Friday, January 11, 2008

"What more shall I say?  For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets" (Hebrews 11:32).

IDEA: A good person can do evil deeds.

PURPOSE: To help listeners realize that not everything that seems to be true on the surface is true underneath.

The writer to the Hebrews in 11:32 mentions a judge of Jephthah.  There are many people who would never include a man like Jephthah in that list in the Bible.

I. To anyone who knows the Bible, Jephthah has an ugly mark against his name.

What is it that Jephthah is most known for?  Because of his sacrifice of his daughter, the reader might wonder whether Jephthah knew God at all.

II. Jephthah evidently had a relationship with God. 

Jephthah used the personal name for God, Jehovah, more than any other person in the book of Judges.  Why is that significant?

Before he went into battle against the Ammonites, the biblical writer tells us that “the Spirit of the Lord came upon him” (Judges 11:29).  That is said only of Othniel (Judges 3:10) and Gideon (Judges 6:34).  Wouldn’t you think that that phrase shows divine approval?

After the elders of the tribe of Gilead confirmed that Jephthah would be their leader, the text says that “Jephthah repeated all of his words before the Lord” (Judges 11:11). 

What would you conclude about Jephthah and his relationship with God?  He had great gift, he had great courage, he had great faith.  Isn’t that all that’s needed?

CONCLUSION: The answer is Yes and No.  There is still the ugly reality that Jephthah, this godly man, because of his faith sacrificed his daughter.