Bible Study: Keeping Your Promises

Jephtah

Acceptance & Rejection:

Everyone wants to be loved. By nature, people crave acceptance, and they fear rejection. Nobody wants to be rejected.

o Seeking acceptance in different places: (Some people are so hungry for love and acceptance that they will pay any price to get it.)

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Some have been rejected so often that they have given up. They settle for rejection as a normal part of life. Unfortunately, many times they reinforce their rejection through depressed behavior patterns such as drug or alcohol abuse.

Questions? Thoughts?

Judges 10-12:

1. Includes a strange story of acceptance and rejection. It, too, is set in a time when the promise seemed to be fading. It’s the story of Jephtah the Gileadite – a most unusual hero. The bible says, “Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute” (Judges 11:1 NKJV) this illegitimate son was not exactly the family favorite. Gilead’s other sons expelled him from the family. Jephtah fled to Tob. In the edge of the wilderness. There he gathered a band of rogues and rebels around him. He survived, but not without the pain of rejection in his heart.

After a while the Ammonites from the Transjordan attacked the communities of the district of Gilead. And the family sent for the help of Jephthah to rescue them. Crazy, his own relatives threw him out but wanted his help.

The Nature of Rejection:

Rejection has a way of toughing us up to deal with the realities of life. Just as the human body develops immunities to resist disease, likewise our personality develops skills to resist rejection.

1. Avoid it2. Attack it3. Deny it4. Compensate for it

Jepthah had become an expert at compensation. He had developed a barrier that would not allow anyone or anything to penetrate. He had become a “mighty warrior”. He could slice your head off and

not care. But down inside, his heart longed for acceptance.

Questions? Thoughts? How do you deal with rejection?

Nothing Like Crisis to Pull Things Together:

The Ammonite invasion was just what Jephthah needed- a chance to reconcile with his relatives, an opportunity to be restored to leadership and prominence. “Come,” they said, “be our commander, so we can fight the Ammonites” (Judges 11:6). Jephthah replies (Judges 11:7)

So they promised to make him their captain and put him over all the cities of Gilead. Jephthah accepted their offer. Necessity is not only the “mother of invasion”, it is also often the “motive of acceptance.” The threat of a common enemy drew them all together.

Jephthah had a heart for God despite his background as the illegitimate son of a prostitute, a desert bandit, and a social outcast. And yet, he was a person of great faith in God. Perhaps the rejection drew

him closer to God. He may have turned to the Lord as the only One who would accept him.

Reasons for Rejection:

1. Personal rejection (You don’t want me)2. Social rejection (Nobody wants me)3. Conditional love (You only love me if….)4. Deprivation of love (You don’t love me)5. Divorce (You left me)6. Desertion (You left us all)7. Dysfunction (You don’t understand me)8. Abuse (You hurt me)9. Insecurity (I don’t like myself)10. Death (You’re not here for me)

Overcoming Rejection:

In order to overcome rejection, we must come to GRIPS with certain KEY FACTORS in our lives. We must:

1. Accept God’s love for us;2. Stop blaming ourselves;3. Stop blaming others;4. Start living like a new person.

Most of us have to deal with rejection in our lives sooner or later. You might have to overcome rejection from family members, friends, co-workers, etc. While your life might be shaped by that rejection, it does not have to be limited by it. You can learn to overcome it. In fact, you can even become a better person

because of it.

Can’t we work this out?

The Ammonite king insisted that the land belonged to the Ammonites and that the Israelites took it from them in the conquest under Joshua. Jephthah tried settling the issue peacefully but it didn’t work.

Finally, Jephthah took his case to God. (Judges 11:27) This recognized God alone is sovereign over the land. Unfortunately, the king rejected Jephthah’s appeal and continued going towards the Israelites.

Promises, Promises:

“The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah” (Judges 11:29). He rallied a great army and crossed Gilead and Manasseh to meet the enemy at Mizpah. En route to the battle, he made a solmn vow to God:

(Judges 11:30, 31) A vow was a solemn promise to God. The Hebrew term “nadir” conveys the idea of a consecration to God, meaning a serious commitment or pledge. It represented not only a person’s work,

but also his character. Such vows were not to be made or taken lightly.

Examples:

Psalm 50:14 NT, Jesus reminds us to speak the truth when we take an oath or make a vow. (Matthew 5:37)

This was serious. It meant keeping a covenant, and ultimately the honor of one’s character.

The Promise Keepers Phenomenon 7 basic promises

1. Honor Jesus Christ through worship, prayer, and obedience to God’s word through the power of the Holy Spirit.

2. Pursue vital relationships with a few other men, understanding that we need brothers to help us keep our promises.

3. Practice spiritual, moral, ethical, and sexual purity.4. Build strong marriages and families through love, protection, and biblical values.5. Support the mission of the church by honoring and praying for your pastor and by actively giving

time and resources.6. Reach beyond any racial and denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of biblical

unity.7. Influence the world, being obedient to the Great Commandment (Mark 12:30,31) and the Great

Commission (Matthew 28:19,20)

Jephthah’s Win:

Jephthah wins over the Ammonites. He returns home as Israel’s great hero. But when Jephthah reached his house, to his utter dismay, his own daughter ran out to meet him dancing and playing a tambourine (Judges 11:34). It wasn’t a sheep or a goat, it was his only child! He had promised to sacrifice her to God

as a burnt offering. Now what would he do?

