Judges 11 Commentary

Judges 11 Commentary

The story of Jephthah is similar to Abimelek’s. Both are born under similar circumstances, and you expect animosity and abuse among the siblings.

But strangely, the LORD God doesn’t have these dividing lines!

Like Abimelek, Jephthah found solace in a group of scoundrels. He was an effective leader.

When Ammon pressed against Israel, the elders sought Jephthah from the land of Tob. They needed a leader.

Jephthah’s knowledge of the history of Israel is impressive. An ignorant leader is nearly useless. He won’t probably make the shortlist of Heaven!

However, Jephthah’s knowledge of his God, the LORD God, is shockingly raw. How dare he think of offering the LORD an incentive in the form of a promise? What is Jephthah thinking about?

Clearly, Jephthah thought of the LORD God as one of the bloodthirsty Canaanite gods who demanded such incentives or offerings.

Regardless, Jephthah goes ahead and does what the LORD had clearly forbidden, in one way or the other. Shocking events!

There are fewer stories as depressing as Jephthah’s story. It is this story and a couple of others right close to this chapter that make the Book of Judges eligible for a spot on the list of the ‘most horrific’ volumes.

It is the sin of child sacrifice that compelled the LORD to act against the Canaanite peoples. But here we are with Israel in the same practice. We are looking at a people hardly distinguishable from the nations they needed to drive out.

What is very interesting is that Jephthah decides to keep a sinful promise that he shouldn’t have made in the very first place. This strong feeling to stick to a wrong decision that has neither the LORD’s blessing nor support from the written word of the LORD is most amazing.

John the Baptist died because of a foolishly made promise that an evil king thought he needed to keep. If only men manifested the same attachment to the commandments of the LORD!

The chapter closes on this very sad note. Does anyone still ask why we need salvation?

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