The : Who Can Save Us From Ourselves? Jephthah’s Vow – Judges 10:6-11:40 Pastor Philip Meade – Graefenburg Baptist Church Sermon 12 ______

Introduction Some of you know that many years ago I went through a phase of being super interested in the JFK assassination. I read all the bestselling books and gobbled up the articles and videos related to the assassination. In 2018, Andi and I were able to visit the Texas Schoolbook Depository and assassination site when we were in Dallas for the Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. Here's a photo of us standing where Zapruder filmed the famous assassination video. What I quickly learned about assassination theories is that everyone has one. People can take the same evidence and come up with a wide variety of explanations for what happened in Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963. To this day, new theories continue to be offered, one of the most recent being that a Secret Service agent accidentally shot and killed JFK. Book after book offer different ideas on what it meant and why it happened. If you are interested, my favorite JFK assassination book is called "Cased Closed" by an author named Gerald Posner. I highly recommend it - Posner makes an incredibly convincing case that Oswald acted alone in the shooting.

Studying Judges chapter 11 and the story of Jephthah’s vow is kind of like reading JFK assassination books. Everyone is using the same evidence, but everyone is reaching different conclusions. This text has by far been the most difficult in Judges for me to prepare for a Sunday sermon. The more I studied, the more I realized that no one knows for certain what really happened in this chapter. But here is one thing I do know - the Bible is a book about Jesus. Our Lord told us that all the OT points to him, and so as we read and preach this text, we will do so with an eye ever focused on the unending mercies of God who saves us and keeps us by the power of his sovereign grace.

First, notice the sevenfold nature of rebellion and the sevenfold nature of salvation. Look at 10:6 - "The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him." Now at first, these looks like the same old thing we have seen a hundred times in Judges...the cycle of sin. The people of Israel are once again doing evil in the sight of the Lord. But this time we are given a few more details. This time we see that not only is Israel once again rebelling against God, but they continue to go deeper and deeper in their abandonment.

As most of you know, seven is the number of perfection or completion in the Bible. We have spoken about this before - creation was in 7 days, the 7th day, Sabbath, was a day of rest from our completed works, and so forth. Look closely at verse 6 again and this time count the number of false gods the were serving: Baal, Ashtaroth, gods Syria, gods of Sidon, gods of Moab, gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. That's seven. The Bible lists seven examples demonstrating that Israel had completely turned themselves over to sin and rebellion against the one true God. Things were getting worse. This is a use of the number 7 in a reverse sense of completion - complete rejection.

But the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ says that our sin doesn't have the power to overcome God's salvation. Watch this. Look at verses 10-12 - "And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.” 11 And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? 12 The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand." So the people cry out to God as usual and he replies with a brief history of the various ways he has already saved his people. Were you counting by chance? Let's look at verses 11 and 12 again - "Egyptians, Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines, Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites." God also uses the number seven, listing some of the nations that he has rescued Israel from. It is true that Israel's disobedience and sinfulness is spiraling downward, but God's power in salvation is greater still.

There will be times when we believe that our rebellion or our lack of faith has placed us out of the reach of God's help. There will be times when we think that God just isn't able to save us from ourselves or to remove from us a burden or trouble or addiction or fear. You may feel like right now, in this moment we are in, that your anxiety and your doubts have reached the number seven - that they can't get any worse and you feel so defeated because your faith in God doesn't seem to be strong enough. Well friend, your anxiety may be at number 7, but God's providence is also at number 7. And his number 7 trumps your number 7. Even when there is rampant sin and even when there is consistent doubt and even when there is waivering faith, God still reigns and rules on his throne and God is still mighty to save all who will call on his holy name. The apostle Paul says in Romans 5:20 that "where sin increased, grace increased even more." When your sin reaches level 7, God's grace is greater still. When your anxiety reaches level 7, God's grace is greater still. When your fear reaches level 7, God's grace is greater still. And "we are convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor global epidemic, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Second, look at God's surprising response. Now, in light of everything we just said, God's response to Israel here is going to seem strange. Israel cries out to God for help, just like they always have, but this time he says "no." I mean, God actually says no. Look at verses 13-14: "Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. 14 Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress." So, you will notice the first word of verse 13 - the word "yet." God's power and ability and providence are in no way jeopardized by the sinfulness of his people, but God is revealing a painful truth to his people that they must hear. And God reveals a difficult word to us today that we must hear. These verses demand that we search our hearts and ask, "Am I worshiping God for who he is, or am I using God for stuff he can give me?" Are you a worshiper or are you a manipulator?

A manipulator is one who will utilize God's mercy and grace when it is specifically advantageous for them, but care little about a relationship with God any other time of the day. A manipulator is one who is not so concerned with their heart changing, but is very concerned with their situation changing. Just like the Father received the repentant prodigal son with no questions asked, God will always receive those and forgive those and empower those who return to him because they desire him. But to the one who returns to God not because they desire God but they desire something they can get from God, he will not be pleased and he will not be mocked.

