Jdg 11:23-40 And Jephthah Vowed a Vow unto the Lord

[Study Aired June 14, 2021]

Jdg 11:23  So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it? 
Jdg 11:24  Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess. 
Jdg 11:25  And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them, 
Jdg 11:26  While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time? 
Jdg 11:27  Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon. 
Jdg 11:28  Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him. 
Jdg 11:29  Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon. 
Jdg 11:30  And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, 
Jdg 11:31  Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. 
Jdg 11:32  So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands. 
Jdg 11:33  And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. 
Jdg 11:34  And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. 
Jdg 11:35  And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back. 
Jdg 11:36  And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon. 
Jdg 11:37  And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows. 
Jdg 11:38  And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. 
Jdg 11:39  And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, 
Jdg 11:40  That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year. 

The first part of Judges Chapter 11 deals with how the Gileadites made Jephthah their leader to fight the Ammonites on their behalf. This is to assure us that if we win this war against the flesh, represented by the Ammonites, we shall reign with the Lord when the kingdoms of this world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

The second part of Judges Chapter 11 has to do with how Jephthah won the war with the Ammonites and how his only daughter was sacrificed because of the vow he had made to the Lord.

Jdg 11:23  So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it? 
Jdg 11:24  Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess. 

It is the Lord who fights our battles for us. As long as He is our Lord God, we only possess what He has given to us. This fight against the old man within is the Lord’s fight. The key to possessing what our Lord has prepared for us is being in Him or abiding in Him. How do we abide in Him? Abiding in Him is obeying His words. As long as we are in Him, we are victorious. Without Him, we can do nothing.

Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Jdg 11:25  And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them,
Jdg 11:26  While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time? 

In these verses, Jephthah posed a series of questions to the King of the Ammonites about why the Ammonites are now attacking Israel after several years of non-engagement. The answer to these questions is that at the start of our walk with Christ, we cannot engage the enemy within in a fight because we do not know even who our enemies are. The enemies within are therefore allowed to fallow for several years, signified by the three hundred years mentioned in verse 26. During this period, we are under the sway of the old man, or the flesh, and since we are not confronting them, there is peace between the old man and us. It is when our Lord comes to us that this peace between us is lost. Let’s hear what the Lord’s say about this:

Mat 10:34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Mat 10:36  And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

The Lord’s coming is when our eyes begin to open and our ears begin to hear. That is when the enemy within is brought to the fore, and it starts to contend with us to maintain its dominance over us. This fight is how to walk in the spirit, which means living by the word of God. That is the only way we can resist (fight) the enemy within which is the lust of the flesh.

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Gal 5:18  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Jdg 11:27  Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.
Jdg 11:28  Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.

In order to fulfill the prophesy regarding this war with the Ammonites, it was imperative that God hardens the heart of the King of Ammonites just like how our God hardened the heart of Pharaoh to resist the release of the Israelites until God has performed His miracles in order for His name to be declared throughout the earth.

Rom 9:17  For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Rom 9:18  Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

In a similar vein, God hardens the flesh to resist it from conceding easily and to fight against us. The reason for strengthening the old man is the same as the purpose for hardening Pharaoh’s heart. That is, to show forth His power in us and to make His name known in everything that breathes within us.

Jdg 11:29  Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon. 

The Sprit of the Lord coming upon Jephthah is the same as our Lord opening our eyes to see and our ears to hear the word of God. That is when we are ready to start this fight against the enemy within, represented by the children of Ammon. As Jesus said, when the spirit comes, he will lead us into all truth – which in this particular case, is realizing who the enemy within is and engaging the enemy within in battle to overthrow his dominance in our lives.

John 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Jdg 11:30  And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,
Jdg 11:31  Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.

We see here that Jephthah made a vow to the Lord about what he would do for the Lord if he were granted victory. The question is, “Should we make a vow to the Lord?”  God does not desire us to make vows to Him because we have no idea what tomorrow brings.

