A Deep Dive into Judges 11 with Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Judges 11 Bible Study (Jephthah Delivers Israel/Jephthah's Tragic Vow) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Estimated read time: 1:20

Summary

In this detailed Bible study, Pastor Daniel Batarseh delves into Judges 11, exploring the complex character of Jephthah who delivers Israel but makes a tragic vow. The session relates the biblical events to today's societal challenges, emphasizing the significance of aligning our understanding with the Word of God. Pastor Batarseh analyzes Jephthah's background, his role as a deliverer, and the controversial vow he made, drawing lessons on faith, societal influence, and discerning truth in a modern context.

Highlights

Pastor Batarseh draws parallels between biblical times and current societal chaos 🎯
Jephthah, despite his dubious start, becomes a picture of Christ and a deliverer ⚔️
A critical discussion on Jephthah's vow and its implications on religious vows today 🔍
The story serves as a warning against the integration of cultural norms into spiritual practice 💡
Pastor Batarseh urges for a deeper understanding of the Bible to fortify faith and discernment 📖

Key Takeaways

Jephthah's story reflects a deep struggle between faith and cultural influences 📚
Aligning with God's Word is crucial in a world filled with conflicting ideologies 🌍
Vows and promises made to God must not contradict His Word - discernment is key 🕊️
Jephthah's vow showcases the dangers of mixing cultural practices with biblical teachings ⚔️
True peacemakers must balance peace and truth, not compromising on God’s standards 💪

Overview

Pastor Daniel Batarseh takes the congregation through an illuminating study of Judges 11 at Maranatha Bible Church, shining a light on the life of Jephthah, a judge of Israel. In an era that parallels today's societal tumult, Jephthah's character offers valuable lessons about faith, cultural challenges, and divine calling.

Jephthah's rise from a troubled background to a savior of Israel is a testament to the transformative power of faith and God's ability to use unlikely candidates for His divine purposes. Despite being cast out by his family, Jephthah stands firm in his faith, embodying a Christ-like figure who was rejected but eventually became a deliverer.

The study culminates in a critical examination of Jephthah's tragic vow, highlighting the perils of intertwining cultural practices with spiritual beliefs. Pastor Batarseh points out the importance of adhering strictly to biblical doctrine, encouraging believers to seek discernment and deeper scriptural understanding to navigate modern-day challenges.

Chapters

00:00 - 02:30: Beginning Reflections on Bible Study and Political Tensions The chapter discusses the challenge of focusing on Bible study amidst national chaos and political tensions. The author reflects on the temptation to deviate from spiritual studies to make sense of ongoing, fast-paced developments in the nation's situation.
02:30 - 06:30: Introduction to Jephthah and his Background The chapter introduces Jephthah, focusing on his background and the historical context of his time. It reflects on the political tensions during the era of Jesus, including different movements and sects that revolted against Roman oppression. The chapter draws parallels between these historical events and the church's history, emphasizing the role of the church of Jesus Christ as a distinct entity amidst political and social upheavals.
06:30 - 10:30: Jephthah's Leadership and the Elders of Gilead's Request In the chapter titled 'Jephthah's Leadership and the Elders of Gilead's Request,' the narrative reflects on the mission-focused approach of Jesus, emphasizing that he remained steadfast on his heavenly mission and did not engage directly in political or economic discussions. Rather, Jesus was committed to preaching the gospel and declaring the good news.
10:30 - 14:00: Jephthah's Faith and Leadership Qualities The chapter focuses on Jephthah's faith and leadership qualities, emphasizing his understanding of the separation between spiritual and political duties. The transcript highlights how Jephthah, presumably serving as a spiritual or religious leader, advises keeping religious obligations distinct from political matters. It mentions the importance of recognizing when the church should engage with worldly issues, while also stressing the need for spiritual focus amidst chaotic worldly circumstances.
14:00 - 20:00: Jephthah's Vow and Military Victory The chapter explores the biblical story of Jephthah, highlighting his commitment to fulfilling a divine mission despite personal trials and challenges. It reflects on how his narrative serves as a commentary on the spiritual state of many Western Christians today, suggesting a parallel between Jephthah's story and contemporary faith issues. It invites readers to consider themes of faith, dedication, and the consequences of one's vows.
20:00 - 27:00: The Fulfillment of Jephthah's Vow The chapter titled 'The Fulfillment of Jephthah's Vow' revolves around a tragic biblical story from the Book of Judges. Many people are not familiar with this story, which involves a man named Jephthah who makes a vow to God. This story is considered tragic because it allegedly involves Jephthah sacrificing his own daughter, which is a solemn and heart-wrenching tale in the biblical narrative. The Book of Judges begins with triumph and good judges performing God's will, creating a sense of momentum.
27:00 - 45:00: Debate on Jephthah's Vow and Sacrifice Jephthah, after a victory, makes a vow to God which tragically involves his daughter, leading to a debate on the implications of his actions and the vow itself. The chapter urges an analysis of every verse to understand the broader meaning and consequences.
45:00 - 56:00: Jephthah's Misguided Understanding and Cultural Influence This chapter introduces Jephthah, a notable judge in biblical times, described as a 'mighty warrior.' Despite his warrior status, Jephthah's early life was marked by hardship and rejection. He was born to a prostitute, making his social standing challenging. Gilead, his father, had other sons with his wife, who did not accept Jephthah. As a result, his step-brothers expelled him from their family home, denying him any inheritance due to his illegitimacy. This background sets the stage for Jephthah’s actions and decisions as a judge later on.
