Judges 11:29-12:15
Dear RTB’ers,
Today we close the book on Jephthah – unless you read ahead yesterday! What a tragic ending to an otherwise redemptive story. Here we have a man, the son of a harlot and a noble father, driven from his homeland by his own half-kin and surrounded by “worthless fellows”, then recalled to be their leader. He then (with the Lord, see Jg. 11:29) brings about their “salvation”, but in the process sadly making a horrible promise to the Lord and sacrificing his own daughter. Then his long-distance kin, the Ephraimites trouble him with a complaint that points to their own failure to respond when called. (NOTE: Jephthah was from east-Manasseh; recall that Manasseh and Ephraim were brothers, Joseph’s two sons.) Jephthah tries to reason with them, accuses them rightly of their failure to come to his aid, then defeats them in battle. He then judges Israel (Gilead?) a few more years and dies peacefully.
Yes, Jephthah is a story of redemption, and possibly one close to home for a lot of us. How many of us have been mistreated or misjudged by our own family or by our nearby kin or by very dear friends? How did we react? Or maybe that mistreatment has been made right. Have we then moved on, or do we live with smoldering resentment? I believe we could write a good Sunday School story about Jephthah – but how would we deal with his vow and that tragic result? A good challenge for us! What are your thoughts?
Blessings!
See also: March 16 (2023) / Judges 11-12