1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:03,500 Our reading this afternoon will come from the Book of Judges, 2 00:00:03,500 --> 00:00:08,200 the 11th chapter and there will read the first two verses to 3 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:11,100 introduce our study. And again, the scriptures will 4 00:00:11,100 --> 00:00:14,000 be up here on the screen and there from the new King James 5 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:18,300 version Judges chapter 11 verses 1 and 2. 6 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:21,500 There we read. Now, jeptha the Gilead, I was a 7 00:00:21,500 --> 00:00:26,500 mighty man of Valor, but he was the son of a harlot and Gilead 8 00:00:26,500 --> 00:00:29,900 begat jeptha Gilead, is wife bore Sons. 9 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:34,000 And when his wife Sons grew up, they drove Jep the out and said 10 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:37,400 to him, you shall have no inheritance in our father's 11 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:41,400 house for you are the son of another woman. 12 00:00:41,900 --> 00:00:44,700 Perhaps there's been an occasion where you've been reading 13 00:00:44,700 --> 00:00:48,000 through your Old Testament and you've come across this 14 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:51,800 midsection of the Book of Judges and you've read about this man 15 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:54,900 jeptha, and some of the decisions that he made and maybe 16 00:00:54,900 --> 00:00:58,900 you've been uncertain as to exactly what happens in this 17 00:00:58,900 --> 00:01:01,500 story. Want to spend a little time this 18 00:01:01,500 --> 00:01:05,700 afternoon talking about this judge, who the Bible calls a 19 00:01:05,700 --> 00:01:10,200 mighty man of Valor. After the death of the 20 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:15,200 deliverer, Moses god ordained, Joshua son of nun as Israel's 21 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:18,500 leader. Joshua was primarily a military 22 00:01:18,500 --> 00:01:20,800 commander. He first demonstrated his 23 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:25,400 prowess for General Ling and exodus 17 when he led Israel's 24 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:28,200 fighting man against an attack from the amalekites. 25 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:32,200 Joshua's rain as Israel's leader proved to be one of the 26 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,100 highlights in the history of this new nation. 27 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:38,300 Other than an embarrassing defeat at AI, which was the 28 00:01:38,300 --> 00:01:41,600 result of sin in the camp. The Hebrews charged through the 29 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:44,100 land of Canaan, conquering, and settling. 30 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:47,900 The scripture even says that Israel, served the Lord, all the 31 00:01:47,900 --> 00:01:52,200 days of Joshua and all the days of the elders, who outlived 32 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:56,100 Joshua who had known all the works of the Lord which he had 33 00:01:56,100 --> 00:01:59,800 done for Israel. Joshua 24:31 even. 34 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:04,100 Joshua had led the Israelites to Great victories and Canaan there 35 00:02:04,100 --> 00:02:06,400 remain. Many parts of the land, which 36 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:11,000 were still inhabited by various Heathen, non-hebrew groups. 37 00:02:11,300 --> 00:02:14,900 The first chapter of Judges records, where some of these 38 00:02:14,900 --> 00:02:18,400 areas were located, where the conquest had not really been 39 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:20,900 complete. And since there was no central 40 00:02:20,900 --> 00:02:25,600 power or United Army as there was under Joshua, each 41 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:29,300 individual tribe was responsible for subduing. 42 00:02:29,300 --> 00:02:33,000 Their Amy's and fully conquering their territory. 43 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:37,300 However, what generally transpired was the heathens 44 00:02:37,300 --> 00:02:41,000 would be left alone and eventually Israel would enter 45 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:44,700 into idolatry now. This may seem pretty difficult 46 00:02:44,700 --> 00:02:48,700 to believe considering the Israelites had seen God perform. 47 00:02:48,700 --> 00:02:52,500 Such wondrous and marvelous works on their behalf but I 48 00:02:52,500 --> 00:02:55,000 think it's probably a lot more simple than maybe we give it 49 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:59,400 credit for imagine that you are an Israelite living on your new 50 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:01,800 piece of Land. And you're a farmer and 51 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:05,200 everything you have is right there on your farm and whatever 52 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:07,200 you grow. That's what you live on. 53 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:09,200 If you can't grow it, you don't have it. 54 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:13,000 If you have a bad year, there's no Walmart to go to, to find 55 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:14,400 relief. That's all you have. 56 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:17,500 That's your livelihood. And let's say, one particular 57 00:03:17,500 --> 00:03:20,400 year, you had a terrible year on the farm. 58 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:25,700 I mean you had no rain you had all kinds of locusts and bugs 59 00:03:25,700 --> 00:03:29,400 and your best animals broke their legs, and you just had a 60 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:32,100 miserable. Horrible miserable year on the 61 00:03:32,100 --> 00:03:37,600 farm and just up the road maybe a mile or so was some Canaanite 62 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:42,700 who lived up there and his farm seemed to flourish all the rain 63 00:03:42,700 --> 00:03:45,300 skipped you but they showered him. 64 00:03:45,300 --> 00:03:49,300 The bugs skipped in and showered, you and his animals 65 00:03:49,300 --> 00:03:52,000 were healthy and thriving and productive. 