Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, saying, “If you really do hand the Ammonites over to me, then whoever is the first to come through the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from fighting the Ammonites—he will belong to the LORD and I will offer him up as a burnt sacrifice.”
Judges 11:30-31 NET
As you read the Old Testament, many stories might leave you scratching your head—puzzled as to why they are in the Bible and what to make of it. And there may be no narrative that better illustrates this than the story of Jephthah.
Jephthah had been recruited to lead Israel against a stronger foe who had been oppressing Israel for many years. Jephthah initially expressed confidence that God would lead Israel to victory. But on the eve of battle, he made a vow to God, hoping to secure God’s favor. But it was a vow he later came to regret.
Israel did indeed defeat the Ammonites. It was a joyous time. Until Jephthah got home. As the story unfolds, the first person to come out of the door was Jephthah’s only child, a daughter. Jephthah was devastated but felt obligated to fulfill his vow. After his daughter was given a short time to mourn her virginity, the story concluded with the implication that she was offered as a burnt offering.
What to Make of It
So, how should we understand this story? It is important to note that this story is descriptive rather than prescriptive. In other words, it is just telling us something that happened but not telling us what we should do.
There is no indication in the story that God communicated anything to Jephthah to confirm or forbid his action. Nor does the story itself provide any judgment on what Jephthah did.
The Bible itself strongly condemns child sacrifice (Jer. 32:35). And it does make provision for being released from a rash vow (Lev. 5:4-6). So even though this story itself passes no judgment on Jephthah’s action, the Bible, as a whole, tells us that he was wrong in what he did.
This story illustrates the importance of examining the Bible as a whole rather than just isolated passages. It also shows us that the Bible does not try to clean up its heroes but shows their failures as well as their successes. And finally, this story can serve as a warning against making rash promises to God. They are unneeded. And can come back to haunt us.
