Judges 11:1-40: Jephthah: the Dealmaker who Loses

Introduction: Doing deals

Some people are born hagglers. They drive a hard bargain, and can talk down the price. They know all the good ways to negotiate.

I’m not a very good haggler. When I was at the College of Law, we had a pretend negotiation. We split into pairs and I had to get as much money for my pretend client as possible. And I thought I did alright. I got $50,000 pretend dollars. Not bad. And then we went around the class. And I heard what everyone else got: $75K, $100K, $200K, half a million. I was at the bottom of the class.

Kerry Packer was a great bargainer. In 1987, Mr Packer sold Channel 9 to Alan Bond for $1.055 billion. By 1990, he had regained a controlling interest after spending a fifth of that amount. (http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ncas/resources/conferences/40years/Koce.html)

I’m sure there are some great bargainers here, although perhaps not on the scale of a Kerry Packer. I bet some of you love the challenge of getting the best price and leaving the shop with the salesman in tears.

Some people are smooth talkers and persuasive, like in the story of Huckleburry Finn. Huckleburry Finn has to paint the fence. But he persuades his friends not only to paint the fence, but to also pay him for the privilege.

As an aside, as Christians, we know there are ethics in haggling. Proverbs 20:14 says, ‘“It’s no good, it’s no good!”, says the buyer; Then he goes and boasts about his purchase.’ (NIV) We want to pay fair prices. We want to give others what they pay for. We want to pay taxes and revenue. We tell the shopkeeper when he’s given us too much change. We tell CentreLink when our details change, so they don’t overpay us.

But still, amongst the people of God, they’re have always been good negotiators.

Today we meet Jephthah. And he is a first class haggler, a hard-nosed negotiator. He knows when to push a hard bargain. He’s a dealmaker, a man of the world.

But unfortunately, when he comes to try out his bargaining skills on God, we find him a dealmaker who loses in the biggest way possible.

Israel to Yahweh: We want you back!

Now, you know the context. It’s the same old story. The last judge has died. And sure enough, Israel are again unfaithful to Yahweh. They worship the false gods of the nations surrounding them. But they get worse. They serve not just the Baals and Ashtoreths, but they throw in other exotic gods as well. So Yahweh is angry with them. And he sends the nation of Ammon to attack them. Israel suffers 18 long years at their hand. So, again, they cry out to Yahweh. “We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals” (Judges 10:10 NIV).

God becomes useful (Judges 10:6-10)

In other words, Yahweh, we want you back now. You’ve become useful to us again. We need you. You’re our “God of convenience”, like a Seven Eleven with an ATM. We need you, come and help us.

It’s the way lots of people treat God, like when people say, “Of course God forgives, that’s his job!” Or when they think, “Look, I’ll think about that God stuff when I need it, when I’m sick or old. God’s loving, isn’t he? But right now, I’m fine thanks very much.” Or when they conceive of the Santa Clause God of many people’s imagination, to whom we submit our lists to make our lives easier, more enjoyable. From such a God we take the good, but not the bad.

God has become useful to Israel. And so this is a repentance of convenience. Chapter 10 verses 11 to 13:

The LORD replied, “When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands? But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble. (Judges 10:11-13 NIV)

Israel cannot fool God with this sham repentance. God knows the heart. They want him now they are in trouble. But God will not let Israel treat him this way. God is concerned for his own honour. He is a mighty King, not a desperate, jilted lover, who will have his adulterous wife back on any terms.

God’s mercy: Yahweh can bear Israel’s misery no longer (Judges 10:11-16)

Nevertheless, Israel did know her God. She knows Yahweh is a compassionate and merciful God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness and forgiving wickedness and rebellion and sin (Exodus 34:6-7; Numbers 14:18; Psalm 86:15; 103:8; 145:8). It is not their repentance that changes God’s mind. It is that God could bear Israel’s misery no longer. Yahweh will not save his people for their own sake. He will act for his own sake, because of the grief of his soul. And provoked by the pain of his soul, God will save Israel, and God will judge Israel.

Gilead to Jephthah: We want you back! Jephthah becomes useful (Judges 10:17-11:7)

In many ways, our Hero Jephthah is treated just like God. Like Yahweh, Jephthah is rejected. He is cast out by his brothers, driven away because of their greed. They turn him into a fighter to survive.

Yet, when they are in trouble, they return to him. And Jephthah isn’t stupid, Chapter 11 verse 7:

Jephthah said to them, “Didn’t you hate me and drive me from my father’s house? Why do you come to me now, when you are in trouble.” (NIV)

They are simply using Jephthah, the same way they use God.