56:00 - 67:00: Conclusion and Spiritual Reflections The chapter discusses Jephthah's exile due to his familial background and his subsequent rise to leadership through unlikely alliances. It connects to the preceding chapter, where the leaders of Gilead sought a leader to confront the Ammonites, echoing the cycle of finding strength and guidance from unexpected sources. The narrative invites reflection on themes of identity, rejection, and divine purpose within the complexities of human relationships and societal roles.

Judges 11 Bible Study (Jephthah Delivers Israel/Jephthah's Tragic Vow) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh Transcription

00:00 - 00:30 [Music] it's almost difficult to consider how we can focus on a bible study that seems irrelevant to the chaos that we're experiencing as a nation and the temptation is almost to discuss and try to figure out and how to make sense of all of what we're seeing almost on an hourly update it seems to be
00:30 - 01:00 changing but here's what i said earlier and i want to say it again you are part of a different entity you're part of the church of jesus christ let me ask you a question do you think that there was political tension in jesus day do you think that there were different movements in jesus do you think there are different sects that were trying to plan and argue and even revolt against the roman oppression there is church history
01:00 - 01:30 proves that there was and when jesus came he was laser focused on the mission that he had from heaven you didn't see jesus joining this party and and and saying that he believed in this kind of economic system that would be best for his people he didn't get involved with those things at least directly he preached the gospel he declared the good news he pointed
01:30 - 02:00 people towards another world a more real world and whenever political things were even brought to him he says listen give to caesar what belongs to caesar and give to god what belongs to god don't get it twisted and let's not mix it up here and so there are times where the church must address situations and circumstances that are happening in our world and there are other times if not most of the times where we say okay it's getting crazy out there it is dangerous there is a spirituality
02:00 - 02:30 behind it but we must stick with the mission that god has given us that makes sense i hope it does but as you turn to judges 11 you'd be surprised to know that as we're exploring this book and we have come to this chapter how much of this text gives commentary to the spiritual condition of many professing christians in the west is anybody here familiar with the story of jephthah just raise your hand if you are
02:30 - 03:00 just a few maybe this will help are you familiar with the incident in the bible where a man supposedly sacrifices his own daughter lift your hand okay the same amount of people that were familiar with jeff this so a majority of the people here are not familiar with that story it's a tragic story and when you start judges you kind of get a momentum of triumph right that we see good judges that are that are there and they're performing god's will and as the the book continues and as we
03:00 - 03:30 progress and move forward we realize that triumph is being quickly replaced by tragedy tragedy after tragedy after tragedy and that is certainly true in this text and we're almost tempted if you're familiar with the study to jump right to that moment where jephthah makes a vow to god that cost him his daughter's life or did it but we want to honor the whole chapter and see what the lord has in store for us for every verse possible so here we are judges 11
03:30 - 04:00 we come to a new judge and we are told that his name is jephthah now let's read about jephthah in verse 1. now jephthah the gileadite was a mighty warrior but he was the son of a prostitute gilead was the father of jephthah and gilead's wife also bore him sons and when his wife's sons grew up they drove out jephthah out and said to him you shall not have inheritance in our father's house
04:00 - 04:30 for you are the son of another woman then jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of tobe and worthless fellows collected around jephthah and went out with him now it helps to see that this chapter is connected to verse 18 of chapter 10 where it says and the people the leaders of gilead said to one another who is the man who will begin to fight against the ammonites he shall be head over all the inhabitants of gilead then
04:30 - 05:00 we are introduced to jephthah and the first two things that we are told about jephthah number one is that he was a mighty warrior and number two that he was a son of a prostitute so right off the bat you get the impression that jephthah was not handed a deck in his life that he probably would have chose if he had the choice he enters into the world from
05:00 - 05:30 the act of a man's lust and lack of self-control we read here that jeff that was not even raised by his own mother he was rejected by his own mother gilead his father takes him in and raises him up with his wife and the children that he bore with that woman and so jephthah here you get the idea had a reprehensible reputation those who looked at him would realize that he was a product again of a man's
05:30 - 06:00 sin he was illegitimate his life would be stained to some degree because of the decisions of another outside of his control obviously and on top of being the object of scorn you read here that again his mother rejected him but not just his mother you had his half brothers that wanted to drive him out of the home because of their selfish and sinful ambition they didn't want him to have any sliver of his of their father's
06:00 - 06:30 inheritance so he was denied by his mother he was denied by his half-brothers and as you read about this man even in the first two verses you would think that psychologist would deem this man as a damaged soul who'd perhaps be familiar with emotional turbulence for the rest of his days and as you read on you think this man has no future
06:30 - 07:00 i mean your home doesn't accept you your mother doesn't even accept you who are you and we almost see jeff that here is what like a joseph right in the book of judges the joseph of the book of judges where his brothers don't want him they push him out who knew what it was like growing up in that household as jephthah and not only that you see that he is not just like a joseph but he is a picture of christ
07:00 - 07:30 he's a picture of christ who though he came to his own was rejected by his own and those who rejected him just like jephthah did not realize that he was actually their savior jephthah was israel's savior we're about to see that in a moment and his brothers didn't see that jesus came to the jews and he was anointed by god to be their deliverer and they didn't see that and if they saw it they didn't
07:30 - 08:00 want that and so right here already you see a prophetic picture of the ministry and the person of the lord jesus christ what's amazing as as that is that we see a practicality in these verses as well here's jefftha pushed out by his family which is the exact opposite attitude of the church we don't push out those of broken backgrounds and shattered upbringings we bring them in
08:00 - 08:30 we bring them in we embrace them in the love of christ because our father's inheritance is large and wide enough for anybody and everybody to share in if they do so by repentance and faith and so there's no intimidation we should be open as a church for the worst of the worst to come in and not be grossed out by them not to look down upon them not to try to not want to be included in our little cliques
