Blind Faith – the Cast Out

Series: Blind Faith: Taking Action When You Don’t Know What God Will Do

Open bible and black background

Jephthah is an interesting character in the Bible. But let’s first examine the cultural atmosphere in which Jephthah lived. God was very angry with the evil and idolatry of Israel.

Judges 10:6-18

“And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.

“And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim. And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation. And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

“Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh. And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead”

As a young man, it sounds like Jephthah was rejected by his brothers, as scripture says “he was the son of an harlot” and “the son of a strange woman”. We don’t know the exact timeline, if this might have happened at or around the time of the death of Jephthah’s father, but inheritance is mentioned in the context of their rejection.

“Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a strange woman. Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.” –Judges 11:1-3

We don’t know exactly was Jephthah was doing as he gathered with “vain men”, perhaps he was something of a pirate, but Jephthah developed respect as a mighty and fearsome person. When Israel faced the tough opponent of the Ammonites, they approached Jephthah to lead them.

“And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words. Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.” — Judges 11:4-11

As Israel’s new captain who had taken some kind of oath of office, Jephthah made a diplomatic inquiry to the Ammonites, and found that the king wanted the lands back that they felt that Israel had unfairly taken. Jephthah then gave them a history lesson, and indicated that the Lord had dispossessed them. “So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?” (Judges 11:23).

It was at that point that Jephthah takes his famous vow. Some imply that Jephthah made a rash vow that involved the pagan practice of human sacrifice, but scripture shows that he did so when influenced by the Spirit of the LORD (Judges 11:29). Jephthah is also commended in the Hebrews “hall of faith” (Hebrews 11:32). Since a woman’s (spiritual) career was thought to be her husband and children, in being dedicated to God she had to sacrifice that dream, and she did so willingly.

For more on that topic see my post: https://livingbyathread.wordpress.com/2015/10/04/men-and-women-in-the-service-of-god-hannahs-son-and-jephthahs-daughter/

So God accepted Jephthah’s sacrificial vow just as he did Hannah’s vow (Jephthah had only one daughter and no sons and now he would not have grandchildren).

In making this vow to God, Jephthah practiced blind faith, and helped his whole nation achieve victory. Jephthah did lose something in the process (his heritage of a continuing line) but he is commended by God in Hebrews 11.

 

TobyMac – Cornerstone ft. Zach Williams

TobyMac (Toby McKeehan) has a great testimony after the great trial and tragedy that his family dealt with. My family was blessed to be able to see him in concert last month when visiting Texas along with Crowder, Cochran & Co, Tasha Layton, Terrian and and Jon Reddick. This song has a great story — look it up!

 

Champion (Lyrics) – Maverick City Music x UPPERROOM

 

I AM THEY – Lift My Eyes (Live from the Grove)

If You are near to the broken hearted

Then You are here with me

You take my sorrow inside your hands and

You turn it to victory

 

The Personal God

“When my father and my mother Have forsaken me, then doth Jehovah gather me.” – Psalms 27:10 – Youngs Literal Translation

“When my father and my mother forsake me, then Yahweh will take me up.” – Psalms 27:10 World English Bible

When we first learn about God, we learn about him more as a Creator, and provider. We see the animals and learn about science, and the questions that we seek answers for can lead us in the direction of God.

God uses many names for himself, and these include Elohim, with the meaning tied to his role as “the Creator”. Elhohim occurs 2700 times in the Bible. While God is one in unity, Elohim is actually plural. I understand that this plural God is God the Father and his son Jeshua, or Jesus. The tie in of these two members of the Godhead are found in John 3:16,  and the greetings to the church found in Romans 1:7, I Corinthians 1:3, II Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians 1:2, Colossians 1:2, I Thessalonians 1:1, II Thessalonians 1:2, I Timothy 1:2, II Timothy 1:2, Titus 1:4, Philemon 1:3, I Peter 1:1-3, II Peter 1:2, I John 1:3 and more.

A second notable name for God is Jehovah, YHWH, or Yahweh.