But unlike God, Jephthah sees an opportunity for personal gain. Jephthah is a tough negotiator. He is going to make this deal worth his while. The elders of Gilead come to him with the offer: “Be our commander”. Be our general and fight our battle for us. But Jephthah wants more. He wants to be their “head” as well. He wants to be the tribal chief. In other words, don’t just make me General, make me Prime Minister. Here is Jephthah’s deal: “If I win, if Yahweh gives the Ammonites to me, then I will be your Leader always, in peacetime and wartime.’ (Judges 11:7-11) And a gentleman’s agreement is not enough. Jephthah makes them swear it before Yahweh (Judges 11:10-11)

Jephthah to Ammon: May Yahweh Judge

Now, the long account of Jephthah’s negotiations with Ammon amount to this. Jephthah is spoiling for a fight. Jephthah doesn’t want peace. It is effectively a declaration of war. See chapter 11 verse 27b:

Let the LORD, the Judge, decide the dispute this day between the Israelites and the Amonites (NIV).

Let’s take this outside and settle it once and for all. And if we haven’t picked it up so far, by verse 29, it is clear that Yahweh is on Jephthah’s side. Verse 29:

Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites. (Judges 11:29 NIV)

Once we know this, Jephthah’s victory is inevitable. So we read verses 32 and 33:

Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD gave them into his hands. He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon. (Judges 11:32-33 NIV)

And that should have been the end of the story of Jephthah. End of Sermon! Come back next week, and we’ll look at Samson. But we know, that it isn’t the end of the story.

Jephthah to Yahweh: Let’s do a deal!

No, Jephthah’s strength becomes his undoing. He is so good with words, such a smooth talker, a maker of deft bargains. He can negotiate anything. But now he tries all of this on God. Jephthah approaches God and says: ‘Let’s do a deal’.

The needless reckless vow (Judges 11:30-32)

A great proverb says, “When words are many, sin is not absent, but a man who holds his tongue is wise” (Proverbs 10:19 NIV). Jephthah has already submitted the justice of his cause to God. But perhaps he is getting nervous. So just to make sure of the victory, he offers Yahweh what he thinks is a juicy bribe. Chapter 11 verses 30 to 32:

And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.” (NIV)

It is needless. God has already given his Spirit. It is reckless. He has put his whole family at risk. Who did he think was going to come out his door? It is unsolicited. God hasn’t asked Jephthah for this. In fact, Yahweh rejects child sacrifice (compare the rejection of child sacrifices offered to Molech: Leviticus 18:21; 20:1-5). The one time God asked for it, he made sure it never happened (Genesis 22). Instead, Jephthah is worshipping his God the way all the pagan nations do. He is trying to bind Yahweh, to manipulate God, to make him do what he wants.

So what is Jephthah’s motive in speaking this vow? It is a safe return and political self-interest. He wants to be the boss man of Gilead, Chief and Commander (Judges 11:9). And to get both gigs, he needs to defeat Ammon.

The vow seemed so necessary before the battle. But after the battle, in the cold light of day, he sees the high price he put on his military and political ambitions. Verses 34 to 36:

When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of tambourines! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, “Oh my daughter, you have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow [lit opened my mouth] to the LORD that I cannot break [lit repent].” (NIV)

In his grief comes the recriminations. It’s his daughter’s fault! He accuses his daughter for bringing him trouble! Why did she have to come out celebrating? Couldn’t she have sent the family cat out?

And he mourns for himself. You have made me miserable and wretched. Jephthah plays the victim. The poor wretched daughter will find no solace from her father. He sends her to her friends to mourn her virginity.

Of course, Jephthah could have repented of his vow. He could have redeemed the life of his daughter at the tabernacle according to Leviticus 27:1-8 (See Daniel I Block, Judges: NAC, 377). Here are the relevant provisions:

The LORD said to Moses, ² "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'If anyone makes a special vow to dedicate persons to the LORD by giving equivalent values, ³ set the value of a male between the ages of twenty and sixty at fifty shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel; ⁴ and if it is a female, set her value at thirty shekels. ⁵ If it is a person between the ages of five and twenty, set the value of a male at twenty shekels and of a female at ten shekels. ⁶ If it is a person between one month and five years, set the value of a male at five shekels of silver and that of a female at three shekels of silver. ⁷ If it is a person sixty years old or more, set the value of a male at fifteen shekels and of a female at ten shekels. ⁸ If anyone making the vow is too poor to pay the specified amount, he is to present the person to the priest, who will set the value for him according to what the man making the vow can afford. (Leviticus 27:1-8 NIV)

Jephthah could have paid as little as 10 and no more than 30 shekels and kept his daughter, and even less if he was poor.