66 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:55,200 And so, you look up at your neighbor and you say, what am I 67 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,500 doing wrong? And what is he doing, right? 68 00:03:58,900 --> 00:04:02,700 Well, maybe I need to Worshiping the gods, he worships. 69 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:07,200 Maybe I need to be serving the idols he serves, and that's 70 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:12,100 exactly what they would do. After a time of idolatry, God 71 00:04:12,100 --> 00:04:14,000 would send a punishment upon the people. 72 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:17,200 Usually, this came in the formula, he then Army that 73 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:21,600 raided Israel for their food stores and livestock, or maybe 74 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:25,800 even sometimes a heathen Army would come and retake the land 75 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:28,700 that the Israelites had already conquered. 76 00:04:28,700 --> 00:04:30,500 And so after this, What happened? 77 00:04:30,500 --> 00:04:34,200 The Israelites would repent and they would pray for God to 78 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:38,500 deliver them and then God would raise up a judge. 79 00:04:38,900 --> 00:04:42,300 The judge was not a king he or she. 80 00:04:42,300 --> 00:04:46,600 As in the case of Deborah was usually a military leader who 81 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:49,500 would gather some troops together and drive out the 82 00:04:49,500 --> 00:04:52,100 opposing people. Some of the judges helped in 83 00:04:52,108 --> 00:04:56,100 settling disputes but generally a judge was a fighter and very 84 00:04:56,100 --> 00:04:59,000 little is known about most of the judges especially about 85 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:01,900 their upbringing. And history before they became a 86 00:05:01,900 --> 00:05:04,400 judge. But there is one judge about 87 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:08,300 what you great deal is known. And his name is jephthah. 88 00:05:08,700 --> 00:05:12,000 The background to the narrative is told at the end of Judges 89 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:16,500 chapter 10, Israel has sinned against God. 90 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:20,100 And as a punishment, God allowed the Israelites to be oppressed 91 00:05:20,100 --> 00:05:23,800 by the Heathen ammonites. The Israelites were suffering 92 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:26,400 badly, and their suffering brought them to their senses. 93 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:30,200 And so, they decided to return to God, we read in Judges 94 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:34,100 chapter 10, beginning in verse 15 and the children of Israel 95 00:05:34,100 --> 00:05:38,000 said to the Lord, we have sinned do to us. 96 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:40,900 Whatever seems best to you only Deliver us this day. 97 00:05:40,900 --> 00:05:43,100 We pray. So they put away the foreign 98 00:05:43,100 --> 00:05:45,800 Gods from among them and serve the Lord. 99 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:47,500 And his soul could no longer endure. 100 00:05:47,500 --> 00:05:50,700 The misery of Israel, then the people of Ammon gathered 101 00:05:50,700 --> 00:05:53,700 together and encamped in Gilead and the children of Israel 102 00:05:53,700 --> 00:05:55,800 assembled together in a captain mizpah. 103 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:58,300 And the people, the leaders of Gilead said to one. 104 00:05:58,300 --> 00:06:02,700 Another who is A man who will begin the fight against the 105 00:06:02,700 --> 00:06:07,100 people of Ammon? He shall be head over all the 106 00:06:07,100 --> 00:06:12,400 inhabitants of Gilead. The Israelites needed a leader. 107 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:16,700 This is a pretty famous scene that's found several times in 108 00:06:16,700 --> 00:06:20,000 the Old Testament. You have one Army, camped along 109 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:23,600 one Ridge, and maybe there's a valley in the middle and another 110 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:27,900 Army, camped along another Ridge and there's taunting going back 111 00:06:27,900 --> 00:06:29,700 and forth. This is reminiscent of day. 112 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:32,700 David and Goliath on the Israelites, and the Philistines. 113 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:35,800 And the Israelites are looking around for somebody who can 114 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:41,000 start the fight, somebody who is capable and qualified to lead 115 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:44,500 them into battle, against those, who would oppose them. 116 00:06:44,700 --> 00:06:48,300 Now, immediately after this, we're introduced to jeptha and 117 00:06:48,300 --> 00:06:52,600 were told that jephthah is a mighty man of Valor, but jeptha 118 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:56,200 was not initially considered for the job because of his 119 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:59,700 background. You see his father was Gilead, 120 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:03,300 Region is called Gilead. So his father is likely the 121 00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:08,300 ancient patriarch of this region, but his mother was a 122 00:07:08,300 --> 00:07:11,100 harlot. His mother was a harlot. 