08:30 - 09:00 now we embrace them and we accept them and we hope that they would be a part of god's family so as you read this you see the prophetic implications of jephthah's life and you see the practical and beyond that you get a list a lesson that we see in first corinthians right that lesson that we're all familiar with that those in the world that are often overlooked and rejected are they that god tends to raise up and use for his glory
09:00 - 09:30 you look at this man in the first three verses and you think this man doesn't have a future he doesn't even have a family and that is the exact person that god is going to use to do mighty exploits for his namesake he didn't have a pedigree he didn't have a home that loved him he didn't have a noble birth any memory association with his upbringing was dysfunction and those that were supposed to comfort
09:30 - 10:00 him and embrace him were actually the source of rejection and pain god is about to reach out into the land of tobe and call a man by the name of jephthah and jeff is going to return back and i would have loved to see in the faces of his half-brothers when they realized that this was the elected judge that would help see victory over the ammonites god is not
10:00 - 10:30 unashamed to associate with the worst of the worst the genealogy of jesus christ alone proves that god is more than willing to take the most unlikely and to take the most unwanted in terms of worldly standards to be a part of his family and his ministry i love that i praise god for that because you sitting in this place should not for a moment think that god
10:30 - 11:00 shows more favor or attention to somebody who had a more impressive ancestry line or was raised up by godly parents or did not sin as much as the next person in your unconverted days you'd be amazed to know what god is willing to do with the most broken and shattered life because god is the master taking broken pieces and making a mosaic out of it and displaying before the world what he can do with a man or a woman
11:00 - 11:30 who's been crushed by sin and their own choices even so god has a different standard in raising up men and women for his glory we see that right away in jephthah's life so what happens let's look at verse four after a time the ammonites made war against israel and when the ammonites made war against israel the elders of gilead went to bring jephthah from the land of tobe and they said to jeff that come be our leader that we may fight against the ammonites
11:30 - 12:00 now i want you to look at verse 7 and if you've been with us throughout the book of judges please tell me what does this sound like where have we seen this before is this wording familiar look at verse seven but jephthah said to the elders of gilead did you not hate me and drive me out of my father's house look at this why have you come to me now when you are in distress
12:00 - 12:30 what does that sound like what does that sound like god that's exactly what god said in the chapter before this one that is exactly how the people have been treating god up to this point how the nation of israel has been relating to god is now reflected and how they are relating to jephthah only coming to him when they're in distress notice that when they came they didn't
12:30 - 13:00 come with any remorse they didn't come with any genuine repentance they didn't come with any sorrow for how they have treated them in the past the only thing that they were after when they approached jephthah was that they would receive from him what they needed to satisfy their own political personal and practical agendas welcome to the world of how many people relate to god he's a utility god whatever i need
13:00 - 13:30 and if he's gonna if i can utilize him to advance my purposes when i'm in trouble i can go to him that's exactly how many professing christians relate to god that the only communication they have is in moments of distress and just like god again there's no repentance here there's not like jeff that we've treated you wrong we shouldn't have looked down on you because of your uncontrollable decisions you're just the offspring of another man's decisions no
13:30 - 14:00 they just came right for the jugular we need you are you in are you out and as i was reading this i thought to myself how would it be if we knew what god felt from time to time i'm sure we would relate to god a lot differently if you and i just got a sample of god's heart i'm sure we would not do certain things
14:00 - 14:30 that we are in the habit of doing hey jephthah how does it feel to have a people only approach you when they need something from you lord it doesn't feel very good it doesn't feel very good may i never ever relate to you in such a way you know you better be careful praying that prayer god break my heart for what breaks yours he might actually just break it and shatter your life forever you'll never view the world the same way again you'll never view the church the
14:30 - 15:00 same way again you'll never view compromising christians lukewarmness ever again if you pray that prayer long enough and you mean it god will actually put his finger on your heart and break it permanently be careful what you pray for be careful because god if you look in the old testament when he recruits a servant when he recruits a messenger you know what he often does he often lets them a sample into his own heart concerning how his people treat him
15:00 - 15:30 so that they would have the heart to speak behind the message that he would give them they would actually feel it and so he makes an ezekiel lay on his side so he can feel the message he makes a prophet mary a prostitute only for that prostituted cheetah so he can feel what spiritual adultery feels like so that when they would declare the word there was heart behind it there was unction behind it there were tears streaming down their face
15:30 - 16:00 and so jephthah here is getting a little little taste telling if you just get a little taste of what god feels with the people that are inconsistent that are more attracted to things that are going to fail them oh we would relate to god much differently but the main point of this with jephthah's response to the request is that we should never think for a moment that people would treat us any better than they treated jesus
16:00 - 16:30 we should never for a moment think that the world and even professing religious people will treat us any better than they treated jesus if you want to know how they treated jesus just realize that they nailed them to a piece of wood and if we believed that there will be a lot less complaining on our part the lord calls us to be prepared for such a reception
16:30 - 17:00 a servant is not better than his master if they persecuted me they will persecute you if they despise the most holy loving powerful wise man that ever lived and that will ever live what makes you think that they're going to treat us any better so we should not be surprised at the mockery we should not be surprised at the betrayal we should not be surprised at this honor you should not be surprised like paul who said we are the scum of the earth
17:00 - 17:30 we are the scum of the earth he uses that language and here jephthah is a picture a picture lesson of that they are treating jephthah exactly the way they treated god and if you're a true follower of christ pursuing godliness paul told timothy you will be persecuted not might you will be persecuted either from the