But regardless, Jephthah’s vow was to do something God forbids, that is, to murder his daughter. Vows to do something against God’s word should never be made. And if they are made, they are not binding.

That’s why we shouldn’t ask young people to pledge never to marry and have sex. And young according to Paul is 60 or under! (1 Timothy 5:12). No one should be required to do this to be in ministry. The celibate clergy not permitted to marry is anti-creation (1 Timothy 4:1-3).

God was the one who made sex up, to be used by husband and wife in marriage. Sex is a good thing, and the loss of it is something to mourn, as this poor nameless girl does, when she says, “Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry” (Judges 11:37 NIV).

God doesn’t require vows of celibacy for ministry in his church. He never has. Fortunately, we had a reformation about that.

The reason Jephthah won’t repent of his vow is either ignorance or ambition. Jephthah either doesn’t know the bible and refuses to find out from the Priests of Yahweh what he might do to avoid this needless tragedy, and so imports pagan beliefs on his worship of Yahweh, or worse, Jephthah believes his rapid rise to political prominence has come through backroom deals with people and (he thinks) with God, and if he breaks this vow, Jephthah thinks he won’t have God’s muscle behind him. This latter possibility is even sadder, because it shows that for Jephthah, if the choice is between getting the top job or saving his daughter, well, his daughter must burn.

I wonder how many of us burn up our kids to get to the top? What sacrifices do we impose on our children to satisfy our ambitions?

Jephthah to Ephraim: Slaughter

Israel’s judge keeps his hard won power (Judges 12:1-7)

Well, after Jephthah kills and burns his daughter, he faces a similar fate himself. The tribe of Ephraim is easily offended. And now they object to Jephthah’s initiative in fighting Ammon. The punishment? Chapter 12 verse 2:

We are going to burn down your house on top of your head. (NIV)

Poetic justice, perhaps? We might say that Jephthah would be getting his just desserts. But, if Jephthah was prepared to sacrifice his daughter to keep his job, what’s a few Ephraimites? What’s 42,000 Ephraimites? He doesn’t use his considerable negotiation skills for peace with Ephraim, as Gideon did. No, he leads the nation into a bloody civil war.

So we see how God now refused to save Israel. The Judge who saved them punishes them in judgment. Now even their judges are turning on them in judgment. Gideon did. Now Jephthah does.

Jephthah was a dealmaker. He come from the rough side of the tracks. He knew from bitter experience that he had to be a tough negotiator. His mistake? He thought his relationship with God worked the same way.

Jephthah was not the only hero of faith who has done deals with God.

Take Martin Luther, the great German Reformer. He was a young man of 21, about to study law. And he was caught in a thunderstorm. In fear, he cried out, “Help me St Anne, I will become a monk!” And he was true to his vow, despite his father’s anger and his friend’s attempts at persuasions (PTC, Reformation Church History, 37)

Take Hudson Taylor, the great Missionary to Inland China. We read in his biography that as a young Christian, he struggled with his frequent failings and hardness of heart. And so he prayed that if only God would break the power of sin and save him, he would renounce all earthly prospects and go to China.

Hudson Taylor did great things under God, and was a much greater man than I. But here, I think, he fell into Jephthah’s error. He did deals with God. It looks like a good deal, a holy deal. God, if you make me holy and let me not fall away, I’ll go to China. But nevertheless, it was the spirit of bargain. And that has no place in our relationship with God. (Hudson Taylor’s Biography, 22)

Do you do deals with God? Do you try to bargain with him, offer him bribes so that he will give you what you want? Maybe a child is sick, on the point of death. And the prayer to God is, ‘If you save my child, I’ll … go to church, not eat meat on Saturdays’ (I know of someone who did this for over half a century). ‘If you give me a husband or a wife, then I will serve you wholeheartedly’. ‘If you give me more money, if I prosper, then I’ll give more to church or the poor’. ‘If you get me through this, if I survive, then I will…’

Friends, this is all wrong thinking. We must stop thinking like this. God needs nothing from us. He is not served by human hands. He is not impressed by these conditions we set upon him. Our pathetic little promises don’t wrest blessings from his tightened fists. We cannot manipulate God. He is the one who gives generously when we need it. He knows our needs before we ask. And God withholds when we need it. He will only give us what we need for our holiness. God gives. God takes away. Blessed be his name.

Let’s pray.