Jephthah's story is an interesting one. The king of Ammon decided he wanted to take back land Israel had taken from the Ammonites. In Judges11.15-27, Jephthath sent a letter to the current king of Ammon explaining that Israel had taken no land unjustly but had merely responded to an offensive attack by Ammon and beat them. The land was the spoil of a defensive war for Israel, not an offensive land-gathering conquest. Verse 24 of Judges 11 is particularly intriguing:
You keep whatever your god Chemosh gives you, and we will keep whatever the Lord our God gives us.
That's simple enough.
Another amazing detail of this story is that Jephthah himself was "so detailed" in his response to the Ammonites. He was citing events that had occurred at least 300 years earlier! But who's holding a grudge?
And then there's the rest of the story where Jephthah makes a vow that ultimately ends in the burnt offering sacrifice of his daughter... a practice strictly forbidden by God. Go figure.
Father, keep feeding me and I will keep growing. Your Word is changing me - I can feel it - I can tell it. My eyes see and my ears hear things differently. I am hungry for more.
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