17:30 - 18:00 world out there or like jeff that from those who profess to be your brothers and sisters it's going to happen jephthah is experiencing that right here but despite the motives of the people look at verse 9. jephthah said to the elders of gilead if you bring me home again to fight against the ammonites and the lord gives them over to me i will be your head i love how he attributes victory to the lord i love how he has full knowledge that if not for god intervening through him
18:00 - 18:30 then there would be no victory and i believe that jeff the here is not one to seek the opportunity to have some kind of prominent position this is not jephthah trying to get revenge on his kindred it's not jephthah seeking some kind of a way so that he can lord over people i believe jephthah's exception of this invitation was so that he can see god magnifying and exalted through his ministry he goes if this is going to happen and god will give me victory
18:30 - 19:00 then let it be so how can we assume such a thing because when you go to hebrews 11 32 you realize that jephthah is mentioned in that hall of faith japanese specifically telling us to a certain degree that this man was a man of god he walked with god he loved god he wanted to honor god he trusted god and so here's his opportunity to do so and he takes the opportunity to do so and the holy spirit takes jephthah's life and puts him in hebrews 11 as an example of faith
19:00 - 19:30 he could have been bitter he could have been angry at the people saying now you want me when when you know i'm a mighty warrior you realize that i had some skill and ability and leadership well well no forget about it no he goes this is for god if this is for god then let it be done i will i will accept it and he does accept it now how are we introduced to jephthah in verse 1 he was a mighty warrior and when you come down to verse 12 now after he negotiates with the people of
19:30 - 20:00 israel and he chooses now to say yes and becomes the leader of the nation we read here in verse 12 then jephthah sent messengers to the king of the ammonites and said what do you have against me that you've come to me to fight against my land you would think that if this guy was a mighty warrior that he would just go on an onslaught in a barbaric way to just destroy everybody in sight
20:00 - 20:30 but he doesn't do that the first thing that jeff does the first priority that he has in mind is to promote peace and to try to come to understand where they're coming from for them to now take siege and to to rank against them and he goes what's going on here why are you even doing this and this is the biblical definition of a mighty warrior this is the picture of a man who is mighty in spirit and jephthah here again is a picture of
20:30 - 21:00 another thing that the new testament says marx identify somebody who is related to god blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of god blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of god do you know how in one of the strongest ways possible you can be identified and known as somebody who is a part of god's family jesus said it in matthew 5 9 you are
21:00 - 21:30 somebody who intentionally seeks to make peace in every relationship possible to be a peacemaker is not primarily you going between two parties that are at odds with one another and try to bring some resolve it includes that but that's not what it is there's something more difficult than that being a peacemaker is someone who though you know somebody's done something to
21:30 - 22:00 you even or if you have the thought that perhaps you've done something to somebody else seek with every effort and every fiber of your being to bring some kind of restoration to that relationship some reconciliation you're not satisfied with knowing that you have potentially severed a relationship because of sin or misunderstanding you you don't move on in life knowing that potentially your testimony for christ is marred because somebody
22:00 - 22:30 might have somebody or something rather against you and so you you fish that person out you you put down your pride you you go and you communicate and you try to make peace with all men and jesus says if you're a peacemaker i look down from heaven and i say to all the hosts and all the creatures inside that is a child that is one of my sons that is one of my
22:30 - 23:00 daughters do you know why because it is an attitude that reflects god when he extended to humanity a contract of peace the same way jeff dahir is sending out a letter to make sure that all things are clear so that peace can be the priority god sends the person of jesus christ to
23:00 - 23:30 his enemies to try to bring peace before there is any war he could have thrusted all of humanity into hell for all eternity and started a new world if you wanted to but instead he goes into the world and he wants to make peace with his enemies through the blood of christ and when you adopt that attitude in your life in your realm in your world you're reflecting the heart of god not that god has anything to ask forgiveness
23:30 - 24:00 for that's us but the attitude of longing to be in the place of love and understanding that is god's desire romans 12 18 if possible so far as it depends on you so far as it depends on you live peaceably with all does that mean just the people of the church does that mean all like your neighbors
24:00 - 24:30 you know as a church we care about what our neighbors think right we don't want to have a negative testimony to those around us we don't want to be at war with people in their mailboxes some of you understand that your the back of your car can testify to it we want to live peaceably with all and that's one of the characteristics of a mighty man a mighty woman who is a servant of the lord jesus christ
24:30 - 25:00 they don't plan to take personal vengeance they seek forgiveness when they need to seek forgiveness and they attempt to even deal with their enemies in a way where they have some level of understanding and these things god says this is my child and so jeff doesn't tend to do that but what happens in verse 13
25:00 - 25:30 and the king of the ammonites answered the messengers of jephthah because israel on coming up from egypt took away my land from the arnon of the jabba and to the jordan now therefore restore it peaceably so the king of the animites he wants to have a peace treaty or he wants to have a truth but upon a condition you give back what you stole from us you took our land it's been hundreds of years but now we're concerned about it
25:30 - 26:00 you took our land so you give it and then there won't be any war now we just we just learned that jephthah was a man of peace here he didn't just go out and attack these people he wants to communicate and find some resolve so we would think what jeff that if you're really a man of peace give them what they're asking for right no because we learned something else about a true peacemaker a peacemaker ceases to make peace or to build a relationship once truth
26:00 - 26:30 and righteousness are being compromised because the ammonites are not right in making this request and what jeff that does for the next lengthy few verses is explain theologically and historically why what they're asking for is not right so what do we make of that that when it comes to trying to be in harmony with people
26:30 - 27:00 if their request for there to be harmony and peace makes you compromise your allegiance to jesus christ you in love and respect frame it differently and if they want to excommunicate you or push you out or treat you in a certain way as long as it depends on you and your stance for truth you've done your part so the same jesus that said blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of god said this in matthew 10 34 it's quite amazing
