No sooner are we done with the sordid story of Abimelech than we come to Jephthah, Judge #9.

Abimelech was an outcast because his mother was a “concubine” of Gideon’s. I looked up concubine, and it means, in polygamous cultures, a wife of lesser status.

It turns out Jephthah is an outcast in his clan of Gilead because his mother was a prostitute:

Jephthah the Gileadite was one tough warrior. He was the son of a prostitute, but Gilead was his father. Meanwhile, Gilead’s legal wife had given him other sons, and when they grew up, his wife’s sons threw Jephthah out. They told him: “You’re not getting any of our family inheritance—you’re the son of another woman.” So Jephthah fled from his brothers and went to live in the land of Tob. Some riffraff joined him and went around with him. (Judges 11.1 – 3, MSG)

But unlike Abimelech who killed all his half-brothers so he could be in charge, Gilead’s brothers came to get him:

Some time passed. And then the Ammonites started fighting Israel. With the Ammonites at war with them, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. They said to Jephthah: “Come. Be our general and we’ll fight the Ammonites.” But Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead: “But you hate me. You kicked me out of my family home. So why are you coming to me now? Because you are in trouble. Right?” (Judges 11.4 – 7, MSG)

Jephthah tries diplomacy with the Ammonites without success (see Judges 11.14 – 27). So Jephthah recruits an army and, empowered by “God’s Spirit,” defeats the Ammonites.

It’s completely unclear why Jephthah felt it necessary to make a stupid vow:

GOD’s Spirit came upon Jephthah. He went across Gilead and Manasseh, went through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there approached the Ammonites. Jephthah made a vow before GOD: “If you give me a clear victory over the Ammonites, then I’ll give to GOD whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in one piece from among the Ammonites—I’ll offer it up in a sacrificial burnt offering.”…Jephthah came home to Mizpah. His daughter ran from the house to welcome him home—dancing to tambourines! She was his only child. He had no son or daughter except her. When he realized who it was, he ripped his clothes, saying, “Ah, dearest daughter—I’m dirt. I’m despicable. My heart is torn to shreds. I made a vow to GOD and I can’t take it back!” (Judges 11.29 – 31, 34, 35, MSG)

I’ll never understand the nature of Jephthah’s vow.

• What/who did he expect to come out of the door of his house?
• Why did he feel a vow was necessary? Was he trying to help God out?

She said, “Dear father, if you made a vow to GOD, do to me what you vowed; GOD did his part and saved you from your Ammonite enemies.” (Judges 11.36, MSG)

So many lessons:

• The obvious one, backed up by Solomon’s observations in Ecclesiastes, is don’t make vows!

Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few…When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? (Ecclesiastes 5.2, 4 – 6, MSG)

• Be creative and self-sacrificial: I think Japheth could have offered himself in exchange for his daughter. That’s what Jesus did, essentially. Japheth lived only six more years (see Judges 12.1 – 7).
• Let’s bring it up to date: don’t sacrifice family on the altar of “ministry.” More than one Christian leader (professional or volunteer) has lost his wife or children because of too many hours devoted to ministry or church activity. I can think of two specific instances in my own life when I blew up a friendship because I thought some ministry activity I needed to do with people I didn’t know all that well was more important than relationships with people I did know well. It was a long time ago. I would do things differently now. For an insightful and humorous look at our tendency to put ministry before family,  read The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass, age 37 3/4. It’s available used for cheap. Worth it at any price.

And since you know that he cares, let your language show it. Don’t add words like “I swear to God” to your own words. Don’t show your impatience by concocting oaths to hurry up God. Just say yes or no. Just say what is true. That way, your language can’t be used against you. (James 5.12, MSG)

Anyone who neglects to care for family members in need repudiates the faith. That’s worse than refusing to believe in the first place. (1 Timothy 5.8, MSG)

God clearly says, “Respect your father and mother,” and, “Anyone denouncing father or mother should be killed.” But you weasel around that by saying, “Whoever wants to, can say to father and mother, What I owed to you I’ve given to God.” (Matthew 15.4, 5, MSG)

I’m well aware that these last two verses have literal meaning and application to specific situations different from the point I’m making. But in principle, doing “God’s work” doesn’t get one out of taking care of family.