Many new believers make the mistake of OVERCOMMITTING themselves. They are so excited about their new life in Christ that they want to experience everything they can. So they volunteer for every job in the church. The problem is, they often do so at expense of their families.

EX) being committed to church that he spent more time there than at home. Ignoring marriage. Ignoring family. Etc. Becoming so overcommitted that you start doing the wrong things at home. Eventually it can cost family.

Keeping Your Word:

Jephthah’s vow was made in good faith.

What was the vow? 1 View is that he promised to sacrifice whatever came out of his house as a burnt offering to God. In those days, animals were often kept in the house. Anything could’ve come out of his house: a sheep, a goat, or a cow (Which happen to be appropriate sacrifices). A dog, a cat, or even a mouse could have come running out of his house as well. Those animals would not have been an appropriate sacrifice to God.

That is why some translators prefer to translate the passage: “Whatever comes out of my house…..will be the Lord’s or I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.” The original Hebrew allows for either translation. That way if what comes out of the house is not appropriate for sacrifice, it can

be dedicated to God’s service.FOR EXAMPLE) in biblical times, animals not suitable for sacrifice could be given to the priest and sold. The proceeds would then would then go to the temple. Leviticus 27 gives various

amounts to be paid for the redemption of persons who had been vowed to the Lord or animals that had been dedicated to the Tabernacle.

Issue at Stake:

Did Jephthah actually slew his own daughter and offered her as a burnt sacrifice to God. Commentaries on this passage are equally divided.

What text says?

1. He was brokenhearted over the vow (Verse 35)2. His daughter accepted it: “Do to me just as you promised”(36)3. She asked for a 2 month delay to weep because “she would never marry”(37,38)4. He later fulfilled the vow (39)

The bible does not actually say that he sacrificed her. It says that he kept his promise to the Lord. Now it is often suggested that Jephthah was a rogue, the son of a harlot, and a man of war. Therefore, it is implied that he could have killed her.

However, consider the reasons why he would not have killed her:

1. Child sacrifice was forbidden by the Law of Moses (Leviticus 20:2-5; Deuteronomy 18:10)2. Child killers are universally condemned in Scripture: king of Moab (2 kings 3:26, 27), Ahaz (2

Chronicles 28:3), Manasseh (2 Kings 21:6) and Herod (Matthew 2:16).3. Jephthah had just defeated the Ammonites, who were notorious for child sacrifice to the gods

Molech and Chemosh.4. God would not let Abraham sacrifice Isaac to Him (Gen 22:12)5. Jephthah is described as being filled with the Holy Spirit (Judges 11:29)6. The daughter eagerly accepted the consequences of the vow-perpetual virginity (not death).7. The Israelites commemorated this vow every year as an annual practice (Judges 11:40). It is

highly unlikely they would have celebrated a wrong or sinful decision.

Baby Dedication Is Serious Business:

Common:

1. Samuel’s mother “loaned” him to the Lord. She presented him to Eli, the priest at the tabernacle. (1 Samuel 1:28)

2. Read about “young virgins” dancing at the annual festival of the Lord at the Tabernacle in Shiloh (Judges 21:19-22) those mentioned in this passage were taken by the Benjamites to be their wives. Therefore, it’s in bible history.

Though victorious in battle, he would have no offspring to perpetuate his family line. In ancient times, this was considered a grave tragedy.

Whatever view you take, the fact remains that he fulfilled it. His heart was broken.

Dedicating Ourselves to God

When a couple dedicates their children to God, there really dedicating themselves to God. The promise to raise the child by their Christ like example. Only the Spirit of God can transform a human heart.

God challenges us to raise our children by His principles.

Deuteronomy 6:6,7 Proverbs 22:6 Proverbs 23:26 Ephesians 6:1,4

The emphasis on accountability in scripture rests solely with the parents.

If our example contradicts our instruction, we send a confusing message to those around us. Ask yourself, does my life back up my instruction? When you are determined to be the godly example those around you need, God will bless them through your influence.

The items on which we spend our time and money are probably the most important things in our lives. And the people we spend our time with are probably the most important people in our lives.

Making promises is one thing. Keeping them is another. Going from a promise maker to a keeper of promises begins in our own hearts. It begins by giving ourselves totally to God and letting Him become the object of our love and devotion. Only when we are fully committed to Him can we become fully committed to our wives and children. Only then can we really keep our promises.

ASK YOURSELF:

1. Have you ever felt rejected? How? By whom?2. How did you deal with it or how are you dealing with it?3. Have you ever made a promise that you later wished you had not made?4. Have you ever made a vow that really cost you something?5. Would God ask us to keep a promise that violated His Word?6. Do you have a difficult time keeping your promises?7. What usually goes wrong?8. What should you do differently in the future?9. What should you do differently in the future?10. In what areas do you need to be a better example to others?

Notes:1. Hindson, Edward E. Courageous Faith: Life Lessons from Old Testament Heroes. Chattanooga,

Tenn.: AMG, 2003. Print.2. Holy Bible New King James Version, Black, Imitation Leather, Gift & Award Bible. Holman Bible

Pub, 2013. Print