Jas 4:13  Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
Jas 4:14  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
Jas 4:15  For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

What verses 30-31 are teaching us is that it is only God who can grant us victory over the flesh. Jephthah’s house in verse 31 symbolizes our bodies. So what these verses mean is that as God grants us victory over our old man or flesh, it is then that we can offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to the Lord.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

From another spiritual perspective, we can see that it is only our Father God who can vow a vow because He only is capable of honoring His vow since He arranges everything and knows tomorrow. We can therefore say that Jephthah represents our Father God who swore by himself to assure us of victory against our old man by sacrificing the first to come out of his house (his creation), who is Christ our Lord. We therefore have this hope of salvation as an anchor that what He has started, He is able to finish!!  Let us lift our eyes from our present predicaments (judgments) knowing that He has vowed by Himself to defeat our enemies for us and to bless us!!

Heb 6:13  For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
Heb 6:14  Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
Heb 6:15  And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
Heb 6:16  For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
Heb 6:17  Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
Heb 6:18  That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 
Heb 6:19  Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

Jdg 11:32  So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands. 
Jdg 11:33  And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

Remember, that in verse 30 the spirit of the Lord took over Jephthah. It is the spirit which strengthened him to engage the Ammonites in a fight to defeat the enemy on his behalf. As indicated, the spirit is the word of God, and it is when our eyes are opening and our ears are hearing the word of God that we engage the enemy within in a fight to subdue it. This battle is the Lord’s. It is the Lord who fights our battle for us.  All we have to do is to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, for the enemies we see today, we shall see no more.

Exo 14:13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
Exo 14:14  The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

Jdg 11:34  And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

As we stated earlier, Jephthah represents our Father God who has made a vow to redeem us from our enemies by offering as a sacrifice whatever comes out of his creation (house) first. In this context, it is the daughter who came out of the house of Jephthah first, and she was the only offspring of Jephthah. What we need to understand is that in the scriptures, the spirit behind the words is more important than the details. We know from the scriptures that in Christ (in the word) there is neither male nor female. So the daughter here first represents our Lord Jesus Christ who is the only begotten of the Father who was sacrificed on our behalf so we can have the victory.

Gal 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

This daughter also represents the church of the first born or the New Jerusalem. We are the first to come out of our Father’s house to appreciate the victory that our Lord Jesus (Jephthah) has wrought on our behalf.  Remember that Jesus Christ is also called our Father in the scriptures. Because Jesus won the victory over his flesh (the Ammonites) during his time on earth, we too, can win the victory over our flesh.

Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Like the daughter of Jephthah, we too, are the first to come out to celebrate the victory of Christ in our lives with timbrels and with dances. Coming out with timbrels and dancing is the same as being of good cheer because our Father Lord Jesus has overcome the world for us. It also means we must praise the Lord for His wonderful works of deliverance towards us.

Joh 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Psa 107:8  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Jdg 11:35  And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.

This verse is to point out to us the pain our Father Jesus goes through when we are going through suffering as part of the sacrifice He has marked out for us. For we have a high priest who feels our pain. He really feels what we are going through.

Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

For our brothers and sisters all over the world who are going through all kinds of pain, infirmities, etc., we are not alone in this fight of offering our lives as a living sacrifice. Just like the Hebrew young men who were thrown into fire to be burnt – Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego – there is always a fourth person (Jesus our Lord) who is with us in this fire of our affliction.

Dan 3:25  He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

Isa 43:1  But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. 
Isa 43:2  When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

The good news is that all what we are going through now in this life do not compare with the glory stored up for us.

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

In verse 35, Jephthah told his daughter that he has opened his mouth to the Lord and cannot go back. Our Lord Jesus is telling us that to the church, his daughter, he has sworn he will deliver us from our enemies and cannot go back. What He has started, He is able to finish!!

Php 1:6: And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally  finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Jdg 11:36  And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon. 