But let's be careful here. Left to ourselves, we have no power to change the nature of our hearts. We can't just say, "oh ok, well today I will start loving God for who he is and stop just wanting things from him." No, that requires a supernatural work in our lives. That requires the Gospel. To change your heart towards God, you must have your heart changed by God. And the place where we experience changed hearts and lives is at the cross of Jesus Christ.

"There's a place where sin and shame Are powerless Where my heart has peace with God And forgiveness. At the cross, at the cross, I surrender my life, I'm in awe of you. I'm in awe of you." Or perhaps if you prefer a bit older hymn, "at the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart rolled away." Do you want a new heart today? Then look to an old rugged cross where the sinless Son of God Jesus Christ gave his life for you. Put your faith in Jesus today and he will save you and make you a new creation.

Now, look at verse 16 - "So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel." God becomes impatient with the misery of Israel. In other words, he can't stand to see his people hurting. Whether or not Israel truly repented and returned to the Lord is debated, but one thing that is for sure is that God's mercy is all over the place in this chapter. Instead of letting his people perish at the hands of the false gods, which would have been just, he is moved by their affliction and once again responds in faithfulness.

Third, look at 's request for Jephthah. In chapter 11, verses 1-3 we are introduced to the eighth judge of Israel whose name is Jephthah. He is the son of a man named Gilead and was born from an illicit encounter between his dad and a prostitute. Now, don't be confused here. Gilead is a region east of the Jordan River where the story is taking place, but Gilead is also the name of Jephthah's dad - that can be a little weird to figure out. So, after Gilead dies, Jephthah's brothers decide to kick him out of the family so they can receive all the inheritance. So, Jephthah fled to the land of Tob and basically became a gang leader.

Then things go wrong for Gilead. The Ammonites (who, by the way, were a group of people descended from Lot's son) decided to make war against Israel and so the elders of Gilead say, "hey, we need a strong leader who can get us out of this mess. We need Jephthah!" So, they hope the guy who will rescue them will be the very guy they rejected and kicked out of the land. That must have taken some nerve. Now, notice here that Gilead is doing to Jephthah exactly what they did to God. They are asking for his help to get them out of this mess, but they aren't all that interested in Jephthah besides that. And he realizes this. So he says in response, "I'm not coming just to save you from the Ammonites. If I do this, I want to be your leader. So Gilead says, "fine, you can be our leader if you win this battle for us."

This reminds me that not only can we look to the Lord selfishly, in times of trouble to get what we want, but we can also do this with other people. Those who attempt to manipulate God for situational change but care little about a relationship with him will usually be professionals at manipulating people without desiring relationship with them. Being in a relationship and community brings with it certain realities such as sacrifice and service and authenticity and accountability. Is it any surprise, then, that so many approach the church this way? Deeply interested in what the church might be able to provide for them, but not so concerned about how their lives are to be in service to one another and to the Lord. This is why the vision of our identity statement is "love more, serve more." That's what we do as the people of God who are worshiping God.

Well, to his credit, Jephthah attempts to settle the conflict through diplomacy. He strikes up a conversation with the Ammonites through Zoom live video conferencing and gives them several reasons why their anger toward Israel is unfounded. He basically tells them that they have their facts wrong and they need to re-learn their history. Jephthah shows remarkable skill in understanding his Israelite history. But it doesn't work and the Ammonites are ready to go to war with Israel.

That leads us to the fourth thing I want you to see, and that is Jephthah's vow. Verse 29 says that the Spirit of the Lord was on Jephthah, no doubt preparing him for the battle that was to ensue. That's kind of the way the Holy Spirit was given in the OT. We have not yet experienced Pentecost with the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit, so God would send the Spirit to fall on people for projects and specific purposes. In this context, the purpose is to defeat the Ammonites and lead Israel.

But then in verses 30-31, Jephthah says something incredible foolish. It says, "And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, 31 then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up for a .” So, do you see what this vow is saying? If the Lord will give Israel the victory in battle, Jephthah has vowed to sacrifice as a burnt offering whatever comes out of the tent first when he returns home. Now, some commentaries will suggest that perhaps Jephthah had an animal in mind when he made this vow, but that probably isn't right. The verb "to meet or greet" in verse 31 is always used in the OT in relationship with a human being, never an animal. Jephthah has in mind probably a servant or some other dispensable figure. But then we keep reading...

