because they despised him, his dreams that foretold the future of how they would need him, and the fact that he was their dad’s favorite.  Yet, after he had risen to prominence, there was a drought throughout the land, and Joseph’s brothers needed him.

On the opposite side of that, if you aren’t prudent in how you treat others, they can become a longtime adversary.  Abraham’s first son, Ishmael, born through Sarah’s handmaiden, Hagar, was cast out alongside his mother after Sarah gave birth to Isaac, the son of promise.  Ishmael became a great nation, and as it was prophesied in Genesis 16:12, his people, often identified with the Arab people, plagued ancient Israel, and still plague the land today.

Esau, after being schemed against and losing the birthright and blessing to his brother, Jacob (Israel), also became an enemy that greatly plagued Israel.  In fact, the Amalekites descended from Esau (Gen. 36:12)!   You have to be prudent about how you treat people!  That was a lesson that we’ll see the elders of the Gileadites were about to learn.

The elders call for Jephthah

Judges 11:4 tells us that in the passing of time, the Ammonites made war against Israel, to be more specific, against those in Gilead.  It’s not made clear whether or not this war was connected with Judges 10:8-9, when the Ammonites made war with Gilead, and then crossed the Jordan to make war against Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim.

Now, because of the Ammonite war, Judges 11:5 tells us that the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.  Judges 11:6 tells us that the elders now needed Jephthah to be their commander and fight against the people of Ammon.  The implication as to why they went to get Jephthah is that either his crew of bandits enjoyed some success against the Ammonites, or there was nobody else left to lead.  

Jephthah’s understandable response

So, how do you suppose Jephthah may have felt with the elders now seeking his help?  Jephthah was tossed out like trash, and in his response, you could feel that he felt that way.

In Judges 11:7, we’ll see that Jephthah asked, “Did you not hate me, and expel me from my father’s house?”  He then asked, “Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?”  When you mistreat people, they don’t let it go, and that mistreatment plays a role in building their character, for good or for bad.

The elders pled their case, being upfront about why they had come to him, repeating that they sought for him to lead all the inhabitants of Gilead (Judg. 11:8).  There was a back-and-forth that played out in Judges 11:9-11, where we can see what Jephthah truly desired.  Jephthah’s desire was not in the land of Tob but to be with his people and to never be exiled again.

I do want to point out some of the character traits Jephthah showed in the ‘negotiating’ of his return.  He dwelt quite shrewdly (cunningly) with the elders, knowing his position, knowing their need, to get exactly what he wanted.  I would even say that there was a hint of arrogance in a take-it-or-leave-it kind of way.  

I do believe these were some of the character traits that Jephthah had to learn in the land of Tob.  These are character traits that are actually quite common in many of the spiritual leaders we find throughout scripture.  

For example, Elijah is a great example of a spiritual leader who had such vigor.  Elijah stood before King Ahab and the prophets of Baal at the height of their wickedness, and did not flinch on Mount Carmel.  On the spiritual battlefield, you have to have a fighter’s spirit.  At the same time, you must be able to keep that spirit in check.

Judges 11:12-28 – Jephthah Stands on Truth

From Judges 11:12-28, you can see where Jephthah fully stepped into the fighter’s spirit as he sent word to the king of Ammon.

I’m not going to go over this passage of scripture, as it is a retelling of the history between the Ammonites and Israel.  I do highly recommend reading this passage of scripture, as it is a direct retelling of what took place in Deuteronomy 2 and Numbers 21.  That is the history of the days of Moses, as the children of Israel were wandering in the wilderness.

Judges 11:34-40 – The Danger of Making Vows to God

When words failed, Israel and the Ammonites set themselves to do battle.  Before the battle, Judges 11:29 tells us that the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah as he advanced toward the people of Ammon.

Faith over impulsiveness

The Spirit of the Lord coming upon Jephthah is a significant moment.  Many love to believe that the Spirit was inactive in Old Testament times, but once again in the book of Judges, we see that is not true.  This marks the third appearance of the Spirit after the Spirit came upon Othniel (Judg. 3:10) and Gideon (Judg. 6:34).

When the Spirit comes upon anyone, there is guidance into all truth.  Guidance into all truth means that the Spirit leads one to victory – a victory that is assured.  When the Spirit comes upon you, there is nothing more that you need to do, other than follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

Jephthah, however, chose to do more.  In Judges 11:30-31, we’re told that Jephthah chose to make a vow to the Lord.  Jephthah vowed, “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.”

This vow to God sounds impressive, doesn’t it?  It sounds like it comes from a place of great faith.  Yet, this vow is crazy and completely unnecessary.

