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Judges 11 Devotional

A Vow God Never Asked For

Jephthah is the outcast whose brothers drove him away, now called back by the elders who rejected him (11:1-7). He answers Ammon by retelling Israel's history: the LORD gave Israel the land, and the LORD, the Judge, will decide between them (11:21-27). Then the Spirit of the LORD comes on him (11:29).

Yet Jephthah makes a vow. If God gives him victory, whatever comes out of his house to meet him will be offered as a burnt offering (11:30-31). The LORD gives the victory (11:32), and his only child comes out dancing (11:34). He blames her for his anguish, she submits, and after two months he does what he vowed (11:35-39). The text does not explain this away, and neither should we. God never asked for this vow, and his law forbade offering a son or daughter (Deuteronomy 18:10). Jephthah acted as though God's help had to be bought. Israel's young women mourned her every year (11:40). The God of Israel gave that victory freely, and he gives his grace freely still.

To think about: Where do you find yourself bargaining with God instead of trusting the grace he gives freely?

About Judges 11: Jephthah and His Vow

Jephthah, an outcast son driven off by his brothers, is called back by Gilead’s elders to fight Ammon. He argues that the LORD gave Israel the disputed land, and the LORD grants him victory. But his rash vow falls on his only daughter, and Israel’s young women mourn her yearly.

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