OK, a little back story first. I mean, you could just as easily read the chapter yourself... but chances are if you're here, you want the Coles Notes version. So here we go.... It's really the same old, same old... A couple more judges have came and went, lived, breathed and are now taking a dirtnap. Once again the Israelites have forsaken God and gone crawling back on their hands and knees to prostitute themselves to their idols... the idols of their very enemies! And again, God raises up their enemies to destroy them. In this particular story, the Ammonites are front and center as their prickly adversary. Now, the Israelites in their desperation cry out to God for deliverance.
Enter Jephthah. (Say that with a mouthful of crackers.) The son of a Gileadite and a prostitute (v1), Jephthah likely was *only* half-Jewish, and at the very least, was the typical lowest of low type of bloke God seems to always pick. Rejected by his half-brothers and sisters (v2), Jephthah ran away from home. From there, it would appear Jephthah was the original gangsta, as he had a "crew" who followed him wherever he went (v3). Yet, somehow, someway, the Israelites got it into their heads that this was the man to lead their cause (v5,6). Judges doesn't get into specifics, perhaps it was because he had quite a nice singing voice? The popular consensus at bible study was that it was because this ruffian knew how to handle himself.
Though initially hesitant to the idea (v7), Jephthah eventually comes around when he hears that he would be the man in charge (v9). Pay attention now, that comes into play again later. As it is with so many other men who at some point in their lives are pushed aside for one reason or another, Jephthah was left with a chip in his shoulder. Something to prove. He was going to be the man who liberated the Israelites from the iron-clad fist of the Ammonites... to make all those people who spat on him feel like complete and utter fools.
Anyways, Jephthah initially tries to reason with the king of the Ammonites, sending a lengthy message basically stating that the Lord had given them their land, and that gave them the right to have it (v24). It was essentially a staredown or a chess match, as the Ammonite king didn't back down (v28).
Then the Spirit of the Lord comes into our hero (v29), and he goes out to meet the Ammonites. At this point, Jephthah tries to cut a deal with God. Should God deliver him the Ammonites, ole Jephy vows to give God whatever or whoever comes out of his door to meet him. Like I said, he wants to win. I mean, really wants to win. He's like the super competitive kid who smashes the Monopoly board because he's losing. Well, except for the part where he's about to go out and destroy the Ammonites.... *ahem* ...but he's got that same competitive spirit! Also interesting is that Jephthah makes the vow, not God. It's not a covenant. It's totally ole Jephy's idea.
So Jephthah goes out and kicks some toosh. They route the Ammonites (v32), and a tired Jephthah returns home. Victorious. I can almost picture him. Sweaty and bloodied like William Wallace or Maximus, but yet, head held high with pride. He has redeemed himself. The lowly son of a prostitute, rejected by his own blood, forced into a life of violent thuggery and ultimately, the liberator of Israelites. He is a hero.
But his mood quickly changes when his daughter comes running out to meet him (v34). His only daughter. He tears his clothes in anguish (v35), and suddenly our story is more Shakespeare and less Gladiator. More tragedy and less awesome-hero-conquers-sinister-villain. But still, a vow is a vow, and so his daughter asks only for some time to go with her friends to "roam the hills and weep" because she would never marry (v37). Here the story gets a little hazy. We do know that Jephthah honors his promise to the Lord, but it was the subject of some debate as to whether or not that entailed a literal human sacrifice, or simply because she led a life of solitude, never marrying. Either way, Jephthah's lineage ended there.
So what can we learn from this? I have a few ideas, but I'm just the blogger. Just the guy who was supposed to summarize the story. One idea to hang your hat on - maybe it might be best not to promise God a burnt offering of whatever greets you when you first return home.
Jooon! You're supposed to SHARE your ideas about what we learned, not say "I have a few ideas, but I'm just the blogger". Hahaha. I think I'd really enjoy hearing your ideas, actually.
ReplyDeleteNot that I didn't enjoy your Judges 11 summary, along with your erm..liberally applied commentary on the side that included Shakespeare and the likes.
I also see what you did on the tagging there. Very clever. :)
This is a great summary Jon! It felt like I was actually at the bible study! I think your side commentary comparisons are interesting too. :D
ReplyDeleteLOL @ the tags. Yeah.. I was looking up "daisies and daffodils" when I came across this page.
Ok, I haven't actually read the chapter yet but now i have some idea.. Will go over that first and be back to see/make contributions.. Since that is what we want to get out of this blog.. Haha
Hahaha best coles notes ever. At least jephy honored his promise with God... I mean, that's the same as abraham with isaac. Except u knw... Isaac was asked to die. While jephy's daughter would never marry. (i wonder which is worse though? Ahhahha) and... God asked abe, jeph put it on himself. Argh lol. They're nt similar at all. :)) i guess what i'm saying is, since the theme of judges seem to he arnd idols and the weak, was jephy's daughter an idop to Him?
ReplyDeleteI love how He works though. Jeph was probably expecting some nobody to meet him. Too baaaddd, maximus.
hehe Leanne, I was too tired to come up with any kind of logical response after writing my awesome summary. ;) And I do feel that blogging about the Bible is a little different than regular blogging. I mean, if I write my thoughts about Judges 11, they are just that - my thoughts. I don't want to start inflicting my ideas or preconceived notions on others, it's bad enough that they color whatever verses I might read!
ReplyDeleteBut basically, I walk away from that chapter with one main thing. You know how I said that Jephthah developed a chip in his shoulder like "so many other men"...? (For the record, men is used in the Biblical sense to describe *all* people. Some women can be just as, if not MORE, stubborn than men. :p) Anyway, I include myself in that group. I'm fiercely independent and quietly competitive myself, so there's a lot in ole Jephy that I can really relate to. At some level, these attributes are strengths, but taken to an extreme, they can become a real problem.
I too have found myself between a rock and a hard place, and like the hero of our story, I can find myself promising things I probably won't be able to keep just to escape from that place. I don't know how many times I've promised to dedicate my life to God, to give up something or to start doing something.
Everything comes from heaven. Everything. And yet for some reason, people like Jephy and myself get it into our head that we have some sort of leverage on God, that we can use our influence as human beings to get him to give us what we want or feel we need.
Or at least, that's one possible outlook from this chapter.
LOL! Loving the pet names, you guys! :) and to echo yourself and the others, awesome summary, Jon!
ReplyDeleteHey Jon, thanks for sharing. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I get what you mean. Especially as a kid, I used to do that a lot with God. Set up bargains. I usually tell Him I'd "turn over a new leaf" if He did something for me. I sure am glad God's generous enough to answer our prayers but not hold us up to the end of our many deals.