27:00 - 27:30 do not think that i've come to bring peace to the earth i have not come to bring peace but a sword jesus i read you five chapters ago and you said blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of god and now you're saying that you didn't even come into this world to bring peace but you actually came with a sword that doesn't sound like somebody that's coming to make buddy buddies
27:30 - 28:00 well if you look at the context what he's saying is that if a person accepts my rule in their life if you embrace a reconciled relationship with jesus christ know this it will affect your relationships with other people so translation that's why he goes on to say that mother-in-law will be against daughter-in-law and then brother will be against sister all these different things why because some of you know what it's
28:00 - 28:30 like to accept jesus into your heart and then bring him home to people who do not love jesus christ and what is he trying to say here that he longs to make peace that's why he was sent to make peace to offer his blood so that men can be reconciled to god but there's a condition his truth must be honored and so there can be no peace apart from an acceptance of
28:30 - 29:00 his condition of truth and objective reality and so christ here is not trying to i love you you love me let's just be a big happy family no that's a lot of people's versions of jesus but it's not the one found in your bible christ here has a standard and you and i also have to understand that in any realm of relationship where somebody calls us to give up or to compromise our stance on truth i'm sorry if it's
29:00 - 29:30 going to make your christmas dinners awkward and i'm sorry if you're not going to have as many worldly friends but if that intimidates you and you've convinced yourself in the name of peace to be a compromiser so that you don't make tension in your relationships you're not a peacemaker you're a compromiser christ said i've come to bring a sword your acceptance of my rule will change the
29:30 - 30:00 way you relate to others and that's the way i've ordained it to be it's an interesting thought because when jephthah hears this news that yeah yeah we'll be at peace but give us back our land he gives this wonderful accurate understanding of god's work in the past and then we read down here when i'm not going to read all this so go down to verse 28. see what it says but the king of the ammonites did not listen to the words of jephthah that he sent to
30:00 - 30:30 him so they're going to go to war they're going to fight and as you read up to this point don't you get the impression that jephthah is very very very much an admirable man that he is someone to emulate this is a man of faith this is a man of no compromise this is a man who then let his upbringing in his past damage up to the point where he couldn't see himself being used by god
30:30 - 31:00 this isn't a person that allowed his circumstances to his confidence when it was in fact god giving him the confidence this was a man who was focused in serving god this was a man who stood for truth and i encourage you on your own time you read between verse 15 and verse 27 and you see how much jeff the new you thought he went to seminary he thought the man got a phd in theology he wasn't just a mighty warrior with a sword he was a mighty warrior with the sword of the spirit the word of god it's a very powerful when he when he
31:00 - 31:30 gives the the reasons why it's so so compelling it's amazing how people when they're confronted with truth are so emotionally bound to their convictions that they can't surrender and that's what the ammonites did they said you know what we're not here to have some kind of debate we just want what we want so let's go to war and you would hope that judges 11 would end here with this high note with this wonderful testimony of a man of faith
31:30 - 32:00 who gives a flicker of hope in the book of judges but it turns very quickly into something that i would deem one of the darkest incidences in the entire scriptures surely arguably in the book of judges what happens look at verse 29 and the spirit of the lord was upon jephthah and he passed through gilead and manessa and passed on to mizban to gilead and from isba to gilead he passed on to
32:00 - 32:30 the ammonites so the spirit of god rushes upon him clothes him anoints him empowers him to be a general and you would think now he's going to go to war he's going to lead the charge but he does something in verse 30 that's quite interesting he makes a vow and jeff that made a vow to the lord and said if you will give the ammonites into my hand then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when i return in peace from the ammonites
32:30 - 33:00 shall be the lord's and i will offer it up for a burnt offering see what he's saying here god if you give me the victory over my enemies that the moment i step foot back into my town and i look to my front door and whatever comes out of my front door i will lay it on the altar and i will sacrifice it to you so what happens in two short verses
33:00 - 33:30 we read that jephthah gains the victory and it's as though the author here doesn't want to focus on the details of the warfare he wants to now jump to the vow and what's going to happen with jephthah's response to now god giving him the victory and what he's about to face when he goes back home so what happens well from verse 32 down to verse 33 we read that the anonymites were subdued before the people of israel
33:30 - 34:00 and now you come to 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 or daughter so just picture this for a moment with you with me please jeff that comes with blood-stained clothing and as he is approaching his village from a distance he hears the music
34:00 - 34:30 he hears dancing and chanting and he still senses the the sensation of the spirit of god that animated him to be a mighty warrior and to slaughter an entire group of people and as he approaches the village he sees the people coming out of their homes and coming into the streets and throwing petals into the air and music and tambourine and dancing and he looks over and he sees that there's a feast being prepared and people are just celebrating that god
34:30 - 35:00 has brought about liberation once again and here is jephthah with a smile on his face the winded and tired excited and thrilled that god would use the son of a prostitute to do mighty things for the kingdom of god and as people are jumping around him and embracing him and kissing him on the cheek jephthah looks over and he sees his home and he sees the door open slowly and with a smile on his face
35:00 - 35:30 his daughter twirling around comes into the scene with a huge smile on her face with a tambourine and she's playing with it and celebrating god and celebrating her dad for being a man of faith and all for a sudden that smile on jephthah's face quickly sinks and his eyes open up with horror when he realizes that his daughter comes out
35:30 - 36:00 and the man is so grieved that what was a celebration quickly turned into a funeral at least in his sight verse 35 and as soon as he saw her he tore his clothes and said alas my daughter you have brought me very low and you have become the cause of great trouble to me for i have opened my mouth
36:00 - 36:30 to the lord and i cannot take back my vow and the music stops the tambourines in the background cease jephthah's daughter places that instrument on the ground looks at her father as he's on his knees with a tor shirt and as she looks she says in verse