123 00:07:11,100 --> 00:07:16,300 And so jeptha was rejected, he was rejected by his own family, 124 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:20,400 his stepmother and half Brothers looked down on him and treated 125 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:24,700 him, cruelly even telling him. You shall have no inheritance in 126 00:07:24,700 --> 00:07:29,100 our father's house for your the son of another woman, judges 11 127 00:07:29,100 --> 00:07:31,900 and verse To. And so Jep, the was GIF driven 128 00:07:31,900 --> 00:07:35,400 away from his father's house and from his homeland. 129 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:38,400 And what difficulty, this would have been for Jeff. 130 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:42,500 The, as a young man to be cast out, and cast aside by her own 131 00:07:42,500 --> 00:07:47,100 family to be left, to be have to survive on your own without help 132 00:07:47,100 --> 00:07:52,000 or a Jep the suffered, he had a difficult childhood, he had a 133 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:56,500 difficult time as a young man. He surely felt worthless about 134 00:07:56,500 --> 00:08:00,100 himself, but what's so wonderful and amazing about about the 135 00:08:00,100 --> 00:08:04,300 scripture. Is that these are the exact type 136 00:08:04,300 --> 00:08:10,400 of people that God picks up and uses in his surface of the 137 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:14,500 people that are no one would think twice about the people 138 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:18,200 that no one would take a Second Glance to even look upon. 139 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:24,600 These are the people that God uses to accomplish incredible 140 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:27,900 things. And so we read in judges 11 141 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:33,799 beginning in verse 6, that they said to jeptha, The come and be 142 00:08:33,900 --> 00:08:39,000 our commander that we may fight against the people of Ammon. 143 00:08:39,700 --> 00:08:45,700 So Jep the said to the Elders of Gilead, did you not hate me and 144 00:08:45,700 --> 00:08:50,200 expel me from my father's house. Why have you come to me now when 145 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:53,700 you're in distress and the Elders of Gilead said to Jeff, 146 00:08:53,700 --> 00:08:56,500 the this is why we've turned again to you now that you may go 147 00:08:56,500 --> 00:09:01,200 with us and fight against the people of Ammon and be our head 148 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:07,000 over all All the inhabitants of Gilead, you may come from 149 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:10,700 difficult and painful circumstances, a, you may have 150 00:09:10,700 --> 00:09:14,700 had a difficult childhood. You may have faced obstacles and 151 00:09:14,700 --> 00:09:18,800 heartaches that no one should have to face in life. 152 00:09:18,900 --> 00:09:23,100 And if that's you, then you're like jeptha, who had to endure 153 00:09:23,100 --> 00:09:27,700 things because of who he was from birth, not because of what 154 00:09:27,700 --> 00:09:32,800 he did in life, Jeff does life teaches us that the The outcast 155 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:37,600 of this world can rise above their circumstances to do. 156 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:42,500 Great works for the Lord and so Jeff, the takes this charge and 157 00:09:42,508 --> 00:09:46,800 it begins by negotiating. A plea deal with the ammonites 158 00:09:46,900 --> 00:09:51,500 The Plea, concludes, and judges 11 27 and 28. 159 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:54,100 When Jeff. The says, therefore I'm not 160 00:09:54,100 --> 00:09:57,100 sinned against you. He is negotiating with the king 161 00:09:57,100 --> 00:10:01,400 of the ammonites, I'm not sinned against you, but you wrong Me by 162 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:04,200 finding a It's me. I love this part. 163 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:08,100 May the Lord, the judge render judgment this day, between the 164 00:10:08,100 --> 00:10:10,900 children of Israel and the people of Ammon. 165 00:10:10,900 --> 00:10:13,700 However, the king of the people of Ammon did not heed the words 166 00:10:13,700 --> 00:10:17,600 with jeptha sent him. I love this part because Jeff 167 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:20,400 the realizes that this isn't about him. 168 00:10:21,100 --> 00:10:24,300 This isn't about him. This isn't even about Israel. 169 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:29,600 He says this is about the Lord and the Lord has given judgment 170 00:10:29,700 --> 00:10:33,600 and will give it again. May the Lord, the judge render 171 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:38,800 judgment concerning this matter. And so Jeff the weights, he puts 172 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:43,300 this in the hands of the Lord and it's not until verse 29, 173 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:47,300 when the spirit of the Lord comes upon him. 174 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:51,900 By the way, there are 12 judges in the Book of Judges and only 175 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:55,500 four of them are ever said, to have the spirit of the Lord Came 176 00:10:55,500 --> 00:11:01,300 Upon them, the spirit of the Lord Came Upon jeptha. 177 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:05,300 You pass through Gilead and Manasseh and passed through 178 00:11:05,300 --> 00:11:08,600 mizpah of Gilead and from mizpah of Gilead. 179 00:11:08,700 --> 00:11:16,300 He Advanced toward the people of Ammon jeptha in these verses 180 00:11:16,500 --> 00:11:20,400 shows a wonderful quality of waiting. 