March 21

Judges 10:1-18, 11:1-40, 12:1-5

Several judges are just glossed over in this reading.  Many of their reins seem to be basically quantified by how many children they had and what kind of animal was their preferred mode of transportation.  Some of it almost sounds like it's an excerpt from a children's book -- Good Old Jair was so bad had 30 lads who rode on 30 donkeys (bought from ads?) in to 30 towns in Gilead.

Israel, yet again, gets in a bad way by worshipping a growing list of foreign gods.  This is the longest menu of gods served I've seen this far.  "They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the gods of the Philistines." [Judges 10:6]   Maybe I'm reading more into this than is there, but it appears God doesn't have the Philistines and Ammonites "crush them" just because of the foreign gods.  In a way, it seems like it was the last straw when they left Him out of the mix.  "And because the Israelites forsook the Lord and no longer served Him, He became angry with them." [Judges 10:6]

Again and again, I'm amazed at how long-suffering the Lord -- yes, the God of the Old Testament -- is and how ready He is to forgive His people.  Later Israel will realize their mistake and cry out to the Lord.  And the Lord rightly responds, "...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 10:13, 14]  But when they repent and get rid of their foreign gods, the Lord changes His mind because "...He could bear Israel's misery no longer." [Judges 10:16]  What compassion for a wayward people.

But then, following this story of the Lord's amazing compassion, a story is recorded that makes me pause and question.  The story of Jephthah and his daughter.  

At first, this story seems to model that of God and His people.  Jephthah is rejected by his own family and then remembered and called upon when they're in desperate need.  He is made the leader on condition that he gets them out of the trouble they're in.  Sound familiar?  And he does.  

But then, in what I take to be Jephthah's zeal to be victorious and honor God, he makes a vow that, if the Lord gives him victory, then he will sacrifice the first thing that comes out the door to meet him when he returns home after battle.  

His daughter welcomes him.  His one and only child.

Both the judge that reins before and after Jephthah have multiple children -- Jair has 30 sons (on 30 donkeys) and Ibzan has 30 sons and 30 daughters (though we don't know what they rode on).  So this story and this sacrifice just happens to fall to the leader with just one child.  None of this is chance.  I don't believe in chance.  

Several thought-provoking things in this little-preached story.  First of all, what a curious promise to offer up on Jephthah's part.  Second, if he was doing this to honor the Lord, why didn't God have something or someone less precious run out to greet him?  Why not the family cat?  The mother-in-law?  A bill collector who just happened to be in the neighborhood and was knocking on Jephthah's door.  But, no, it's his daughter.  Is this a test or a punishment of Jephthah?  What was in his heart when he made the oath?  Compare this story to the story of Abraham and Isaac.  Jephthah makes a rash, rather odd oath that results in the sacrifice of his one and only child.  God asks Abraham to sacrifice his only son.  Both father's are willing to do it.  In the case of the two children, Jephthah's daughter actually knows she is to be sacrificed and willingly yields.  Based on the question he asks his father, you wonder how much Isaac actually knows what is about to happen.  But the most significance difference between the two stories is that Jephthah actually kills his daughter.  The Lord stops Abraham and offers a means of escape.  So, tell me, who has the greater faith here?  The one who follows through?  Or the one the Lord provides a means of escape?  Why wasn't Jephthah and his daughter offered a means of escape?  Why didn't God say a word?  

Some apologists make the point that the sacrifice of his daughter was all Jephthah's doing.  It had nothing to do with God.  Jephthah made the rash vow and he honored it.  Did God require him to honor it?  Or was the death of his daughter just the work of an overzealous follower?  God is silent.  

I don't think God's silence absolves Him from "guilt."  Not sure that's the right word...but the only one that comes to mind.  If a tragedy happens in our presence -- someone is mugged or murdered -- in our presence and we have the power to stop it, aren't we assigned a degree of guilt?  Wouldn't we be guilty in the eyes of society if we just stood by and did nothing?  I know their are greater implications to all of this than I can even imagine.  But, ultimately, I hold the creator responsible for His creation, the parent for their child.  How do I reconcile it all?  I don't.  I live in the faith that in the grand scheme of things there is some greater purpose at work that I cannot fathom.  That what looks like ignorance is wisdom.  That, even though we think we have, we haven't actually read the end of these stories in the Bible.  The conclusion to these stories, the final word to all of the stories in the Bible, will be read in the next life.  I read these stories as if they're missing a conclusion...that I don't have complete understanding because something has been left out.  I read the Bible as a book that is absent a final chapter.  The 67th book of the Bible will be given to us in heaven [Skid, it's like the final episode of Lost that will hopefully bring a satisfactory conclusion to each episode before].  And so I can't wait to read the final word on the story of Jephthah and his daughter.

It seems fitting that this year we're reading about Jephthah's daughter on Good Friday as we approach Easter.  Some have suggested that Jephthah's daughter is more of a Christ story than is the story of Isaac.  Still it's a story we're afraid to touch in open discussions.  Except, check out this preacher who used the story for his father's day message.  

For a little bit of comic relief, or as much comic relief as the death of 42,000 can provide, look at the story that the NIV humorously titles -- "Shibboleth or Sibboleth."  [Judges 12:4-6]  The scene sounds like it's right out of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."  What emerges from this battle is a victory for Gilead...and really good diction.