The story of Jephthah is found in Judges 11. He was “a mighty man of valor”, the son of a prostitute, and the son of Gilead (Judges 11:1). He was thrown out of his father’s house and told that he would not inherit anything because he was an illegitimate child (Judges 11:2).

So, Jephthah left home and took up with “vain men.” The Pulpit Commentary says these were probably men that had run through their inheritances and were looking for someone with which to join forces.

After some time had passed, the Ammonites began a war with Israel, and the people of Gilead went to get Jephthah. After all, he was a mighty warrior and capable of leading an army to fight against the people of Ammon.

Jephthah was still angry over being thrown out of his own home and away from his people, but the men of Gilead promised to make him their captain.

As these men approached the time of battle, Jephthah made a vow to God. This was his vow, “If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering” Judges 11:30-31.

The Lord answered Jephthah by delivering the Ammonites to him and his men. Jephthah was delighted to return home to celebrate his victory.

When Jephthah returned home, his daughter came out to meet him. This was his only child, so you can imagine how he must have felt when he remembered the vow he had made to God. When he saw her, he tore his clothes in despair. He told her, “I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back.”

So, Jephthah’s daughter asked for two months to prepare herself before her death, and he granted her that time. The scripture says that she wanted that time to “mourn her virginity.” The chapter ends with Jephthah honoring his vow.

There are so many questions about this story; and, unfortunately, most of those questions can only be answered by supposition. Let’s look at just a few.

• First, why did he make a vow at all since God had provided him a victory against the Amorites?
• Second, why would he vow to offer the first thing that came from his house? He had to know that would probably be a human.
• Third, how could Jephthah’s daughter be so compliant with the vow her father made?

The inspired writer affirms that God was with Jephthah. Verse 29 says, “Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah.” This indicates that God was already with him, so there appears to be no need to make a vow. We, too, are like that. We often feel the need to bargain with God instead of just being willing to wait and have faith that God will do what is best.

Some think it is possible that Jephthah expected to offer a human sacrifice. After all, he was the son of a strange woman, probably from Syria. Syrians frequently practiced human sacrifice, as did the Ammonites. He had also spent some time with a group of rebels before he was approached by the elders of Gilead to lead God’s people. All of these things could have contributed to the vow he made and the possibility that he didn’t think it was rash.

Jephthah told his daughter immediately about the promise he had made to God. She let him know immediately that she was willing to comply with the vow her father had made. Her sadness is based on the fact that she would have to remain a virgin. She would not have a chance to become a mother. There would be no children to carry on the family of Jephthah.

Whatever else we can say or feel about this story, we have to admit that this daughter had respect for a vow to God and her part in fulfilling the promise of her father.

We aren’t told how Jephthah fulfilled his promise. We do know that his daughter was remembered, and now we need to see what we can learn from this story.

The lessons are simple:

• Your background does not have to limit what you can do for God. As adults, we become responsible for our actions. We can’t use our family background as an excuse not to serve God.
• Be careful what you promise. We need to think before we speak.
• We shouldn’t bargain with God. God offers us the opportunity to pray to Him with requests, but we need to remember that the way He answers is based on what is best for us.
• Respect and honoring parents in what is right is just as important today as it was in the Old Testament.

Sandra Oliver