This verse reminds me of what our Lord Jesus’ physical mother Mary said when she was told of Jesus’ birth. Despite the shame of being exposed as adulterous, she said, “Be it unto me according to thy word.” This was what the daughter of Jephthah also said, who first represents our Lord Jesus Christ and also the church of the first born. In other words, she despised the pain of being sacrificed for this victory over the Ammonites. Before this daughter of Jephthah was sacrificed, our Lord Jesus has already been sacrificed for our sake before the foundations of the world. Our Lord Jesus despised the shame and willingly endured the pain of being sacrificed at a tender age for our victory over the flesh.

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Luk 1:38  And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Like a sheep led to the slaughter, our Lord Jesus never complained, like the daughter of Jephthah, but bore our sins for our victory.

Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Isa 53:8  He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Isa 53:9  And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 
Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 
Isa 53:11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 

In spite of all the tribulation we are all going through now as part of our judgment, we should say just like Mary, “Be it unto me according to thy word.” This is what wins the war!! In this present age, we are also being offered as sacrifice, just like the daughter of Jephthah, to fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in our flesh.

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
Col 1:25  Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;

Here in verse 25, Paul said that the reason for his ministry was to fulfill the word of God. This is the same as saying like Mary, “Be it unto me according to thy word”.

Let’s hear what Paul has to say about this victory through sacrifice which our Lord Jesus went through first and is exemplified by the daughter of Jephthah:

1Co 4:9  For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.
1Co 4:10  We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised. 
1Co 4:11  Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;
1Co 4:12  And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:
1Co 4:13  Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.

Going through all these, do you think our walk with Christ is this greasy grace which we learned during our walk with the Lord in Babylon? Absolutely Not!!

Jdg 11:37  And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows. 
Jdg 11:38  And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.

Jephthah’s daughter’s request to go up and down the mountains to bewail her virginity was granted by his father. This tells us of Jesus stripping off the glory He had with the Father to come down to earth to bewail his virginity. Spiritually, virginity here signifies election. The number two means witness, and so the two months that Jephthah’s daughter asked is the period that our Lord Jesus walked on this earth to bear witness to the truth. Bewailing her virginity means taking up the cross because of His election.  So what these verses mean is that Jesus took up his cross of suffering while here on earth bearing witness to the truth.

Luk 9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Luk 9:24  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

The word of God says that as He is, so are we here on earth. We, too, like the daughter of Jephthah and our Lord Jesus Christ, must bewail our virginity for two months by taking up the cross and following our Lord Jesus in our lives here on earth as we bear witness to the truth.

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Jdg 11:39  And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,

At the end of Jesus’ life here on earth, represented here by the two months, he returned to His Father after being sacrificed by bearing our sins on the cross. She knew no man in verse 39 here means that Jesus did not sin while here on earth. The statement in this verse, “And it was a custom in Israel” means that as Israel of God we are also to follow the example of Jesus by enduring suffering as part of filling up that which is left behind of the afflictions of Christ in the flesh and bearing witness to the truth while living here on earth. On a negative note externally, the sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus became a stumbling block to our brothers in Babylon. They observe as a custom the physical death of our Lord Jesus Christ just like the heathens celebrate their ancestors or gods when the Lord has warned us not to follow after the customs of this world or enquire about how the world worships their gods. We used to be involved in these rituals while we were in Babylon.

Deu 12:29  When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
Deu 12:30  Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
Deu 12:31  Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

Jdg 11:40  That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

The daughters of Israel symbolize Babylon. What this verse therefore means is that a time will come when brothers and sisters in Babylon will also bewail their virginity just like the daughter of Jephthah. In other words, they will also take up their cross and follow our Lord Jesus Christ. Currently, it is the elect who are bewailing their virginity. However, Babylon will also bewail her virginity in the lake of fire age through the agency of God’s elect.

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

The verse said that the daughters of Israel will lament four days in a year. The number four means the whole of the matter being discussed, so four days means all of the days in a year.  In other words, our bewailing or lamenting is throughout our lives here on earth. Babylon will also come to know Christ and bear witness to the truth!!

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
1Co 15:24  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.