A Father in Despair (Judges 11:30-31; 34-40)

2/6/2010 5:50 PM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  A father in despair

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Judges 11:30-31; 34-40

 

            Message of the verse:  “30  Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, ‘If You will 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.’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 no son or daughter. 35  When he saw her, 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." 36  So she said to him, "My father, you have given your word to the LORD; do to me as you have said, since the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the sons of Ammon." 37  She said to her father, "Let this thing be done for me; let me alone two months, that I may go to the mountains and weep because of my virginity, I and my companions." 38  Then he said, "Go." So he sent her away for two months; and she left with her companions, and wept on the mountains because of her virginity. 39  At the end of two months she returned to her father, who did to her according to the vow which he had made; and she had no relations with a man. Thus it became a custom in Israel, 40  that the daughters of Israel went yearly to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year.”

            As I mentioned in the last SD that I was looking forward to being able to understand exactly what exactly Jephthah’s vow was and after reading Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary on this it seems that the vow could have going something like this:  Whatever meet him when he came home would be given to the Lord, if an animal meet him the animal would be sacrificed as a burn offering, if a person meet him then that person would be dedicated to the Lord.  Since his daughter came out of the house to meet him she would remain unmarried and serve the Lord all of her house, probably at the tabernacle something like Samuel did.  There is now where found in the Scriptures that she was sacrificed as a burnt offer and there are many reasons why this did not happen.  Jephthah knew the Scriptures and therefore knew that this was not something that the Lord desired especially because it was forbidden by the Law.  This is just one of the reasons.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have only made two vows to the Lord, one was reading my Bible at least for five minutes a day back in October of 1980, of which I have kept every day since then with the exception of about six or seven days.  The second vow is to pray at least five minutes a day of which I have probably missed something nearer to thirty days since making that vow.  I almost made a third vow, but the Lord intervened with that one and I am so glade that He did because I would never have been able to keep that one.

            I don’t want to make a vow like Jephthah did ever because it was more like Gideon’s fleece, as it was a bargain with the Lord rather than a vow.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. God would give me the message of what I am suppose to pray for concerning the Glicks in tomorrows service.

 

2/6/2010 6:19 PM