Jephthah certainly wasn’t the sort of hero you find in the storybooks. After all, he came from a dysfunctional family – the son of a prostitute whose father’s legitimate sons disinherited him (Judges 11:2). But his qualities of leadership could not be denied, so his countrymen turned to him in a time of crisis (Judges 11:8).

And they were not disappointed. He was an able historian and diplomat, accurately summarizing Israel’s history and demonstrating the weakness of the Ammonites’ claims to the land (Judges 11:14-27). Perhaps more importantly, he was able to inspire the men of Gilead and Manasseh to follow him into battle, defeating the Ammonites decisively (Judges 11:32-33).

But after the battle was over, his diplomatic skills eluded him. While Gideon had been able to smooth over tribal differences, appeasing the pride of the men of Ephraim (Judges 8:1-3), Jephthah led the men of Gilead in a civil war against the Ephraimites, going so far as to slaughter the prisoners of war who were attempting to flee back across the Jordan (Judges 12:6).

Worst of all, Jephthah had made a rash vow to God, the sort of promise pagans make when trying to wheedle blessings out of their false deities. In order to guarantee a victory, he thought he needed to bargain with God, to give God something that was precious to him. And so he promised to sacrifice the first thing that came to greet him out of his house. But instead of the family dog it was his own daughter, his only child who rushed into his arms (Judges 30-31, 34). Jephthah’s effort to mix the pagan religions of the Canaanites with the worship of the One True God had devastating results.

And the sad thing is that none of this tragedy was necessary. Jephthah’s brothers didn’t have to be mean to him. Jephthah didn’t have to take such a hard line against the proud Ephraimites. And Jephthah certainly didn’t have to bargain with God to convince God to go with him into battle. After all, back in Judges 10:16, even before Jephthah was called to leadership, we learn that God had already decided to deliver His people. And Judges 11:32 makes it clear that it was God Who gave the Ammonites into Jephthah’s hand. God never asked for the deadly bargain Jephthah rashly made with Him.

And God still doesn’t expect any of us to bargain with Him for our salvation. No, none of us are saved by promising to give God our offerings or our works of mercy or even our promises to change our behavior. No, we are saved by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. That way, God alone gets the glory, no matter how flawed any of us may be, no matter how many mistakes any of us may make. May we glorify Him as we give ourselves to the One Who gave Himself up for us today.

Judges 11:29-35 (NAS)

29 Now the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, so that he passed through Gilead and Manasseh; then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he went on to the sons of Ammon. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, “If Thou wilt indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand, 31 then it shall be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, it shall be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.” 32 So Jephthah crossed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD gave them into his hand. 33 And he struck them with a very great slaughter from Aroer to the entrance of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim. So the sons of Ammon were subdued before the sons of Israel.
34 When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, behold, his daughter was coming out to meet him with tambourines and with dancing. Now she was his one and only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it came about when he saw her, that he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are among those who trouble me; for I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot take it back.”