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Jephthah: a Conflicted Man of Valor

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Published: 24Apr2008
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Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah. Gilead's wife bore sons; and when his wife's sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out, and said to him, "You shall have no inheritance in our father's house, for you are the son of another woman." Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tob; and worthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him.

It came to pass after a time that the people of Ammon made war against Israel. And ... the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. Then they said to Jephthah, "Come and be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Ammon."

So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead,"Did you not hate me, and expel me from my father's house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?" (Judges 11:1-7, NKJV)

Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them ... (Judges 11:11, NKJV)

So Jephthah advanced toward the people of Ammon to fight against them, and the LORD delivered them into his hands. And he defeated them from Aroer as far as Minnith — twenty cities — and to Abel Keramim, with a very great slaughter. Thus the people of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. (Judges 11:32-33, NKJV)

And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried among the cities of Gilead. (Judges 12:7, NKJV)

Jephthah was a warrior, and the son of one of his father's concubines. Because he was also the firstborn son of Gilead, he had some claim to the inheritance of Gilead, at least until his half brothers drove him away. So Jephthah went to live on the border between Israel, and Syria near Damascus, on the outskirts of the territory of Gilead, and began raiding among the towns, cities and territories of the enemies of Israel. Even though it was beneath him to either beg or seek charity, Jephthah had no trouble pillaging the defenseless, and began leading a band of marauders to terrorize the countryside.

Some time later, the Ammonites (the descendants of Lot's youngest daughter) decided to invade Israel. Since Jephthah had developed a reputation as the leader of a military style band of marauders, the elders of the province of Gilead sought him out to be the leader of their army. Jephthah wasn't exactly impressed by the elders seeking him out in their hour of need, especially after driving them away a few years earlier. So Jephthah struck a deal with the elders that would make him their leader if he defeated the Ammonites.

Jephthah wisely began his confrontation with the Ammonites by resorting to diplomacy. He recounted the history of the encounters between Israel and the other nations of the area when Israel entered and conquered the land of Canaan. However the king of Ammon wasn't about to acquiesce so easily. So Jephthah made a hasty and ill-conceived vow to the Lord, in return for victory over the Ammonites. Ammonites were defeated, at the cost Jephthah's daughter life of perpetual virginity, and quite possibly her life as well.

So what lessons can we glean from Jephthah about the nature of faith? First, the Lord is no respecter of social status, he equally considers the faith of both the King and the vagabond. Second, the Lord hears those who sincerely call out to him in faith. Third, the Lord is not impressed by hastily-made, and ill-conceiver and poorly-considered vows for the sake of manipulation, which frequently result in painful losses for both the one who proclaiming the vow, and those close to him/her.

Jon Straumfjord is the author of numerous articles about the Seven Spirits of God and the God of the Bible. He is also the creator of the website http://www.7-spirits.com , and is the author of the book "The Seven Spirits of God."

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