The danger of making vows to God

Why was Jephthah’s vow crazy?  Firstly, his vow was impulsive; one that was made in the heat of the moment before battle.  Secondly, and most importantly, it is dangerous to make vows to the Lord.

In Ecclesiastes 5:4-5, Solomon stated that when one makes a vow to God, they ought not delay to pay it.  Solomon said that one ought to pay what they vowed, as the Lord has no pleasure in fools, stating that it is better not to vow than to vow and not pay.

In general, many of us think little to nothing when it comes to making vows, and the reason why is that vows are so often broken that we think nothing of it.  Sure, there are times when a loved one breaks their vow (or promise) to us, and it does hurt.  At other times, some of us will shrug our shoulders and carry on.

Though we may think lightly of making vows, God treats vows as a serious matter.  The reason why God treats vows as a serious matter is that He has made a vow with mankind.  God vowed to restore mankind from sin to its glory, and to fulfill that vow, God gave His only begotten Son.  His only begotten Son gave His life to further seal the vow.

So, when we make a vow to the Lord, let’s understand that our vow is being weighed against God’s vow that was sealed through Christ.  This is why it is so dangerous to make a vow to God!  When you make a vow to God, you have to meet His level of faithfulness, and that is extremely difficult for us sinners to do.

In Judges 11:34-35, after defeating the Ammonites, Jephthah returned home, and the first person to greet him was his daughter.  The scripture tells us that Jephthah tore his clothes in grief.  According to his impulsive and unnecessary vow, Jephthah now needed to offer up his own daughter as a burnt offering to be faithful to his vow.

Keep in mind, God had not asked nor instructed Jephthah to do that.  God does not ask any of us to offer our loved ones up as sacrifices to Him.  Some of you may think of God instructing Abraham to offer up Isaac as a burnt offering (Gen. 22).  Yet, with Abraham, God stopped Abraham before he could offer up Isaac after seeing his devotion.

From Judges 11:36-37, we will see a rather sad conversation between Jephthah and his daughter, where he admits to having made a vow to God.  His daughter did not know what the vow was, but she told him that he must be faithful to it.  I believe Jephthah was completely torn up about what he had to do, as we will see that he did not respond.

When Jephthah had no words, we’ll see in Judges 11:37 that his daughter interceded with a plan of her own to make up for what Jephthah could not do.  The full gist of what she had done is not truly understood until we read Judges 11:38-39.  She was cast out for two months, going into the mountains to bewail her virginity.  

However, it was when she returned that the scripture tells us that Jephthah carried out his vow with her, which he had vowed.  Rather than offering her up as a burnt offering, she remained a virgin the rest of her days.  The implication would be that she never married, not even after the death of Jephthah.  Jephthah had brought her into his vow the moment she interceded for him.

So, not only did she not get married, but she had no children, which, for Jephthah, meant he had no grandchildren at all.  The implication from scripture is that his daughter was his only child.  In the end, the offering that Jephthah gave to the Lord was his daughter’s life, in a manner of speaking, because in both ancient times and in that culture, marriage, bearing, and raising children were a woman’s focus.

Requirement of Faith 

Now, there is a bit more to cover in Jephthah’s story that I am not going to cover in this week’s study, but will be covered in Judges 12.  

For now, I want us to sit with the thought about what moving in faith looks like.  What does moving in faith look like to you?  The only thing that faith requires is your trust and obedience to God’s instructions.  

Consider this:  Does God ask anything more of us than our obedience?  Absolutely not.  Jesus taught that all the law and the prophets hang on the command of loving God wholeheartedly and loving our neighbor.  

To be clear, the manmade “rules and regulations” of the Christian faith are just that–manmade.  For example, there are no set rules for when and how one worships the Lord, but we have come to an accord on what we believe a worship service should be.  Even when it comes to what one eats, while you may consider something to be sinful to eat, the Lord told Peter, “What God has cleansed you must not call common (Acts 10:15).”

The sin is when one causes another person to stumble, which we must be careful about doing.  The key, as Paul expressed throughout his many letters is for there to be unity in the faith.  

At the same time, I will teach that we should simply let there be unity between the Lord and us.   How do we do that?  By simply moving in obedience.  I cannot put any more emphasis on this – you don’t have to make vows to God.  

Vows are not mandatory to walk with the Lord.  God has already made a vow to you, and all you need to do is put forth your best effort of remaining faithful to His word.  In your best effort, there is mercy and grace, even should you falter.  Now, if you feel the need to make a vow to the Lord, make certain it is a vow you are willing to keep.  Take that vow with the utmost seriousness of keeping it.