Jephthah wins the battle easily, which means he would need to keep his vow. So, look at verse 34: "Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter." If you are reading this for the first time, you will gasp at this point. Jephthah's one and only daughter is who came out of the tent, and according to his vow, he must offer her up as a burnt offering. When Jephthah sees his daughter come out, he tears his clothes and cries out in agony. But then, in a very conceited kind of way, he sort of blames her for the problem. In verse 35 he says, "Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me." Yeah, like this is all her fault. She was just excited to see her dad!

Remarkably, his daughter shows great faith and calmness during the whole ordeal. She freely allows herself to be offered as burnt offering so that her dad can keep his vow. She asks for two months to mourn the fact that she was never married. I mean, is this the saddest thing you have ever heard or what? Then, in verse 39 it says, "And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made." So, Jephthah kept his foolish vow and offered up his daughter as a burnt offering. Goodness.

A few comments and questions on this.

First, some will suggest that Jephthah didn't really kill his daughter, but that he offered her up as a burnt offering by having her stay unmarried and work in the sanctuary the rest of her life. Well, that makes the story much happier, but you have to really ignore the plain reading of the text to wind up there. I think that view is wrong.

Second, it should be noted that was strictly forbidden in the Mosaic Law. You can read about that in Leviticus 18:21 and many other places. Now, did Jephthah just not know the law and so he acted in ignorance? I don't think so. I don't think someone who so accurately and comprehensively knows the history of Israel would be so ignorant on the law of Israel. Remember when Jephthah tried to use diplomacy with the Ammonites? In that discussion, he knew the history of Israel backwards and forward. So, I think he knew the law.

Third, the Mosaic Law also allowed for a vow made in sin to be repealed and repented of. You can read about that in Leviticus 5:4-6. So, the right thing for Jephthah to do in this situation would have been to refuse to keep his vow since the action would be sinful and repent of it altogether.

Fourth, why, then, did he make and keep his vow? This is a difficult question because the Bible doesn't provide us with an answer. We are left to filling in the blanks, which can be a dangerous game. But it seems to me that this chapter ends the way chapter 10 began - with the people attempting to manipulate God for their own purposes. It seems inconceivable to us that a man who knows the Lord and was used by the Lord would do something so devastatingly evil as sacrifice his own daughter. And to be certain, this was evil. The Bible records the actions of Jephthah, but in no way does the Bible endorse or condone his actions. Jephthah appears to be pulling an extreme version of, If you do this for me, God, I'll do something for you. It's another version of works righteousness. Its another version of trying to earn favor with God.

It's even more complicated when we read in verse 29 that the Spirit of the Lord was on Jephthah. How could he do something so horrible if God's Spirit was on him?

And here, perhaps, is the ultimate question. How in the world could Jephthah be included in the famous "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews chapter 11? Because he is. Right there in :32. And here is where the power of all of this really begins to connect with us. You see, some will say.."hey, Jephthah is in the hall of faith, so that means he couldn't have done something so horrible." But what are we conveying when we send that kind of message? We are conveying that a person is known by God because they always do the right thing and are pretty darn good people. To me, what makes the hall of faith so powerful is not because it is filled with perfect people, but because it is filled with sinful people. With murderers. And liars. and adulterers. Because do you know the name of the person listed right after Jephthah in Hebrews 11? It's David. King David. The line through whom Jesus Christ was born. And what did David do? What did David do? He took another man's wife and had the husband murdered.

What gets a person into the hall of faith is not their actions or their perfections or their good deeds. What get a person into the hall of faith is precisely that - their faith in the God of our salvation. God is the one who makes the hall of faith possible, not people! That is why Hebrews chapter 12 begins by saying, "looking unto Jesus! The author and the finisher of our faith!"

Oh my friends, this story serves to get us right back to the heart of this sermon series - "who can save us from ourselves?" and this story serves to get back to the heart of the Bible which is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The person and work of Jesus is all over this chapter. Jesus was rejected by his very own, just like Jephthah was rejected by his own. Jesus was wanted by many only for the physical healing he could provide just like Jephthah was wanted for the physical deliverance he could provide. The people finally realized that they needed Jephthah after they refused him, just like one day every knee will bow and tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. And perhaps most beautifully, the person who never gets enough attention in this story, is Jephthah's daughter. Just as she, the one and only child, willingly let herself be a sacrifice, so to did Jesus Christ, God's only begotten son, willingly lay himself down for the sin of the world.

It's funny, isn't it, that we read this story and want to try so hard to make Jephthah not so bad of a person. We want to help him out a little bit. But in a strange way, that takes away from the power of the story. Because friend, if there is a place for Jephthah, who offered his daughter as a sacrifice, and if there is a place for David, who murdered the husband of a woman so he could have her, then there is a place for you. You won't find it by trying harder. You won't find it by doing better. You will find your place by giving your life over to Jesus Christ, who loves you and gave himself for you.

Our economy might crumble. Our jobs might be lost. Our health might be in danger. But the word of the Lord endures forever. Turn to Jesus today.