36:30 - 37:00 36 my father you have opened your mouth to the lord due to me according to what has gone out of your mouth now that the lord has avenged you on your enemies on the ammonites very faint picture of the attitude of jesus
37:00 - 37:30 that when the father made the decree for his death for the sin of the world to be placed upon his shoulder he showed no hesitation but willing and joyful submission to him being the ultimate burnt offering for the sins of the world this is one of the most debated texts in the old testament and i would say it's literally 50 50. i mean in a room like this you might have 50 saying one thing and 50 saying the other
37:30 - 38:00 and here is what the two main conclusions are from this moment number one jeff as daughter was not actually sacrificed but she was dedicated to perpetual virginity and because she was jephthah's only child the grievance of this was that his descendants his line his lineage would cease at this point the second viewpoint is no
38:00 - 38:30 no no no no he put her on an altar and he lit a fire and she became an actual burnt offering this is not a salvific issue it would make a great conversation for fellowship but let me present to you the arguments for both and you prayerfully make your conclusion i'll give you what i believe what took place after this moment and so we read
38:30 - 39:00 she said here my father you have opened your mouth to the lord do to me according to what is gone and now look at verse 37 so she said to her father let this thing be done for me leave me alone two months that i may go up and down on the mountains and weep for my virginity i and my companions so he said go then he sent her away for two months and she departed she and her companions and wept for her virginity to the mountains on the mountains and at the end of two months she returned to her father who did with her according to his vow that he had made she had never known a man and he became
39:00 - 39:30 a custom in israel that the daughters of israel went year by year to lament the daughter of jephthah the gileadite four days in the year let me give you the points to why many believe that jephthah's daughter was not actually killed but that she was sacrificed in a different way first off we are not explicitly told that he actually sacrificed her it's silent many believe that she was not just a perpetual virgin but she was
39:30 - 40:00 dedicated to the service of the lord in the tabernacle why is that the case because in the old testament you see glimpses of woman serving at the tabernacle so here's the verse in exodus 38 verse 8. he made the basin of bronze and its standard bronze from the mirror of the ministering woman who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting exodus 38 8. remember hoffman phineas remember those two scoundrels remember the sons of eli and first
40:00 - 40:30 samuel eli would not discipline his sons who were priests remember that story with samuel he was a little boy and he grew up in that environment we were told about hoffney and phineas that they slept with the woman who ministered at the tabernacle so there was women who were placed who have given themselves to serve to an extent at the house of god now it doesn't mean that they were all virgins but it does tell us that there were women who gave their lives to service thirdly or secondly rather we know that god
40:30 - 41:00 condemned human sacrifices he never accepted it he never asked for it so surely if jephthah would have done such a thing god would have condemned and he would have voiced his disapproval of such a thing thirdly a man like jefftha as you've read who are more than one occasion honored god with his lips and honored god with his actions surely a man such as this would not perform such a heinous act especially when you read from those verses between 15
41:00 - 41:30 and 27 of his accurate understanding of the word of god would he would he actually do this if he has such a knowledge fourthly prior to jephthah's vow look here in verse 29 what happens to him the spirit of the lord was upon jephthah would a man clothe with the spirit of god make such a vow and commit such an act of human sacrifice look at verse 39
41:30 - 42:00 we are told here that when she comes back after her two-month retreat into the mountains to mourn her virginity that she had never known a man she had never known a man so the emphasis here is the fact that she remained a virgin now why is that important if this woman was gonna die anyway why talk about her virginity and her perpetual celibacy go up to verse 37 she said to her father let this thing be done for me leave me alone two months that i may go up and down on the mountains and weep
42:00 - 42:30 for my virginity if i knew i was gonna die and i wasn't married i'd weep for other things but here the focus is that she's weeping for her virginity she will never know a man she'll never know the joys of being a mother and remember in this culture it was a great honor you would almost rather die in this culture than not continue your father's lineage
42:30 - 43:00 or your husband's lineage in leviticus 20 verse 2 god enforced allah that if any of the people of israel or foreigners in the land committed child sacrifice they were to be put to death there be there to be put to death now why is that important well after this moment jephthah continues in judges chapter 12 and he remains as a judge you would think that if a man committed
43:00 - 43:30 human sacrifice he would have been dealt with accordingly but instead he he dies as every other judge does and he remained a judge until his dying breath look at judges 12 verse 7 jephthah judged israel six years then jephthah the gilead died and was buried in the city of gilead seven seventh point if he was to sacrifice his daughter on the altar and the tabernacle right because that's where you perform a burnt offering would you not think that
43:30 - 44:00 there would have been a national uproar for somebody entering into the house of god and placing a human being where animals were supposed to be slaughtered lastly how could the bible speak so highly of jephthah as you read in hebrews and it's he's also mentioned in first samuel if he has committed such an atrocious deed so you just heard some of the main arguments for why this was a symbolic sacrifice and not a literal one now let
44:00 - 44:30 me give you the arguments for why it is a literal sacrifice number one when we look at jephthah's vow to the lord he intended to make a literal burnt offering he's not speaking about a spiritual burnt offering there's no mention of dedicating somebody to be a virgin forever or for them to serve in the house of god forever secondly look at verse 39 look at the language here at the end of two months she returned to
44:30 - 45:00 her father who did with her according to his vow if you just read it plainly and if you're just honest with the vow you come to an honest conclusion that he performed what he said to god that he would perform and that was to give a burnt offering thirdly when we look at the vow that he makes now listen to this it seems to indicate that jeff that even in his own mind did not
45:00 - 45:30 have just an animal sacrifice or even an animal sacrifice in his plan think about it what did he say go back here in verse 30. he says after if you give the ammonites into my hand verse 31 then whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when i return in peace that will be offered up as a burnt offering question do you keep goats and bulls in your house that's right you don't and so
