The story had nothing to do with her. Her father finally had his breakthrough. Those who cast him out because he was born of a concubine have come back to ask that he be their judge. Becoming the judge of Israel didn’t do anything financially to Jephthah; however, it was about time that he received the recognition and endorsement that his heart has craved since they cast him out. If there ever was a time when God vindicated and honoured a man; this was it and Jephthah was going to make sure that he got all that he had been denied out of this.
She on the other hand had always had a great life. She was an only child and had been spoilt silly by her father. She may not have been invited to parties in the high streets but her father’s peculiar circle of influence more than made up for that gap.
The Bible doesn’t mention her mother, so we will assume that she was no longer in the picture. Her father led a band of vain men; but who didn’t remain vain men. It is my imagination that they turned their camp into a training ground and they became very skilled soldiers. This explains why of all the people in the land Jephthah was approached by the elders to come fight their battles for them.
If you know anything about growing up amongst disciplined men such as I imagine these ones to be, you will know that Miss Jephthah had more than her fair share of pamper and protection. So if I was in her shoes, I would easily say that life was good!
Even when her father came and declared that he had been made the judge in Israel, the only thing that could have passed through her mind, was even better! I mean now she gets to decide who comes to the parties on the high street and not the other way around. As an only child and with a father as influential and strong like Jephthah she had arrived.
However, that was until someone decided to make a vow…which even initially didn’t matter to her, because she had no idea. Her father was going off on his first battle as Judge in Israel; so much was riding on this one battle. The outcome will decide a whole lot of things for his reputation and place as Judge.
Let me digress for a while and put this into perspective for you. I have seen my father under pressure to perform, and I have seen my husband under pressure to deliver. I have also seen my brothers when they are under pressure. While they are all different and deal with their pressures differently, there is a common thread that I see. And it is the fact that when a man is under pressure to perform, it becomes personal.
Men are quick to link every success or lack thereof to their dignity and manhood. I have no idea who told them that failing at a task makes them failures but most men take failure personally.
It was no different for Jephthah. Remember, he had been denied his place as a son in his father’s house because his mother didn’tmarry his father. Jephthah was also the son who couldn’t get an inheritance from his father’s house. So even though somehow he had made something of himself; I mean if he didn’t no one would be asking him to be judge, Jephthah still had the unfortunate need to prove to the elders and all of Israel as well as his father’s house that he was good enough.
This wouldn’t have been a problem if he dealt with his insecurities by himself and didn’t involve others; at least not enough to put them in harm’s way. Well, Jephthah did. He knew what a lot was riding on his performance at this battle so he decided to go the extra mile in getting God’s attention and backing.Jephthah made a vow.
His vow at first glance seemed pretty simple; whatever comes first out of his house upon his return from a successful outing at the battle front, he will sacrifice to God. I am confident Jephthah wasn’t a brash person. War lords and warriors are on the contrary very calculative and careful. Bu tJephthah made a vow.
I am thinking that an outdoorsy person like Jephthah probably had a dog. I can’t imagine that he will make a vow putting his only child in harm’s way. Or maybe worst case scenario, he had a slave and he was pretty confident that the slave or the dog preferably will be the first ones to come out of the house to welcome him upon his return.
The battle was fierce, but God came through for Jephthah in a way only God could. He and his men won the battle. Things were looking up for Jephthah and his company of men and by extension their families. He will finally get the validation that he deserved, more importantly he has now proved even on a grander scale that he was worth something afterall. Jephthah was over the moon. His dreams are coming to pass.
However, that was only until he got home and as the news spread from the city gate that the warriors were back. He remembered his vow and realised the moment of truth was around the corner. However, I still do not think he ever imagined that his daughter would be the first person out. What makes a man confident enough to vow to give his daughter up for sacrifice? As a parent, I will only make a vow that complicated if I was sure my daughter will be the last person to come out of the house especially as I have only one daughter.
Just as Jephthah rounded the corner however, his only daughter showed up with so much joy on her face and songs of praise on her lips to welcome back a father she probably wasn’t confident she would see again. In all the joy and celebration, Jephthah’s face fell. He was a man of integrity and he wasn’t going to renege or back down on his promise. But tell me; just how do you tell your daughter she is the celebratory sacrifice? How?
