1. This Congregation meets at: Sunday Bible Class at 10:00 am. Sunday Worship Service at 11:00 am. Sunday Night Worship service at 6:00 pm. Wednesday Night Bible Class at 7:00 pm. Please be so kind to turn off your cell phone. Let’s be reverent. We are worshipping God.

4. January 21/2007 Lesson # 22

5. We already studied: 1.Adam 2.Cain 3.Abel 4.Enoch 5.Noah 6.Abraham 7.Isaac 8.Jacob 9. Esau 10. Reuben 11. Simeon 12. Judah 13. Joseph 14. Aaron 15. Nadab and Abihu 16. Moses 17. Joshua 18. Caleb 19. Phinehas 20. Gideon 21. Samson 22. ???

6. Let’s Talk about Jephthah

7. Who was Jephthah? Have you ever heard this name? All we know is that his mother was a Harlot. All we know is that his mother was a Harlot. His father marries another woman. His father marries another woman. They throw him out for not being the son of the same mother. They throw him out for not being the son of the same mother. Also we know that he was from the land of Gilead. Also we know that he was from the land of Gilead. And that he was a Judge of Israel, and served as a Judge for 6 years. Judges 12:7 And that he was a Judge of Israel, and served as a Judge for 6 years. Judges 12:7

8. Was Jephthah a man of faith? Yes, we don’t have any doubt about that because he is mentioned in the book of Hebrews 11:32… “ 32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets:

9. Another man of valor is in front of us… ä ä God has always selected man that will help his people to come out of any trouble. This man is considered in the Book of Judges as a good man, and not only that, he is also considered a man of “valor” ä ä Before the call of Jephthah, we will hear the same sad song in Judges 10:6… “The children of Israel did what was evil in the sight of God”

10. Jephthah 1. 1. Judges 11:1… “Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah” To be a man of valor is something that we need to look at very closely. He was not only a man of valor but the writer added: “Mighty”. It was a good quality in this man that his brothers didn’t see, but what was the problem?

11. ä ä Judges 11:1a… “but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah.   This was a crime among the children of Israel to be the son of a Harlot. That was the case of Jephthah.   His father made the mistake of getting together with a harlot and from that relationship Jephthah was born. Jephthah

12. Judges 11:2… “ 2 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." ä ä For being the son of another woman they drove him out and said: “You shall not inherit” ä ä It was all about inheritance. They forced the Judge of Israel to move out… what’s next is very hard to explain and to understand by many. Jephthah

13. ä ä Knowing that he was being thrown out for not being part of that family according to his brothers, Jephthah went and left his house and joined himself with a caravan of vandals. Judges 11:3… “ 3 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. The Man on valor with the wrong Companions.

14. ä ä Listen what the Bible says please: “worthless men banded with Jephthah and went out raiding with him. ä ä What is the idea in here? What does a future Judge of Israel have to do with worthless people. What does the future man of God have to do with criminals? ä ä Again keep in mind that “Israel is in trouble” this is not new, they were always in trouble and God has different plans for us that we don’t understand. Jephthah was wandering with a group that he will use to liberate Israel from the hands of the Ammonites. Jephthah

15. ä What follows is just the providence of God over His man…Let’s read: Judges 11:4-11… “ 4 It came to pass after a time that the people of Ammon made war against Israel. 5 And so it was, when the people of Ammon made war against Israel, that the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6 Then they said to Jephthah, "Come and be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Ammon." 7 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?" 8 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "That is why we have turned again to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the people of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead." 9 So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, "If you take me back home to fight against the people of Ammon, and the Lord delivers them to me, shall I be your head?" 10 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "The Lord will be a witness between us, if we do not do according to your words." 11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord in Mizpah. Jephthah

16. We go back to the same old song…Israel violates God’s law and they are in trouble, they are in war, they are about to go into captivity again. They need help, they need a warrior, and they need a Judge. They are without a Judge at this time and are at the will of anybody that wants to take them into captivity. We go back to the same old song…Israel violates God’s law and they are in trouble, they are in war, they are about to go into captivity again. They need help, they need a warrior, and they need a Judge. They are without a Judge at this time and are at the will of anybody that wants to take them into captivity. They are looking for Jephthah because they know they cannot prevail against Ammon unless they have help from God. They are looking for Jephthah because they know they cannot prevail against Ammon unless they have help from God. ä In their distress the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob, to which he had fled when driven out wrongfully by his brothers from his father's inheritance Jephthah

17. ä This is the opportunity from God to act and to show Israel that they cannot prevail without His help. ä Judges 11:9, 10… “ 9 So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, "If you take me back home to fight against the people of Ammon, and the Lord delivers them to me, shall I be your head?" 10 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "The Lord will be a witness between us, if we do not do according to your words." Jephthah

18. ä If this is not history then we need to look a bit closer. When I said at the beginning that Jephthah was a man of God, we’ll consider all the history that he presented to the king of Ammon in order not to fight with him but the king did not heed Jephthah. ä Judges 11:12-28... “. 12 Now Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, saying, "What do you have against me, that you have come to fight against me in my land?" Jephthah show confidence and trust in God.

