Good morning. It’s Friday, April 1st, 2022. Happy Birthday Steve Kenny, our executive pastor at New Hope West. And that’s no April fool’s joke! Today’s lesson is a must-read. Take a moment to read Judges chapter 11 first to get some background on Jephthah. I could write a whole book on this one, but I hope you catch the jest of it in just a few paragraphs. Read on …
Today's Reading:
Judges 11,12; Psalms 50; 2 Corinthians 1
Scripture
“When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of timbrels! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, ‘Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break.’ "(Judges 11:34-35)
Observation
The whole story of Jephthah in Judges is one of distrust and the consequences. His story began with his birth being from a prostitute. His family blamed him (instead of blaming Gilead, his father, and his inability to control his sexual appetite.) But it wasn’t the child’s fault; he is innocent of the affair! Sadly, when we as humans have a “need” to blame, the tail often is pinned on the wrong donkey. That’s what our nation’s epidemic of abortion is all about. We think that everything will be okay if we remove the “consequences” of our immorality. But the consequences will dim the course of what could have been a bright future.
Later in his life, Jephthah then expresses his distrust in God by making a rash vow. He makes a deal with God, and by this, he loses his only daughter! He said to his men that he’d sacrifice whatever came out of his house first if he won. Guess what? Directly after the win, his daughter runs out to congratulate him. Bad vow! In v.29, God had already been moving: “Now the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah …” God had already appointed Jephthah to conquer, so it was an unnecessary vow. God would have gladly accomplished it for him … had he only trusted.
Aren’t we like Jephthah? God would love to give us His best, yet we take shortcuts in relationships, dating, and business only to find that the consequences of our own doing diminishes the potential of our futures.
Application
This lesson has many applications for me. It doesn’t mean I will be so naïve as to not contend for a bright future. But I must first start with trust. God promised in Jeremiah 29 that if I would trust His timing and assignment, I’d have a future and a hope. However, I need to keep my grubby little fingers of the need to “control” … and trust Him to fulfill what He already promised.
Prayer
Lord, help me to trust in You, regardless of how it looks at the moment. I never want to find myself hoping for the same things You want for me but then jumping in and ripping the reins out of Your hands. Impatience, greed, and distrust will cause me to end up like Jephthah. I’d rather be found on that Day, as one who experienced Your miracles in my life … because I trusted in You!
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