Jephthah’s vow II – What if…? (Judg 11:34-40)
It is sometimes assumed that if only Jephthah had known certain laws, he could have redeemed his vow, but the regulations commentators mention (e.g. Lev 27:1-8 or Lev 5:4-5) are not straightforward (see my discussion here). Vows are solemn promises and cannot be annulled willy-nilly. However, fulfilling a vow whose content is abhorrent to God would be equally wrong. The fundamental issue is not Jephthah’s unfamiliarity with legal minutiae but his ignorance that human sacrifice, so common in the region, is wrong! Cultures are pervasive and, for good or ill, it is difficult to escape their influence. If we are to maintain our faithfulness to the truth, we need to immerse ourselves in Scripture, so we can judge cultural beliefs and attitudes by the standard of God’s Word.
Childlessness is a curse in Israel because without resurrection hope (which was only recognised later), one’s life was seen to continue in one’s children. With the death of Jephthah’s daughter, Jephthah’s line will die. The references to her virginity and not having relations with a man (vv.37-39) are about the matter of descendants rather than sexual fulfilment. Jephthah’s tragedy is that the very vow that was to ensure his success also cuts off his future line. Isn’t this what sin does to us? We try to fulfil our dreams and desires using shortcuts and ways that are not right and we end up destroying ourselves.
How could this story have ended differently? What if, when he was driven out of his home, Jephthah had appealed to God for justice? After all, he knew that God was Judge (11:27). What if, when the elders came to him, he had asked God if He wanted to save His people through him? What if his concern hadn’t been for himself but for God’s people? What if he had trusted God for the outcome of the battle and not made a vow, or vowed the spoil to God in gratitude? What if he were concerned for his daughter first and would let himself be cursed (by not fulfilling the vow) rather than harm her? What if he realised that sacrificing his daughter was wrong and had thrown himself at God’s mercy? There were several forks in the road where Jephthah could have made different choices, and this should give us hope. We may feel stuck in unhealthy patterns of behaviour set by our upbringing or our desires for fulfilment, but our path is not determined solely by these. We can choose God and His will, immerse ourselves in His truth and seek Him when our sin lands us in impossible situations. When we put Him first and take even tiny steps of obedience in a sincere effort to please Him, He meets us more than half-way.
