Judging Jephthah
Judges is filled with truth about God and his people, Israel. Darryl Dash reveals some of those riches in his comments on the story of Jephthah:
For the first time in Judges, they get a judge without God's involvement. God had written them off and told them he wouldn't give them another leader. Another leader wasn't the solution. They needed to repent.That's an intriguing take on the Jephthah account. It's debatable whether or not God was actually involved in choosing Jephthah to deliver Israel. Based on Israel's repentance directly before Jephthah's appearance (10:16), I'm inclined to believe that God was, in fact, involved in the process. Nevertheless, Darryl's insights on the church's ongoing preference for skill over Spirit is certainly on target.
Instead of listening to God, they go, "Okay, I guess it's up to us." They go looking for their own leader, instead of dealing with the problems that they know they have.
Jephthah got to be leader because people were looking for a quick fix instead of dealing with the deeper issues, which is still a temptation for us today. We are still looking for Jephthah's - charismatic leaders with track records - to bail us out, but a charismatic leader and a strategic plan is not the answer to every predicament. Sometimes the issues run deeper.
posted by Milton Stanley at 10:22 AM
4 Comments:
Hi Milton,
You're right - verse 16 is debated. The traditional interpretation is what you mentioned; but this is being challenged by a second interpretation: God rebuffed them in frustration. He could bear their evil no more.
Daniel Block writes, ""Far from playing the decisive role, as he had in the provision of all the other judges, God is relegated to the role of silent witness to a purely human contract between a desperate leader and an ambitious candidate."
Regardless of which interpretation you take, I think there are parallels. Thanks for the link!
You're welcome, Darryl. And thank you for getting us thinking about the significance of Jephthah. Peace.
Milton:
Whether or not God was involved in the process of choosing Jephthah, Jephthah was certainly involved with God. He uses the personal name for God more than any other judge recorded in the book and took his vows - foolish and tragic as they were - very seriously. He also successfully communicated his (ignorant, misguided) faith to his daughter, for she knew that he needed to keep his vow to God.
Jephthah is a fascinating character and someone I look forward to meeting one day. There is a lot of Jephthah in me, as there is in all of us.
Good points, Fin. I had not been aware that Jephthah is recorded as having used the name JHVH more than any other judge, but that certainly has to be part of the picture. And it's all too true that we have a bit (or sometimes more than a bit) of Jephtha in us. Thanks for the perspective.
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