Jephthah: Faith That Forgives

1. Introduction

a. Text: Hebrews 11:32-35
b. Text: Judges 11-12
c. Overview of Sermon
d. The Big Idea

2. Setting the Context: The Period of the Judges

a. Judges Place in OT Timeline

b. OT Has Two Bookends

• Abraham - c. 2100 B.C.
• Jesus Christ - 3/4 B.C.
• Mid-Point: David - 1000 B.C.

c. The Period of the Judges

• 400 Years of Darkness
• Begins with the Death of Joshua & Caleb
• Ends with the Levite's Concubine, a Story Reminicent of Soddom & Gomorrah, and civil war
• A Land Without An Earthly King
• The Book of Ruth Takes Place During the period of the Judges

d. Key Verses – “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes”. Judges 21:25

e. Cycles of Disobedience

f. Hegel's Quote – “History teaches us that man learns nothing from history.”

3. Jephthah The Man - Judges 10:17 - 11:11

a. Father Was Gilead of the Tribe of Manasseh

b. Son of a Harlot (Illegitimate) – mother possibly non-Jew

c. Forced out of his father's house by Gilead's legitimate sons

d. Jephthah fled to the land of Tob (near Syria)

e. Became a Robin Hood of sorts and was known as a "man of valor" v. 1

4. Jephthah’s Triumph Over the Ammonites – Judges 11:12-28

a. Elders go to Jephthah and ask him to lead them against Ammonites

b. Jephthah agrees after some dialog.

c. Jephthah attempts dimplomacy (11:12-28)

5. Jephtha's Tragic Vow 11:29-40

a. What did he vow?

b. The outcome of the battle

c. Greeted by his daughter

d. Daughter's response

e. Jephthah's action

f. Three Interpretations

• Jephthah redeemed his daughter (Leviticus 27)
• Jephthah fulfilled his vow and dedicated his daughter to Tabernacle service (Ex. 38:8; 1 Samuel 2:22)
• Jephthah sacrified his daughter

6. What can we learn from Jephthah?

a. The danger of a blended faith

Jephthah is an excellent illustration of someone with a blended faith. A blended faith is defined a part reliance on the Lord and part reliance on ourselves. We have all heard that a blended faith is in fact impossible, either we fully trust in the Lord or we don't. The truth is, however, most of us have a blended faith, and just like Jephthah, even though the Spirit of the Lord is within us (v. 1), and we know the promises of his Word and outwardly trust in those promises, we still hedge and rely on our own strength and abilities and so-called wisdom to get us through life. In this case, Jephthah felt the need to create a bargain with God, a vow, to ensure his victory.

b. The reality we still make regrettable decisions today

• At first read, we tend to speed through the story of Jephthah's tragic vow and think, "Wow, that is indeed terrible," and then move on. The truth is, we still make this same, regrettable decision today. 
• A couple of months ago Jen Coleman sent me a link advertising a "spring sale" at Amazon.com with more than 250 books for sale, most priced at $2.50 each. This was a bad thing for me, because a book sale to me is like putting a bone in front of a dog. One of the books I purchased and read was a book called Unplanned, the memoir of a young woman named Abby Johnson who had served as a clinic director for Planned Parenthood in Texas. Not only was she an abortion provider, but she had experienced two abortions herself. It was in part the loss of these two children and her never-ending quest for forgiveness that ultimately lead her to renounce her leadership within Planned Parenthood and become an outspoken prolife advocate.
• What I realized as I studied this passage, and I really believe the Lord showed me this, is that there are many, many, women today who have experienced Jephthah's pain from sacrificing a child, and like Abby Johnson, they continually are in search of that ultimate forgiveness. They have cried out to the Lord and sought forgiveness only to have the self-condemnation and agony drown out the song of forgiveness. As a result, you may be one who lives in pain for a decision that was made years ago, and each and every time you attempt to begin walking in freedom and forgiveness, the accuser of the brethren is right there to drag you down back into the darkness of your grief.

c. A renewed appreciation for God's grace, mercy, and forgiveness

You see, I want to share with you a fundamental mistake I made when I began studying for this message. Like many people, I read the tragedy of Jephthah’s life through the lens of what is right and what is wrong. I started with the realization that Jephthah is listed in the Hall of Faith in the book of Hebrews. And while I know that each of the men and women listed had their own areas of weakness and failure, I found it implausible that God would honor someone who actually sacrificed his own daughter. Everything about that is wrong. But then it hit me like a ton of bricks – these people are not listed because of the works they performed, they are listed because of their faith. Now we know that, but somehow in our man-based worldview, we really don’t understand that. 

Here’s what we know about Jephthah:

1. He was a great man of valor who fought triumphantly and was used by God to deliver his people from a dreaded enemy.

2. He was a man who made a tragic vow and in spite of the legal options available to redeem his daughter, Scripture tell us he fulfilled his vow.

3. He was a man of faith, and as such found approval in the eyes of the Lord as a righteous, just man.

I cannot explain all of this, but I do know it gives me a renewed appreciation for God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness. 

d. A peaceful resolution

• Finally, I come away from this story of Jephthah with a peaceful resolution to live my life as a trophy of grace with my complete trust and faith in the finished work of the cross. We all have things in our past that cause us great shame and guilt. 
• But I want to remind you that there was another Father who sacrificed his son 2000 years ago. It wasn’t because of a rash vow or used as a bargaining chip, it was because this Father loved us and wanted to redeem us from the bondage of sin. And just like Jephthah’s daughter, this Son went willingly to his death, not begrudgingly, but to the Glory and Honor of his father.
• Folks, don’t walk in darkness. Instead, walk by faith in the glory and light and presence of Jesus Christ.