45:30 - 46:00 the idea that there was farm animals in his home to meet him as he came home doesn't seem realistic and if he did have an animal in mind that he would encounter when he came home then why did he respond in such a way when his daughter came out why didn't he just wait for the daughter to move out of the way until a sheep came out behind her why why was the deal done with the
46:00 - 46:30 moment he saw her if he had an animal in mind then he just would have waited for an animal to come out does that make sense so it's quite possible that he did have a human sacrifice in mind and he was hoping that one of his servants probably would come out fourthly if we examine verse 40 look with me the daughters of israel went year by
46:30 - 47:00 year to lament the daughter of jeff of the gilead four day four days in the year so it became now a matter of recounting every year where the the woman of israel for four days with lament as they retold the story of jephthah's daughter and it seems quite excessive to do such a thing if a woman just dedicated her life to service to god as a virgin the counter argument is that the word lament can be known as celebrate that's a stretch
47:00 - 47:30 this seems to indicate a grieving time a time of reflection a time to remember somebody that perhaps wasn't there any longer if you're feeling discomfort about this possibility that's the point and we'll get to that in a moment maybe i just gave away my answer to what i believe though the incident is recorded who said god approved of it
47:30 - 48:00 who said god accepted it who said this was god's idea this is how many christians and even people who try to criticize christianity this is what this is where their main hermeneutic is is a fault here just because it's in the bible especially in a narrative in a story it doesn't mean god approves of it and just because god is silent of the matter in the specific moment you have to look at the entirety of the scripture to see his opinion on it on a truth or a matter or an action in this
48:00 - 48:30 particular moment god is silent there's no approval here a sixth point just because the spirit of the lord rushed upon jephthah does not mean that after that time when he goes from gilead to mizpah to the ammonites that he couldn't have made a vow in the flesh so it wasn't like the spirit of the lord came upon him and in that moment he makes
48:30 - 49:00 a spirit-inspired vow time had passed and this proves that the holy spirit can use you and empower you and you can resist his guidance and you can walk away from his wisdom and operate in the flesh lastly the lack of detail of what took place with jephthah's daughter may indicate that the author did not want to dwell upon a tragedy too long and let me add another point when you
49:00 - 49:30 think about the fact that he's mentioned in hebrews 11 because that's what people say how can how can god honor a man who would commit such an act how can god honor a man like samson he was mentioned in hebrews 11. actually look at every person in the hall of faith and you can come to a act that they have performed that was greatly sinful think of abraham think of jacob think of david not all of them but a lot of them so the
49:30 - 50:00 the applause for the faith is for and in respect to his military victories not for this specific incident just like samson was recognized for his faith at the end of his life and not for his promiscuous lifestyle what did jephthah do just for the sake of knowing let's see if this will work this time who here believes that it was a symbolic sacrifice and not a literal one lift your hand
50:00 - 50:30 so four four or five people lifted their hand i'm assuming everybody else is gonna lift their hand on the next question who believes that it was a literal sacrifice majority i'm not going to tell you what i believe i will tell you what i believe it's my personal belief though you can see why this is a tough decision to make you can see why there's a debate there
50:30 - 51:00 there's great evidence for both sides but i believe that evidence is greater in that he actually did sacrifice his daughter i believe the reason why some might agree that he didn't and i'm not saying that's the reason why some here might not agree or agree to that is because we can't imagine a man like jeff that performing such an act or we can't imagine god approving of such a sacrifice but we already dealt with that if you just eliminate
51:00 - 51:30 the idea that god approved of it just because it's recorded doesn't mean he applauded it then you have a greater possibility of embracing this possibility as horrific as it is so then if that is the case and again this is not a hill to die on and this is not worthy of splitting a church over but if that is the case then the next question would be this
51:30 - 52:00 how could how could a man like jephthah make such a vow and then go on to perform that vow you ready for the application here i think the answer to that question is with another question where would jeff have gotten the idea that god would accept a human sacrifice as a way to appease or to negotiate
52:00 - 52:30 you have an idea not a past event that's a good that's a good guess though where would you have seen it where would it have been a normal thing where would it have been an act that was performed as normalcy the answer is in deuteronomy 12. i encourage you to turn there so that you can have a strong support to potentially why
52:30 - 53:00 it was that jephthah felt comfortable enough to make such a promise to god in deuteronomy 12 30 we are told as we've studied in deuteronomy god speaking through moses to prepare the people of entering into a land that has been polluted by false worshipers of false gods and look at the warning here take care that you be not ensnared to follow them after they have been destroyed before you and that you do not inquire about
53:00 - 53:30 their gods saying how did these nations serve their gods don't even let your curiosity explore the matter once you even have the the itch to find out how they serve their gods cut it off right there nip it at the bud these nations serve their gods that i may also do the same and how is it in this context that they worship their gods look at verse 31 you shall not worship the lord your god in that way for every abominable thing that the lord hates they have done for their gods for they
53:30 - 54:00 even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods he warned them hundreds of years ago through moses be careful when you come into the land that you take their means of worship and apply it to how you worship me god knew in advance that this would have been a temptation for his
54:00 - 54:30 people so he warns them hundreds of years ago as they're ready to make a covenant to come into the promised land they worship by sacrificing their children and i believe this that jephthah the man who had and held much truth and generally honor the lord was desensitized by the environment of violence around him to the point where what did he do he adopted their false beliefs and he
54:30 - 55:00 allowed it to live with his own and jephthah is giving us one of the darkest examples you want to see how bible study applies to our lives you want to see how judges 11 relates to 2021 jephthah is one of the darkest examples in the bible to show how somebody who can be aligned in many areas in the word of god can also believe false truths that have been molded and framed by the culture