181 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:25,500 With patients on the Lord waiting with patients on the 182 00:11:25,500 --> 00:11:29,500 Lord as the psalmist says, to rest in the Lord and wait 183 00:11:29,500 --> 00:11:33,100 patiently for him. This wasn't about Jeptha wasn't 184 00:11:33,100 --> 00:11:36,800 about Israel. It was about the Lord. 185 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:44,200 Now we come to a problem. Now we come to a crisis and now 186 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:50,100 we come to the greatest mistake jeptha ever made when he entered 187 00:11:50,100 --> 00:11:54,700 hastily into a vow. And we read about this in Judges 188 00:11:54,700 --> 00:12:00,800 chapter 11 and verses 30 and 31 and Jeff the made a vow to the 189 00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:05,400 Lord and said If you will indeed deliver, the people of Ammon 190 00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:09,300 into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the 191 00:12:09,300 --> 00:12:12,900 doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the 192 00:12:12,900 --> 00:12:19,700 people of Ammon shall surely be the Lord's and I will offer it 193 00:12:19,700 --> 00:12:25,100 up as a burnt offering jephthah's vow will be the focus 194 00:12:25,100 --> 00:12:28,400 of the remainder of our sermon tonight because it's been used 195 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:32,100 by Skeptics and critics of the Bible as cannon fodder. 196 00:12:32,300 --> 00:12:35,000 Otter against the morality of the scriptures. 197 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:39,300 And so it deserves our attention shortly after this Val was made 198 00:12:39,300 --> 00:12:42,900 Jep the advanced, his soldiers against the ammonites and was 199 00:12:42,900 --> 00:12:45,100 victorious. In defeating them when he 200 00:12:45,108 --> 00:12:49,800 returned home from his Conquest. His Joy, turned sour, when he 201 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:54,500 came to his house at mizpah. There was his daughter. 202 00:12:54,700 --> 00:12:57,800 There was his daughter coming out to meet him with timbrels 203 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:00,000 and dancing. And she was his only child 204 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:02,200 besides her. He had neither son. 205 00:13:02,300 --> 00:13:05,700 Nor daughter and it came to pass when he saw her that he tore his 206 00:13:05,700 --> 00:13:08,300 clothes and said of last, my daughter, you have brought me 207 00:13:08,300 --> 00:13:10,500 very low. You are among those who trouble 208 00:13:10,500 --> 00:13:13,000 me for. I've given my word to the Lord, 209 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:17,600 and I cannot go back on it and a few verses later, the Bible 210 00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:23,900 simply says, Jeff the carried out his vow with her, which he 211 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:33,100 had vowed, The question is, did jeptha offer his daughter as a 212 00:13:33,100 --> 00:13:39,400 burnt sacrifice to the Lord? The accusation is. 213 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:45,700 How could someone possibly uphold the Bible as a guide for 214 00:13:45,700 --> 00:13:52,500 moral living when it allows and condones Human Sacrifice child, 215 00:13:52,500 --> 00:13:57,300 sacrifice at that. Therefore the The Skeptics and 216 00:13:57,300 --> 00:14:03,100 critics say, the Bible must be ignored because it's an immoral 217 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:07,700 book, but we want to consider this issue tonight and there are 218 00:14:07,700 --> 00:14:11,200 several things that we need to address and so we'll take them 219 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:15,500 one at a time and the first one I know will thrill your heart. 220 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:19,600 And that is that I've come all this way to talk about grammar. 221 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:24,500 Now if you don't like grammar, I'm sorry you'll have to just 222 00:14:24,500 --> 00:14:28,000 bear with this. The Lord could have chosen any 223 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:33,300 way to reveal his will to us and he chose language and words and 224 00:14:33,300 --> 00:14:36,500 so sometimes that means we have to talk a little about grammar. 225 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:40,900 And the first thing that we want to discuss is that the text of 226 00:14:40,900 --> 00:14:45,900 the scripture itself, does not demand a sacrifice. 227 00:14:45,900 --> 00:14:48,700 You'll notice that nowhere in the chapter, does it say 228 00:14:48,700 --> 00:14:52,300 anything, like and Jep the offered his daughter as a burnt 229 00:14:52,300 --> 00:14:54,900 offering? And Jeff, the sacrifices 230 00:14:54,900 --> 00:14:59,100 daughter upon the altar no, such sentence or anything similar to 231 00:14:59,100 --> 00:15:02,300 that is found anywhere in the chapter. 232 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:05,200 But also we need to pay a little attention to Jeff. 233 00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:10,700 This vow itself in verse 31 Jep, the said it will be that 234 00:15:10,700 --> 00:15:13,900 whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I 235 00:15:13,908 --> 00:15:17,800 return in peace from the people of Ammon shall, surely be the 236 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:23,600 Lord's, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering now, Now in 237 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:28,100 the Hebrew language, you have this little letter here and this 238 00:15:28,100 --> 00:15:31,600 letter is called a. Wow it's a w. 239 00:15:31,700 --> 00:15:34,300 It's a w. And this little letter right 240 00:15:34,300 --> 00:15:38,700 here is the common conjunction in the Hebrew language on 241 00:15:38,700 --> 00:15:44,600 English we have a lot of conjunctions and but or so all 242 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:48,600 of those are conjunctions words that combine different concepts 243 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:52,400 or different actions or different ideas together but in 244 00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:55,000 Hebrew. You really only have this one 245 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:59,500 conjunction, and so, if you have a fever sentence, like will take 246 00:15:59,500 --> 00:16:04,100 a couple of Hebrew verbs here. This is Amar, it means he said 247 00:16:04,300 --> 00:16:08,900 and this is halak and it means he walked. 