The Companion Bible, appendix 4, has this to say.

II. JEHOVAH. While Elohim is God as the Creator of all things, Jehovah is the same God in covenant relation to those whom He has created (Cp. 2 Chron. 18.31). Jehovah means the Eternal, the Immutable One, He Who WAS, and IS, and IS TO COME. The Divine definition is given in Gen. 21.33. He is especially, therefore, the God of Israel, and the God of those who are redeemed, and are thus now “in Christ”. We can say “My God,” but not “My Jehovah”, for Jehovah is “My God.”

Jehovah is indicated (as in A.V) by small capital letters, “LORD”; and by “GOD” when it occurs in combination with Adonia, in which case Lord GOD = Adonai Jehovah.

One story I like in the Bible is how God provided for Hagar and her son in the Bible. It was actually Abraham’s elderly wife Sarah’s idea to “help” God fulfill his promise of a son through her young servant Hagar. But this idea produced contention between the two women, naturally. When she became pregnant, Hagar started to treat Sarai (Sarah) with disdain. Sarah in turn started to treat her harshly, and the pregnant Hagar fled to the wilderness.

But the personal God, the LORD, Jehovah, would not leave this situation alone. God himself met Hagar in the wilderness.

And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. –Genesis 16: 7-12 KJV

The story continues, here in a different translation:

So she called the LORD who spoke to her: The God Who Sees, for she said, “In this place, have I actually seen the One who sees me?” That is why she named the spring, “A Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.” It is located between Kadesh and Bered. –Genesis 16:13-14

Notice, that it was the LORD, Jehovah, the covenant God, the personal God that appeared to her, in a physical form.

So, Hagar would not be a single mother, and she went back to Abraham’s house. And so, when Abram (Abraham) was 86 years old, Ishmael was born. (Genesis 16:16).

When Abram was 99 years old, God visited Abram and renewed his promise to him of a son born of him and his wife, whom through God would establish his covenant. At that time, all the males in Abram’s house were circumcised, as a sign of that covenant. And, God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, and his wife’s name to Sarah. And in the intervening year until Isaac was born, Sodom and Gommorah suffered God’s judgment and Abraham moved into a new area. In her 90s, Sarah miraculously became pregnant and Isaac was born when Abraham was 100.

Hagar initally ran away when pregnant with Ishmael, and it was not until much later that tensions arose again between Hagar and Sarah. When Isaac was weaned, a celebration was held for him. Isaac may have been about 3 years old, and because of their age difference, Ishmael would have been about 17. Apparently this time, it was Ishmael that was mocking, presumably mocking Isaac and his mother at the celebration held for him. Sarah was ready now to have her son be the sole heir to Abraham, and to his affections, and wanted them to be sent away. As Ishmael’s father, Abraham was upset by this. But this time, God himself encouraged Abraham that sending them away was the right action.

Still, Hagar and her son suffered distress after being sent away, and God appeared to her a second time, and to her son.

And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.

And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt. –Genesis 21:17-21

At this time, it was not Jehovah, the covenant God that spoke to Hagar. It was Elohim,”God”, who is the creator God. And he did not appear to her, he spoke from heaven to her in a more distant way, addressing his creation. At this time, Ishmael was at or near an adult age had skills as a hunter, and the family was able to survive and thrive.

The God of David, and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was Jehovah, Yahweh, the covenant God. He was the personal God. Abraham was called a friend of God. (James 2:23, Isaiah 41:8 and II Chronicles 41:8.) Depending on the context, the faithful refer to God in different ways. But the personal God is Jehovah, or Yahweh. The Eternal, the God who was, and is, and is to come. He is the God of the redeemed.

 

 

 

 

Goals

 

What really happened to Sidney, Nebraska?

The death of Sidney, Nebraska: How a hedge fund destroyed ‘a good American town’

 

The 2020s: Coming decade of crisis and opportunity

 

Elevation Worship – Resurrecting

 

Vertical Worship – Yes I Will