55:00 - 55:30 you read before this point of jephthah's knowledge and affirmation and familiarity with god's dealings in the past and his theological reasons for why he came into the promised land and conquered the lands and you say this is a man who knows his god and knows his word and that same man in one particular area allowed the culture to mold and shape his understanding of how he should
55:30 - 56:00 relate to god and i argued today that you have believers that would confess foundational truths of christianity but at the same time because they have not been discerning and studied enough have allowed the world to tell them how to interpret certain areas of life and relationship with the lord himself so in jephthah's case he had a theological and accurate historic understanding
56:00 - 56:30 of how god brought his people into the land of canaan good job jephthah that's wonderful very accurate we applaud you for that but the same man didn't know his theology on sacrifice and you have many people today that will say jesus christ is the only way to the father praise god praise god but those same people will say but jesus christ accepts homosexuality where'd you get that from
56:30 - 57:00 i believe that this is the word of god and it's the only revelation that god has given and yet those people who would confess that fundamental truth would also say if you were to ask them their view on money sexuality marriage justice and it's foreign to this very thing that they claim to know think about it i am astounded
57:00 - 57:30 i am astounded of the lack of discernment of young christians today and interpreting the events that we see in our generation i am astounded that christians today who claim to believe in the word of god can support an organization like black lives matter your lack of discernment is astounding it's appalling
57:30 - 58:00 on sexuality on homosexuality on transgenderism on priority in the political realm on all these things how many jephthahs are in the churches today that if you were to quiz them on different areas like if you were to quiz jephthah they would get many things right but they are dangerously wrong on vital
58:00 - 58:30 issues the lack of discernment comes from a lack of understanding of the word of god people don't read their bibles today they don't not for themselves a majority don't and so what what happens they allow the arguments of the world they allow their emotional turbulence and attachment to these things dictate
58:30 - 59:00 and frame their convictions and let me put it this way most convictions that christians have framed their lives come from the culture more than revelation of truth learn from jefftha you can be right about many things but at the same time grievously wrong about areas that are so
59:00 - 59:30 damning if you don't agree with this interpretation of justice val please remember that the theme of judges is to show the horror of the moral decay in israel when they reject god as their king if you feel disturbed and uncomfortable with the idea that jephthah would
59:30 - 60:00 actually slaughter his own offspring his only offspring welcome to the world of judges the overarching idea is look at a society look at a household look at what an individual can come to when they resist or reject god you're supposed to feel the darkness as you read these pages and hell becomes more of a reality
60:00 - 60:30 when god is pushed out more and more what should jeff have done he shouldn't have made such a foolish vow in the first place some people debate should he have broken his vow does god honor a vow it's very difficult to reconcile how god can honor a vow that contradicts his word this man proves that he really did not know god and it proves that he really did not
60:30 - 61:00 know what god required of him so how do we apply jephthah's life in my christian walk here it is knowing god's word is a matter of life and death whether it's your own life or somebody else's emotional life mental life physical life and more importantly spiritual life here's the new testament equivalent to
61:00 - 61:30 that in first timothy 4 16 and we end our bible study there he told this young pastor paul did in the spirit keep a close watch keep a close watch on your life and on the teaching persistentness for by doing so you will save both yourself and your hearers jephthah only heeded
61:30 - 62:00 the great call for men both in the old and the new to know the lord their god as he has revealed it to the revelation that he has provided how many jephthah do you think are in churches today how many people are being pressured and pressed to interpret certain areas of life and not let this word frame it for
62:00 - 62:30 themselves jephthah again is the extreme example of what will happen to america in your lifetime and mine you're saying nobody would ever sacrifice somebody in fire no you're right they just do it in the womb and they do it as though it was a sport
62:30 - 63:00 they do it without even blinking an eye they do it while boasting in it molech has been worshipped for many years in america and whatever atrocities that you see now unless god sends a revival that will convict this place from east to coast and north to south we will see greater darkness that is unimaginable just like what we
63:00 - 63:30 see in this book may god help us heavy text heavy message appropriate for 2021 at least up to this point let's see god
63:30 - 64:00 lord we thank you that you have not filtered your word in a way that is unrealistic
64:00 - 64:30 lord not only is your word a window into the glories and the beauties of christ but it's also a window into a world without him and we look out into that world through your word and we sense we sense the darkness that can come from our own hearts and father if it had not been for you regenerating us and changing us and transforming us we confess before you that we are capable of evils just like what we read
64:30 - 65:00 lord in this place tonight we ask that there would be not one soul that would have a misunderstanding of you lord thank you that you are patient with our growth and truth but lord if we have no pursuit or hunger then we are open to many deceptions keep us in the place of viewing the world and the lens of your revelation keep us in the place where all that we know and however we interpret or measure things in life comes from what you've
65:00 - 65:30 given us lord as you told timothy help us to watch our life and what we believe in and may line up with what you've given us and we will be safe we believe it with all our hearts and not only will we be safe but we will know joy true holy spirit joy we pray in this church father that no one would fall into the mistake of jephthah that worshipped you in a way that was shaped by false ideologies and systems of belief
65:30 - 66:00 may we instead worship you the way you've called us to worship you thank you for a church that loves the word of god may that only grow thank you for a church that is not pressured by the culture may that only remain and be strengthened may this be a church that knows discernment may this church not parrot everything that they read or see on the internet may this church be slow to speak quick
66:00 - 66:30 to hear it made this church more importantly be an advocate for truth father in this place as we reflect on such a dark chapter we are also warned by your light that in that chapters tucked in a sliver of gospel truth that you willingly became an offering without hesitation and perfect communion with the father and the spirit and the perfect divine
66:30 - 67:00 plan to redeem humanity you allowed the wrath of god to be poured upon you so that you can redeem us lord we relish in that we give you praise and glory and we worship you of the revelation and wisdom from judges 11 in jesus name we pray amen