248 00:16:09,700 --> 00:16:11,800 Okay. So we have two actions here, 249 00:16:11,900 --> 00:16:15,500 Amar and halak he said he walked. 250 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:18,400 Well if we want to combine those two together, let's say one 251 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:22,900 person is doing the saying and the walking all we would do is 252 00:16:22,900 --> 00:16:26,100 to come over here right here and put this little letter right 253 00:16:26,100 --> 00:16:28,900 there. That's it. 254 00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:34,300 And once we've added this little letter right here, well we can 255 00:16:34,300 --> 00:16:40,000 translate that as all these different possibilities, he 256 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:43,600 walked. And he said, he walked then, he 257 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:49,800 said he walked or he said but he said so he said in fact, the 258 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:53,900 wow, conjunction right here can be translated into words that 259 00:16:53,900 --> 00:16:55,600 aren't even. Usually conjunctions. 260 00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:59,800 In English, like the word, then to denote on going. 261 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:04,800 Action. Okay, let me give an example in 262 00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:09,700 Genesis 13 and verse 9. When Abram and lot are going to 263 00:17:09,700 --> 00:17:14,000 separate from one. Another Abram says, is not the 264 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:17,900 whole land before you please separate from me. 265 00:17:17,900 --> 00:17:21,400 If you go to the left that I will go to the right. 266 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:26,000 Or if you go to the right, then I'll go to the left and this 267 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:32,500 word, or right here is the same exact Word as and appears that 268 00:17:32,500 --> 00:17:37,600 little wild conjunction. The only way to know how to 269 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:41,700 translate this. Conjunction is the context. 270 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:47,500 That's the only way to know. So in Genesis 39, it's easy. 271 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:52,500 Abraham is giving two options. If you go this way, I'll go this 272 00:17:52,500 --> 00:17:55,700 way. Or if you go this way, I'll go 273 00:17:55,700 --> 00:17:58,300 this way. And that's how it's easy to know 274 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:01,500 if it's an or. But what about this one right 275 00:18:01,500 --> 00:18:05,300 here? Could Jep the be saying whatever 276 00:18:05,300 --> 00:18:08,900 comes out to meet me. Shall surely be the Lord's? 277 00:18:09,300 --> 00:18:13,400 Or I will offer it up as a burnt offering? 278 00:18:14,300 --> 00:18:17,200 That would be a perfectly acceptable translation. 279 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:22,400 In fact, Young's literal translation of the Bible gives 280 00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:26,500 that exact rendering. Not that jeptha is combining the 281 00:18:26,500 --> 00:18:30,500 two actions, but that he's saying, I'll do one or the other 282 00:18:30,900 --> 00:18:33,200 whatever comes out to meet me, shall surely. 283 00:18:33,300 --> 00:18:38,300 Surely be the Lord's or I will offer it up as a burnt offering. 284 00:18:38,300 --> 00:18:41,100 That's our first point. The text does not demand a 285 00:18:41,100 --> 00:18:44,400 sacrifice Jep, the could be giving two different options. 286 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:47,700 But now we go to number two, and we have to note that human 287 00:18:47,700 --> 00:18:52,500 sacrifice. Is forbidden in the law of 288 00:18:52,500 --> 00:18:57,100 Moses. Human Sacrifice is explicitly 289 00:18:57,100 --> 00:19:01,300 condemned in the law of Moses. Look, it's three scriptures with 290 00:19:01,300 --> 00:19:05,600 me, Deuteronomy 18, 9, and 10. When you come into the land 291 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:08,600 which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn 292 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:11,100 to follow the Abominations of those Nations. 293 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:14,600 There shall not be found among found among you anyone who makes 294 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:18,400 his son or daughter pass through the fire. 295 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:22,000 Now, this phrase passed through the fire is a common Hebrew 296 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:27,000 idiom to describe Human Sacrifice child sacrifice. 297 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:30,600 It was a common practice amongst the worshippers of Molech and 298 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:34,500 God is so disgusted. By this particular sin that in 299 00:19:34,508 --> 00:19:39,100 Leviticus chapter 20, he applies the death penalty to it. 300 00:19:39,300 --> 00:19:42,700 When the Bible says the Lord spoke to Moses saying again, you 301 00:19:42,700 --> 00:19:45,400 shall say to the children of Israel, whoever the children of 302 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:48,400 Israel or of the strangers who dwell in the in Israel, who 303 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:51,600 gives any of his descendants to Molech. 