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“Jephthah”
Categories: CHILDREN, DOCTRINE, GOD, OLD TESTAMENT, RELATIONSHIPSI was reading in the Old Testament about the guy who said he'd kill whatever came out of his house first when he got home from war. Then his daughter came out, and he had to kill her to keep his promise. Does that mean a promise is more important than human life?
Sincerely, Vowing to Find the Truth
Dear Vowing to Find the Truth,
No, what it means is that if you don’t know your Bible, you can do really stupid things – like kill your kid and think you are serving God. The story you are thinking of is Jephthah and his daughter (Judg 11:30-36). Jephthah was one of the judges in Israel. It is important to remember that when the Bible is recounting history, it tells the whole story of man. Just because the Bible says somebody did something doesn’t mean God is condoning it. David committed adultery, Paul killed Christians, Peter denied the Lord, etc. When God recounts history, He even includes the stupid things people do.
Jephthah made a rash vow in promising to kill whatever came out of his door first (Judg 11:31). God tells us that it is a very foolish thing to do (Eccl 5:2). James points out that a wise man bridles his tongue (Jas 3:2), and Solomon points out that even a fool can look wise when he shuts his mouth (Pr 17:28). Jephthah made a ridiculous vow and then made a horrible decision in following through with it.
If only Jephthah had read his Bible! If he had, he would have known the right thing to do. God told people who made rash vows to confess their sin and make a sacrifice to God for their sin (Lev 5:4-6). Instead, Jephthah tried to fix one wrong by committing an even more heinous wrong: murder (Deu 5:17). Jephthah is just another example of how much damage is caused when we don’t learn, study, and live by God’s Word.
