See Hebrews 11:32 and Judges 11:1-40. God raised up Judges to save the nation from itself. Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah all had major defects in their character but yet God still used them! Jephthah was considered an “accident” of a union between his father and a prostitute.

1. He was rejected by his own

He is a shadow of Jesus Christ. Notice that he is rejected by his own people but in their time of need they call upon him. Even his brothers and family rejected him. The legitimate sons of Gilead grew up they drove Jephthah out so they wouldn’t have to share their inheritance with him. The Bible is full of rejected brothers and sons. The bitter enemies of Israel were Edom, Moab & Ammon. The Edomites are descended from Esau; and the Moabites and Ammonites from Moab and Ammon, the two sons of Lot by his daughters. The descendants today still hate Israel. Geographically these nations and their people surround Israel. Israel has tried to sue for peace but family feuds are hard to die!

Jephthah was flawed in character but look at his upbringing! He was a type of Jesus but not the Messiah. He may have been illegitimate and cast out by the only family he knew, but God still had a plan for his life! God did not reject him.

2. A man of faith

Jephthah stands up to the Ammonites. Israel had possession of the land for 300 years and they had never claimed it in all that time. If they had wanted it then why did they not use it? He makes it clear that this is a battle between his God and their gods. Jephthah gives a history lesson and then dares them to do their worse! Jephthah was not perfect but he was a man of faith who is commended in the Old and New Testament!

The God of Jephthah has amnesia about the things we have done wrong. This is the position that the Christian has in Christ. God will remember your sins no more. He doesn’t remember for a reason. Jesus became guilty of your sin on the cross. What a great deal! If you are forgiven, then you have to forgive others. God only wants to remember our good points – our virtues. The rest has been erased. Salvation is a fantastic deal! It certainly beats the alternative! If God is so determined to forgive and forget then how dare we not do the same! You are to forgive yourself and others.

3. A man of folly

Jephthah was chosen by God even though he was rejected by those closest to him in his family. He was accepted by the riff-raff and low life of society. God blessed and used Him. The Holy Spirit came upon him and changed him into a great warrior. Yet he sacrificed his own daughter. It was stupid. He had made a foolish vow. Now he had no descendants. In times of pressure we are all presupposed in our prayer life to make foolish promises. He should have known better. It was forbidden to sacrifice your son or daughter or any human being. Animals were there for sacrifices in the law. Had he known the scriptures he would not have said and done such a thing. What you don’t know can hurt you and others!

There are things that are written in the Bible so that we don’t repeat the mistakes of Israel in the Old Testament. The vow that Jephthah makes was stupidity magnified.  He was haunted by this for the rest of his life. We all make mistakes that have dire consequences. We hurt the ones we love the most and the ones we want to hurt the least.

He is a man who believes in the one true God, yet is capable of the most heinous of acts. There is a bit of Jephthah in all of us! If you think not, then you are setting yourself up for a fall. We are all made up of the same stuff! Watch and pray!

Categories: Hebrews, Judges