JEPHTHAH: A MAN WHO SWORE TO HIS OWN HURT AND CHANGED NOT!
It’s hard to admire people whose word can be depended on completely and whose actions are consistent with their words. For such people talking is not avoiding actions. It is the beginning of the action. People like this can make excellent negotiations. They approach a conflict with the full intention of setting issues verbally, but they do not hesitate to use other means if verbal attempt fail. Jephthah was this kind of person.
In most of his conflicts, Jephthah’s first move was to talk. In the war with the Ammonites, his strategy was negotiation. He clarified the issues so that everyone knew the cause of the conflict. His opponent response determines his next action. The fate of Jephthah’s daughter is difficult to understand. We are not sure what Jephthah meant by his vow recorded in Judges 11:31. In any case, his vow was unnecessary. We do not know what actually happened to the daughter – whether she was buried as an offering or she was set apart as a virgin, this denying Jephthah any hope of descendant since she was his only child. What we do know was that Jephthah was a person of his word, even when it was a word spoken in haste, and even when keeping his word cost him great pain. How do you approach conflict? There is a big difference between trying to settle a conflict through words and simply counter attacking some verbally. How dependable are the statements you make? Do you children, friends, and fellow workers know you to be a person of your word? The measure of your trustworthiness is your willingness to take responsibility, even if you must pay a painful price because of something you said.
Area of Strength:
- Listed in the hall of faith Hebrew 11.
- Controlled by God’s spirit
- A brilliant military strategist who negotiated before fighting
Area of Weakness:
- Was bitter over the treatment he received from his half brothers
- Made a rash and foolish vow that was costly
Lessons from his life:
- A person’s background does not prevent God from working powerfully in his or her life
His story is told in judges11: 1, 12:7. He is also mentioned in 1samuel 12:11 and Hebrew 11:32.
Key Verse: ‘’ So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord delivered them into his hands. (Judges 11:32).