Jephthah rend his clothes and exclaimed; “Ah, dearest daughter – I am dirt. I am despicable. My heart is torn to shreds. I made a vow to GOD and I can’t take it back!”
I tried to put myself in Jephthah’s place as a parent and I just couldn’t think of how as a mother I can look my child in the eye and tell them that I had put them in harm’s way and cannot do anything to change the situation. Hmmmm. That was the horrible responsibility that Jephthah had this fateful day.
Then I take a step back and ask myself what if I was on the receiving end? What if my father walked up to me and said he made a vow that has put me in danger? What if he told me he couldn’t make it go away, what if he told me I was to be sacrificed to God in thanksgiving? What if?
My response definitely would not be what she said; “Dear father, if you made a vow to GOD, do to me what you vowed; GOD did his part and saved you from your Ammonite enemies.” That was her response however. Now here would have been my own response; “Daddy, what did you promise God? Will I have to give up my place at home? How long will it take? Who will go with me?” Of course all these questions before he tells me the details of the vow.
I have wondered if it was her confidence that her father would never put her in harm’s way with her life on the line that made her respond the way she did, or if it was because she didn’t know the details of the vow or maybe that was just her nature.
If it was the confidence she had in her father then it speaks a lot to Jephthah’s parenting and track record. On the other hand if it was just her nature, then I personally have some praying to do; I need the grace to trust without asking questions; I need that grace to trust even my father! There; I said it.
I have also wondered if it was not reasonable for her to change her mind upon hearing the terms of the vow. Because from where I sit, if I was touched massively by the Holy Spirit and I gave in to my father without asking questions; I surely will change my mind when I find out that it meant I was going to be offered up as a burnt offering.
Maybe, if I personally made that vow; maybe, just maybe I will follow through. I mean isn’t God a merciful God? Surely He will understand that it was in the heat of passion – whatever that means – that I made that vow.
Tell me Sista mine, how many times have you personally made a vow to God and broke it without thinking twice? Don’t tell me, I am counting mine. Too many times I bet! Those times we rationalise why God will not exert on us; too many times when we have come back to our Pastors to say our husbands didn’t like the fact that we made the vow. Better still, how many times have we renegotiated the terms of our vow with God?
But not Jephthah’s daughter, not only did she not get angry at her father, she did not renegotiate the terms with God. However, she obviously was looking forward to getting married and having children, but that was never to happen anymore; because under the levitical laws though she would not be offered up as a burnt sacrifice before God, she was to set herself apart to celibacy for the rest of her life; away from the centre of civilisation.
When we read stories such as this one from the pages of the Bible the intrigue excites us yet we forget that this was someone’s reality many lifetimes ago. This was not a myth or a fable; this is a record of what truly transpired and I cannot help but think that there was no way, I would have been able to submit and survive what seemed like a really brash vow made by one man who had the need to prove something!
Today, maybe the vows are not made on our behalf by parents or even husbands; maybe we are too careful to make vows this brash. However, life still happens to us and we feel like we got the raw end of the deal. What do you do and what would you do?
How easy is it to trust God and rest in the assurance that if He allowed us to be at the centre of an epic drama such as the one that unfolded in Jephthah’s house, then He must have a plan?
What if that thing that you see today as the short end of the stick is God actually singling you out for the greatness He put in you from the foundation of the earth? What if?
What are you faced with today because of a decision someone else made in the heat of passion? What do you want to do about it? Maybe you should consider that God has a plan. How can this be a plan? You ask… well, some theologians contend that because God had commanded in Leviticus that the Israelites couldn’t offer their children in sacrifice she wasn’t killed after all. So the word is she wasn’t killed but she was consecrated and set apart. No wonder the Word, says that God is able to make a way of escape in every temptation! No wonder He promised that what we face will not overwhelm us! No wonder!
What can I say? Even when men make decisions that can hurt us; it is time to trust that God knows what He is doing.
He may not come when we want and how we want, but He will come and save us. He may not come in the exact way we want, but one thing we will not be able to escape is His loving kindness.
So wherever you are today, whatever you face. If God figured a way out for Jephthah’s daughter even before she was born, you can be sure that He has made a way of escape for you too. Wait for Him, trust in Him and He will definitely come and save you.
From my heart to yours my Sista, hold on; God is never late; you can REST.
Bidemi