304 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:56,300 He shall surely be put to death. Death, the people of the land 305 00:19:56,300 --> 00:20:00,900 shall Stone him with stones and one more scripture Deuteronomy, 306 00:20:00,900 --> 00:20:06,000 12, 29 to 32 read this one. Now, when the Lord your God cuts 307 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:08,300 off from before you, the nations, would you go to 308 00:20:08,300 --> 00:20:12,100 dispossess and you displace them and dwell in their land? 309 00:20:12,500 --> 00:20:15,600 Take heed to yourself that you're not ensnared to follow 310 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:18,100 them after they're destroyed from before you. 311 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:20,800 And that you do not inquire after their gods. 312 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:23,400 Saying how did these nations serve their gods? 313 00:20:23,500 --> 00:20:26,300 I will do. Likewise, you shall not Worship 314 00:20:26,300 --> 00:20:29,700 the Lord your God in that way, for every Abomination to the 315 00:20:29,700 --> 00:20:32,400 Lord, which he hates, they've done to their gods. 316 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:37,400 For they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to 317 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:40,800 their gods, whatever, I command, you be careful to observe it. 318 00:20:40,800 --> 00:20:44,500 You shall not add to it nor take away from it. 319 00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:48,500 This was a death-penalty offense. 320 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:55,100 You sacrifice a human being, you die. 321 00:20:56,300 --> 00:20:58,500 That's what the law of Moses taught. 322 00:21:00,500 --> 00:21:02,700 Does this sound like what we know about jephthah? 323 00:21:05,700 --> 00:21:08,500 Did you know that jephthah's mentioned in the roll-call of 324 00:21:08,500 --> 00:21:12,900 faith in Hebrews chapter 11? Right here. 325 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:20,400 Verses 3234, what more shall I say for the time would fail me 326 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:24,300 to tell of Gideon and Barack and Samson and jeptha there. 327 00:21:24,300 --> 00:21:28,300 He is also of David and Samuel, and the prophets, who through 328 00:21:28,300 --> 00:21:31,400 faith subdued kingdoms work righteousness obtained, promises 329 00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:32,900 stopped. The mouths of lions, quenched, 330 00:21:32,900 --> 00:21:35,200 the violence of fire escaped, the edge of the sword out of 331 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:37,600 weakness were made. Strong became Valiant and battle 332 00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:40,600 turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 333 00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:46,500 In fact, after jeptha did what he did with his daughter, the 334 00:21:46,500 --> 00:21:50,000 Bible says he reigned as judge for another six years. 335 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:58,200 God blessed him for what he did. Does that sound like someone who 336 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:01,200 violated the law of Moses committing a death-penalty 337 00:22:02,100 --> 00:22:05,500 offense? Okay, let's go on to number 338 00:22:05,500 --> 00:22:08,300 three. Number three, the third thing we 339 00:22:08,300 --> 00:22:14,100 have to talk about is the focus of the passage, the focus of the 340 00:22:14,100 --> 00:22:17,300 passage. Now when Jeff the arrived home, 341 00:22:17,500 --> 00:22:21,000 he met his daughter and he explained to her The Vow that he 342 00:22:21,008 --> 00:22:25,100 had made. She told him that a vow, is a 343 00:22:25,100 --> 00:22:28,500 sacred thing, and he has to keep his word. 344 00:22:28,500 --> 00:22:32,300 He has to keep his oath to the Lord, but she made one request. 345 00:22:32,300 --> 00:22:38,600 Look at a request in verses. 37. And 38, she said to her, father, 346 00:22:38,700 --> 00:22:44,300 let this thing be done for me. Let me alone for two months that 347 00:22:44,300 --> 00:22:48,200 I may go and wander on the mountains and be. 348 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:56,000 Well, my virginity, my friends, and I and he said go and he sent 349 00:22:56,000 --> 00:23:00,300 her away for two months, and she went with her friends and 350 00:23:00,300 --> 00:23:04,000 bewailed her virginity on the mountains. 351 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:10,500 Bewail my virginity. This girl doesn't have her 352 00:23:10,500 --> 00:23:14,800 priorities at all in order. She is worried about her 353 00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:19,800 father's about to murder her and offer her as a burnt sacrifice. 354 00:23:19,900 --> 00:23:22,800 And all she can think about is her virginity. 355 00:23:22,900 --> 00:23:26,000 She wants to go spend the last two months of her life, crying 356 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:28,500 about it with their friends on the mountain. 357 00:23:29,300 --> 00:23:31,600 Look what happens next in verse 39? 358 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:35,500 And it was so at the end of the two months that she returned to 359 00:23:35,500 --> 00:23:40,000 her father and he carried out his vow with her, which he had 360 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:44,400 vowed. She knew no, man. 361 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:51,200 Why is that explanatory Clause added to the end of verse 30? 362 00:23:51,300 --> 00:23:53,500 Of course. She knew no, man, she was dead. 363 00:23:54,300 --> 00:23:59,500 If the sacrifice view is true. Why did the writer? 364 00:23:59,500 --> 00:24:03,200 Why did the Holy Spirit fill the need to add these four words to 365 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:06,800 the end of verse, 39 know a sacrifice doesn't make sense. 366 00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:11,400 Something else is going on here. Something else is going on, one 367 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:15,200 more issue to consider. And for this, we look to the 368 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:19,300 last part of the chapter verses 39 and 40. 