Have you ever thought about where you would be without faith? As Christians we think, how can this be possible? We were bought by the blood of Christ. We have the Holy Spirit of God to guide us. Yet, what happens then when we do not listen to God's leadership, when have a lack of faith?
Today, we will spotlight the story of Jephthah (Judges 11). A man who came up from the bottom, to a place of great leadership, only to lose the thing he loved because of a lack of faith. We will see that when we act out of haste, more problems will follow.
Jephthah was one of the men who were called to rule Israel written about in the book of Judges. In the scripture nowhere is he called a Judge, but we do know him as a leader and a mighty man of valor. Jephthah was born in Gilead, which is located west of the River Jordan. From Jephthah's beginning as an illegitimate child, the son of a harlot, he was to have problems.
Because of his illegitimacy, Jephthah could not inherit the possessions of the family like the legitimate children. He was cast out from what was his family to join together a band of worthless men. Under Jephthah's leadership, the survival of the men was contingent on their income as a raiding party.
When war broke out with the Ammonites, there was need for every man that could fight. The elders of Gilead sent for Jephthah and his men to help in this battle with their enemy. They needed a leader and Jephthah was the man who was chosen. The elders decided that they would make Jephthah leader, in the condition that they win the battle.
In an almost reluctant way, Jephthah agrees to fight this battle. His plea before the elders is: "Will you really take me back, and let me be your leader?" The elders agree and make a bond before the Lord."The Lord is our witness; we will certainly do as you say." (Judges 11:10)
Jephthah, was once an outcast and now made the ruler. A victory over the Ammonites was absolutely necessary if he wanted to hold on to this great power. It meant everything, not only to Jephthah, but to his people as well.
This was their home; a home and a land that was given to them by God. After unsuccessful negotiations, Jephthah took his men to war, they were proven successful in battle and were ready now for a decisive blow to the Ammonites. Jephthah knew this was to be the most important of strikes. He could not let himself and his men fail.
He, then in this time of faithlessness, made this vow to God. If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering." (Judges 11:30b-31) The battle was a success, the war was over. Jephthah and the men of Israel conquered twenty cities. This was a great victory!
Now here comes the difficult part of the story. The battle was a success, the war was over. Jephthah and the men of Israel conquered twenty cities. This was a great victory. Now Jephthah is coming home to enjoy this great celebration.
Who now comes out of the house to see him? His daughter! She is overcome with joy. Can you imagine her glowing face? "Daddy!" As she came dancing down the road with timbrels in her hands. She had longed to be with him all this time while he was away and now, he is here.
The hero and father is returning from a victorious battle and yet there is something not right. Jephthah knows now what he had done. He tears his clothes in grief. The vow. In Jephthah's lack of faith, he made the vow (Judges 11:30b-31). Now the one thing that he loves is to be another of the victims of war. The very vow that he made to insure a victory would cause the death of his daughter.
Have you ever had to face a situation like Jephthah? Why did Jephthah make this vow? Did he not remember that he was promised victory? Did he not remember that the Lord was a witness to the agreement with the elders? Did he not remember how God had delivered the other enemies to him?
It is so easy for us to act irresponsibly when we lack the necessary faith. When feel like we can not go on. When we feel like all is lost. When we feel like we will not be able to persevere. We must however overcome that lack of faith. We must know that as part of the body of Christ we are able to continue in faith, overcoming any lack thereof.
As for Jephthah, he did not seek God's direction. From what we know in the text, Jephthah went right to bargaining with God, without even coming to God in prayer. So, when Jephthah arrived home, he had pledged to make a sacrifice of the first thing that he saw coming from the doors of his house. The first thing he saw, however, was his daughter, his only child.
During this time vows were not obligatory but certainly binding once they were made. We have to remember that a vow which included a human sacrifice, is generally condemned in the Hebrew Bible. It is possible that the language and nature of the vow was originally intended to be an animal sacrifice.
Now, Jephthah had no choice but to follow through with what he had said. The vow of course had been to pledge a burnt offering. There no specifics as to the victim, it just happened that Jephthah's daughter was the one. If Jephthah would have remained in faith, the vow to assure victory would have been unnecessary (Judges 11:34-40).
For the Christian, faith is not an option. It's essential for us to persevere, for us to have hope, for us to know that there is something else than what we know in this world. We started in faith, now we must over come any lack of faith.
Faith in God, is the only way we can overcome life's problems. You can overcome that lack of faith! God has the answers, and will bring you though the situation. Certainly, it is not easy to have faith in times of crisis. Those moments, however, are the times when we need faith in God the most.
If we put our trust in Him, there is no need to make rash decisions or oaths. If we put both hands in his, we can overcome of our lack of faith. My dear friends, you can overcome that lack of faith as well. Trust Christ for the victory!
Scripture: Hebrews 11:6; Hebrews 11:1; Romans 1:17; John 5:24; Romans 10:17; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 5:1
Prayer: In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, dear Lord, see me through these hard times. I reach out my hand to you now, and ask you to walk besides me. I cannot carry all my burdens, but I know you can, and will. Please help me hold on strong, through the trials and storms. Help me hold on to my faith, in even the darkest hour. Amen
May God bless you!
Riley
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