Judges 11 The  next judge is a man named Jephthah, a Gileadite. Jephthah was the son of a harlot. Gilead's wife also had sons, who drove Jephthah away from their father's house when they got older.  Jephthah went to live in Tob, just over the northern border of Gilead. There, he gathered a gang of "worthless fellows" who would go "out with him".   But, when the army of Ammon came to fight in Gilead the leaders there went to find Jephthah to fight for them. They promised to make him chief of Gilead.. over the brother's that had sent him away!

Amazingly, Jephthah was the one who looked to the Lord in all of this!  The son of a harlot, the outcast from his father's house, despised by his brothers.. Jephthah came to the rescue. 

Jephthah first tried to reason with the king of Ammon.  He actually gave him a history lesson, telling how Israel had come from Egypt, went around Edom and Moab, and defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites. The land they now possessed was won fairly in war.. the Lord God gave them victory. "Since now the Lord, the God of Israel drove out the Amorites from before His people Israel, are you then to possess it? Do you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whatever the Lord our God had driven out before us, we will possess it."   For 300 years Israel had possessed the land, Jephthah told the Ammonite king.. it was never theirs and they had never claimed it before. "I therefore have not sinned against you, but you are doing me wrong by making war against me; may the Lord, the Judge, judge today between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon." 

The king of Ammon would not listen to Jephthah's message and war was on the horizon. "Now the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah.. "  Before he led the army against Ammon Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, "If Thou wilt indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand then it shall be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace.. it shall be the Lord's and I will offer it up as a burnt offering."  Jephthah went to battle, defeated Ammon, and returned home.  Unfortunately the one to come out of his house was his only child.. his daughter. We are told that Jephthah kept his vow to the Lord.  There is some debate as to whether Jephthah actually gave his daughter up as a human sacrifice, or whether she was redeemed as allowed by the Law and spent the rest of her life as a virgin who served the Lord.  Either way, she agreed to the terms of her father's vow. 

Father in heaven, You chose this man for Your purposes.  You anointed him with Your Spirit. You gave him victory over the enemy. You enabled him to keep his vow to You, even if it was not something that You desired.. the sacrifice of this daughter.  You work in the lives of anyone, regardless if they have been rejected or treated unfairly.. or they make foolish vows..  Your plans are perfect and we can learn, like Jephthah to honor You in all we do. Fill us Spirit of God that we might walk in faithfulness and peace with You today. Teach us Your ways today we pray, in the Name of Jesus, Amen