369 00:24:20,100 --> 00:24:24,400 Thus, it became a custom in Israel, that the daughters of 370 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:27,800 Israel went yearly to commemorate the daughter of 371 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:31,900 jeptha the Gilead. Eat for days in the year. 372 00:24:32,500 --> 00:24:34,800 Now, this is from The New American Standard Version. 373 00:24:35,500 --> 00:24:38,000 If you're reading the King James or the new King James, it 374 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:42,300 doesn't say commemorate. It says lament says lament and 375 00:24:42,300 --> 00:24:46,200 that's a bad translation. So bad translation, this word is 376 00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:49,800 used 39 times in the Old Testament and this is the only 377 00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:53,500 time it's ever translated lament in the new King James or King 378 00:24:53,500 --> 00:24:55,900 James Bible. The word is tuna. 379 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:59,600 It means to rehearse or to celebrate. 380 00:25:00,100 --> 00:25:06,300 And so what we have here is instead of shock and outcry and 381 00:25:06,300 --> 00:25:13,000 disgust and horror that a judge a leader in Israel would kill 382 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:16,200 his daughter. In Gross violation of the law, 383 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:19,100 of Moses. Instead of outcry, there was an 384 00:25:19,100 --> 00:25:23,500 annual party. There was an annual celebration. 385 00:25:24,500 --> 00:25:27,900 To commemorate what occurred on this time of four Day? 386 00:25:27,900 --> 00:25:34,900 Festival held every year. And so, to review the language 387 00:25:34,900 --> 00:25:38,900 of the text does not demand a sacrifice, Human Sacrifice, 388 00:25:38,900 --> 00:25:42,400 especially child sacrifice was explicitly condemn to the law of 389 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:45,200 Moses and jephthah's. Praised as a hero of faith in 390 00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:47,700 Hebrews 11. Instead of emphasizing her 391 00:25:47,700 --> 00:25:51,300 impending death, there's a focus on her virginity and there was 392 00:25:51,300 --> 00:25:55,400 an annual celebration in Israel. Commemorating this girl Human 393 00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:58,200 Sacrifice, doesn't fit the context. 394 00:25:58,900 --> 00:26:02,800 It doesn't fit. Look at what Alfred edersheim 395 00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:06,400 the noted scholar, remarked on all these grounds. 396 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:14,300 He said, on all these grounds, it's utter contrary to the whole 397 00:26:14,300 --> 00:26:18,700 Old Testament, the known piety of jeptha, the blessing 398 00:26:18,700 --> 00:26:22,800 following upon him, his mention in the Epistle of the Hebrews, 399 00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:25,900 but especially the language of the narrative itself. 400 00:26:25,900 --> 00:26:31,900 We feel bound to reject the idea of any human sacrifice. 401 00:26:32,300 --> 00:26:36,500 And to that I say, Amen. So, what happened? 402 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:41,700 What happened? If she wasn't sacrificed, what 403 00:26:41,700 --> 00:26:45,400 happened if we take jephthah's vowed to be whoever or whatever 404 00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:48,600 comes out to meet me, shall surely be the Lord's? 405 00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:53,200 Or I will offer it up as a burnt offering and he chose the first 406 00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:55,500 option. He dedicated his daughter to the 407 00:26:55,500 --> 00:26:57,800 Lord. How did that work? 408 00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:02,600 Well, the text really just doesn't say but the text seems 409 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:08,300 to imply that in some way she was dedicated as a Perpetual 410 00:27:08,300 --> 00:27:13,300 virgin in service to God. Now I don't know this to be the 411 00:27:13,300 --> 00:27:16,400 case, this next thing of what I'm going to tell you so you 412 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:19,100 take it for what it is. But I have a theory. 413 00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:22,800 I have a theory and accidents 39. 414 00:27:23,100 --> 00:27:27,500 And again, in first Samuel to, there are two times in the Old 415 00:27:27,500 --> 00:27:32,200 Testament were Mentions that women served at the door of the 416 00:27:32,200 --> 00:27:34,800 Tabernacle. When the Tabernacle was being 417 00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:37,500 built and X is 39, that's mentioned. 418 00:27:37,500 --> 00:27:41,500 And in first Samuel to during the days of Samuel that's 419 00:27:41,500 --> 00:27:46,000 mentioned, again, women served at the door of the Tabernacle. 420 00:27:46,100 --> 00:27:49,300 We don't know what these women did perhaps, they greeted 421 00:27:49,300 --> 00:27:52,200 worshippers who had traveled a great distance to bring their 422 00:27:52,200 --> 00:27:55,400 offering to the Tabernacle, perhaps they helped us 423 00:27:55,700 --> 00:27:58,800 intermediaries between the worshippers and the Reese. 424 00:27:58,900 --> 00:28:03,100 Maybe they provided food and drink and they watch the feet of 425 00:28:03,100 --> 00:28:08,400 the weary Travelers, whatever. They did these women served at 426 00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:11,800 the Tabernacle and it seems that, that was the dedication of 427 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:16,000 their life. Maybe that's how jephthah's 428 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:18,300 daughter was dedicated to the Lord. 429 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:23,700 Perhaps, that's how she was dedicated in full-time service 430 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:27,700 to the Lord. Now some people will ask, why 431 00:28:27,700 --> 00:28:32,100 was Jeff the so upset when his daughter, if he wasn't going to 432 00:28:32,100 --> 00:28:35,600 kill her. Why was he so upset? 