Mountain Movers

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah..." (Hebrews 11:32)

Jephthah was a man of courage who came at a time when Israel needed him most. In 1 Samuel 12:11 it says "when the Lord sent Jerub-Baal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, so that you lived securely." Jephthah was amongst a group of godly people that the Lord sent to deliver Israel. Each one of these heroes of faith were surrounded by their enemies, and yet they were able to conquer them and lead their people to peace. Jephthah was the Israelites' catalyst of security.

Jephthah enters our awareness in the Bible in Judges 10. Again, the Israelites did evil. Not only were they involved in idolatry, but they worshiping the gods of their enemies. They abandoned God. As a result, God allowed all their enemies to cruelly oppress them for 18 years. They were shattered and crushed. Once one enemy was finished with them, another one came onto the scene and took over. As had happened several times before, the Israelites were distressed and cried out to God. This time, God responded a bit differently.

"You have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!"(Judges 10:13-14)

The Israelites finally came to their senses and gave up their idols and became obedient to God. God decided to bring Jephthah into the picture.

Jephthah was a mighty warrior. He had proved himself on the battlefield. His family didn't accept him, so he fled from them and settled in Tob. There he found a group of men to follow him. The Hebrew word that describes these men is "eyq" which means "empty, idle, and ethically worthless. "Yet, despite leading a group of men with questionable character, Jephthah was able to build up a reputation of success. In fact, when the Ammonites made war on the Israelites, the elders of Gilead sought out Jephthah and pleaded for him to lead their army. These were the same people who drove Gilead away from his family.

After admitting to their previous mistakes, the Gileadites were able to convince Jephthah to be commander of the Israelite army. Upon becoming commander, Jephthah "repeated all his words before the Lord in Mizpah". His first pledge was to the Lord, above everything else. He knew that if he were to have victory, it would solely come from God.

Jephthah definitely had his work cut out for him. The Ammonites were ready to attack the Israelites and the Edomites and Moabites voiced their opposition towards Jephthah and his people. Then, when it seemed like things couldn't get any worse for Israel, the king of the Amorites got his entire army together to attack Israel because the Israelites wanted to pass through their country to get to their home

Israel relied on God to give them victory. In Judges 11:21, it says, "Then the Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his men into Israel's hands, and they defeated them. Israel took over all of the land of the Amorites who lived in that country" Israel triumphed in a major way over the Amorites. Yet the real test was in front of them. The powerful Ammonites were hungrier than ever to face the Israelites in battle.

Before going to war with the Ammonites, Jephthah made a vow to God that later caused him to suffer.

"If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."(Judges 11:31)

God gave Jephthah and the Israelites a victory in an incredible way. They totally devastated the Ammonites. And Jephthah went back to his house a hero ready for a hero's welcome. Little did he know that when he returned to his house, his daughter would be waiting for him at the front door.

When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, "Oh! My daughter! You have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break."

"My father,"she replied, "you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, now that the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. But grant me this one request,"she said. "Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry."(Judges 11:35-37)

Jephthah granted her request and kept his vow to God. His daughter never married and lived her last days in sorrow. She didn't attempt to escape. She returned to her father. After that, Jephthah continued to conquer other lands as the commander of the Israelite army.

After reading about the life of Jephthah, many questions come to mind. Why did he make the vow that he did? Why did God allow his daughter to be sacrificed? Why did Jephthah carry through with his sacrifice? God considers Jephthah an example of faith. He kept his vow to God no matter how painful it was. He made a promise to God that he was not going to break.

The faithful make promises to God. Anyone who is a Christian has made a life-long commitment to follow God. We will face painful trials and tribulations along the way. We will also face difficult decisions and challenging dilemmas that will cause us to go to God in prayer for discernment. However, in the end, God is ultimately looking for a faithful heart and he will bless those he finds who trust and obey.

In the next chapter, we will look at the life of David. He was a man after God's own heart and, as a result, has been admired by Jews and Christians alike for thousands of years.