19. ä ä Judges 11:21. “And the Lord God of Israel delivered. ä ä Judges 11:23… “ 23 And now the Lord God of Israel has dispossessed the Amorites from before His people Israel; should you then possess it? ä ä Judges 11:24b… “So whatever the Lord our God takes possession of before us, we will possess. ä ä Judges 11:27… “ Therefore I have not sinned against you, but you wronged me by fighting against me. May the Lord, the Judge, render judgment this day between the children of Israel and the people of Ammon.' Jephthah

20. ä Judges 11:29... ä “ 29 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced toward the people of Ammon. Jephthah

21. ä Have you ever made a promise to God? When was the last time? Do you keep your promise that you make? Well in the case of Jephthah he rushed with his mouth to make a vow to God and listen to what he says when he prepared to go to war with the Ammonites. ä Judges 11:30,31… “ 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and said, "If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, 31 then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering." A promise the he should never have made

22. ä He just made a promise that will hurt him more than anything else. He said to God: "If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, 31 then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.“ ä Are we rushed to make promises to the Lord that later will hurt us? Well this evening is a good time to learn not to make rushed decisions that later we are going to regret. Jephthah kept his promise he knew what is the consequence of promise and not to keep that promise. Jephthah

23. ä Ecclesiastes 3:3,4… “ ä 4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed ä 5 Better not to vow than to vow and not pay. 6 Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? Jephthah

24.   Did Jephthah defeat the king from Ammon? Of course he did don’t forget what verse 29 says?   Judges 11:29… “ 29 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced toward the people of Ammon.   What happened next is the return home from war and the keeping of the promise that he made to God. A Promise very Hard to Understand.

25. ä Judges 11:34-37… ä “ 34 When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, "Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given my word to the Lord, and I cannot go back on it." Jephthah

26. ä The writer is very specific to tell us that “she was a girl”, Jephthah did not have any other children, and that this girl was his only joy” ä Jephthah cried and felt the pain that God felt when he sent his only begotten son to die for our sins. In this case it was his girl. ä Alas, My Daughter! ä Are we following the story? Will he offer his daughter as a burnt sacrifice to God? Is God Moloch that he will take human sacrifices? This is the question that is keeping many in suspense. Jephthah

27. ä Judges 11:36-37… ä “ 36 So she said to him, "My father, if you have given your word to the Lord, do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon." 37 Then she said to her father, "Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and bewail my virginity, my friends and I." Jephthah

28. ä Let’s make it clear that we are not talking about a little girl but about a young lady, that knows she’s a virgin and that she will not marry again because her father has made a vow to God the he must fulfill. All we know is that Jephthah kept his promise but the question is: All we know is that Jephthah kept his promise but the question is: Did he burn his daughter as a sacrifice for God? Jephthah

29. ä. Judges 11:39-40… ä “ 39 And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man. And it became a custom in Israel 40 that the daughters of Israel went four days each year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite. Jephthah

30. ä (1 st ) Reason to believe that he did not burn his daughter as a sacrifice to God: ä In the first place, if, in fact, Jephthah offered a human sacrifice, he did something that was strictly forbidden by Mosaic law and that is repugnant to God. a. Leviticus 18:21… “ b. Leviticus 20:2-5… “ c. Deuteronomy 12:31… “ d. Deuteronomy 18:10… “ Jephthah

31. a. It would be a bit bizarre for Jephthah to think that he could elicit God’s favor in battle by promising to offer Him a human sacrifice, that is, to do something that was in direct violation of the will of God. b. Such a proposal would be equivalent to a person requesting God’s blessing and assistance by offering to rape women or rob banks. Jephthah

32. ä (2 nd) if Jephthah offered his daughter as a human sacrifice, no indication is given in the text that God actually approved of the action. a. The Bible records many illicit actions carried out by numerous individuals throughout history, without an accompanying word of condemnation by the inspired writer. We must not assume that silence is evidence of divine approval. ä Even the commendation of Jephthah’s faith in the New Testament does not offer a blanket endorsement to everything Jephthah did during his lifetime. Jephthah

33. 1. (3 rd ) Jephthah’s action may best be understood by recognizing that he was using ‘olah in a figurative sense. 2. We use the term “sacrifice” in a similar fashion when we say, “I’ll sacrifice a few dollars for that charity.” 3. Jephthah was offering to sacrifice a member of his extended household to permanent, religious service associated with the Tabernacle. Jephthah

34. ä The Bible indicates that such non-priestly service was available, particularly to women who chose to so dedicate themselves (e.g., Exodus 38:8). ä Even in the first century, Anna must have been one woman who had dedicated herself to the Lord’s service, since she “did not depart from the temple” (Luke 2:37). ä Several contextual indicators support this conclusion. Jephthah

35. First, First, the two-month period of mourning that Jephthah granted to his daughter was not for the purpose of grieving over her impending loss of life, but over the fact that she would never be able to marry. She bewailed her virginity (bethulim)—not her death (11:37). the two-month period of mourning that Jephthah granted to his daughter was not for the purpose of grieving over her impending loss of life, but over the fact that she would never be able to marry. She bewailed her virginity (bethulim)—not her death (11:37). ä Second, ä the text goes out of its way to state that Jephthah had no other children: “[S]he was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter” (11:34). Jephthah

36. ä Third, ä the sacrifice is treated as unfortunate—again, not because of any concern over her death, but because she would not become a mother. After stating that Jephthah “did with her according to his vow which he had vowed,” the inspired writer immediately adds, “and knew no man” (11:39). This statement would be a completely superfluous and callous remark if she had been put to death. ä Fourth, ä the declaration of Jephthah’s own sorrow (11:35) follows immediately after we are informed that he had no other children (11:34). Jephthah was not upset because his daughter would die a virgin. He was upset because she would live and remain a virgin. Jephthah

37. Many lessons for us. Jephthah

38.  1. Do you want to please God? Then we need to be people of mighty valor like Jephthah.  2. Even though his brothers throw him out, God took care of him and he will take care of us at any time.  3. Show confidence in God like Jephthah when he was talking with the king from Ammon and he will give you the victory in life. It doesn’t matter how great the war might be.  4. Make sure that if you make a promise to God, keep it. Don’t promise anything that you are not in the position to make. Remember Ecclesiastes 3:4-6.  5. God will let you enter his rest like Jephthah. Jephthah