433 00:28:35,700 --> 00:28:39,100 When she came out to meet him? We'll remember. 434 00:28:39,100 --> 00:28:43,000 We're dealing with an ancient culture and we're dealing with 435 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:48,900 the people who lived on the continuation of the family line. 436 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:54,000 Nine children were everything to the Israelites because they that 437 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:59,200 meant that the family continued and God's blessings continued to 438 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:02,400 Future generations. And what did it say about this 439 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:07,000 girl? She was his only child besides 440 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:11,800 her, he had neither Sons nor daughters, that means that if 441 00:29:11,800 --> 00:29:16,100 she didn't marry and produce children, his family line is 442 00:29:16,100 --> 00:29:19,000 extinguished. His name is blotted out. 443 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:23,300 Shout from Israel, and his land is given to someone else. 444 00:29:24,700 --> 00:29:29,700 And so he's upset about that. He weeps about that. 445 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:35,500 Well, in conclusion this afternoon, maybe we can make a 446 00:29:35,500 --> 00:29:38,800 very quick couple of applications. 447 00:29:39,500 --> 00:29:44,100 I think there are a lot of great lessons in this incident and the 448 00:29:44,100 --> 00:29:48,000 first one is maybe the most obvious of all and that is The 449 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:52,800 Narrative of Jeff, the warns against the danger of making a 450 00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:59,400 hasty decision. This is a problem we have today 451 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:03,900 in the world. Young people, especially our 452 00:30:03,900 --> 00:30:08,000 hasty. To make life decisions. 453 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:11,600 They have repercussions for years to come. 454 00:30:13,100 --> 00:30:17,500 We live in a society of great busyness where we're running 455 00:30:17,500 --> 00:30:22,000 from one errand to another from work to home and back to work 456 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:26,500 again, doing all that we can and the short amount of time that we 457 00:30:26,500 --> 00:30:32,600 have, sometimes we get so busy and so crazy that we make 458 00:30:32,600 --> 00:30:38,500 decisions without thinking them through Jeff, the teaches us 459 00:30:38,900 --> 00:30:42,500 that there are times we have to step back and think about the 460 00:30:42,500 --> 00:30:48,200 consequences of our actions. But number two, and maybe most 461 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:52,800 importantly, of all the narrative, object--, the teaches 462 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:56,900 that sometimes. Our happiness. 463 00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:04,700 Sometimes even a child's happiness must be set aside to 464 00:31:04,700 --> 00:31:10,200 serve the Lord. Faithfulness is more important 465 00:31:10,500 --> 00:31:15,700 than happiness. If Jeff does daughter, was like 466 00:31:15,700 --> 00:31:18,800 any other young girl I've ever known. 467 00:31:19,700 --> 00:31:25,100 She thought about her future. She thought about her future. 468 00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:29,000 She thought about finding a boy that she lie. 469 00:31:30,100 --> 00:31:31,900 She thought about getting married. 470 00:31:32,500 --> 00:31:35,900 She thought about having children and raising the family. 471 00:31:36,500 --> 00:31:43,500 She thought about her future. And she was willing to set all 472 00:31:43,500 --> 00:31:47,100 of that aside. Because of a commitment, her 473 00:31:47,100 --> 00:31:52,400 father made for her. Jep, the must have been some 474 00:31:52,400 --> 00:31:56,300 kind of father. And his daughter must have been 475 00:31:56,300 --> 00:32:01,900 some kind of girl. To say yes, Dad, I'll set it all 476 00:32:01,900 --> 00:32:06,300 aside so that you can keep your word to the Lord. 477 00:32:07,700 --> 00:32:12,300 Faithfulness is more important than happiness. 478 00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:18,200 And sometimes there are things in life that we really want that 479 00:32:18,200 --> 00:32:21,800 we have to give up to serve the Lord. 480 00:32:22,900 --> 00:32:27,100 This girl was willing to do it. She said, Dad Give me two months 481 00:32:27,100 --> 00:32:31,200 to be upset about it. And I'll come back and do what I 482 00:32:31,200 --> 00:32:34,000 need to do. And she did. 483 00:32:35,300 --> 00:32:38,100 She did and that is incredible to me. 484 00:32:39,300 --> 00:32:43,100 That's incredible to me. Now, it's not just young people. 485 00:32:44,200 --> 00:32:48,700 All of us from time to time are faced with decisions as to 486 00:32:48,700 --> 00:32:52,800 whether we're going to choose faithfulness or happiness, 487 00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:57,200 whether we're going to do what's right or what we want to do, 488 00:32:57,700 --> 00:33:01,600 when we're going to serve the Lord or serve ourselves. 489 00:33:02,500 --> 00:33:05,700 We face those kinds of decisions all the time. 490 00:33:07,100 --> 00:33:12,100 Jeff does life teaches us that faithfulness always Trump's 491 00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:17,200 happiness? We thank you for listening to 492 00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:21,800 our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. 493 00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:25,300 Road in Bakersfield, if you would like any additional 494 00:33:25,300 --> 00:33:28,100 information or you would like to receive a free Bible 495 00:33:28,100 --> 00:33:33,100 correspondence, course by mail. 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