Bible ReadingHebrews 11:32 “And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—”
Judges 11:1-40 “Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was the father of Jephthah. And Gilead's wife also bore him sons. And when his wife's sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, 'You shall not have an inheritance in our father's house, for you are the son of another woman.' Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, and worthless fellows collected around Jephthah and went out with him. After a time the Ammonites made war against Israel. And when the Ammonites made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob. And they said to Jephthah, 'Come and be our leader, that we may fight against the Ammonites.' But Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, 'Did you not hate me and drive me out of my father's house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?' And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, 'That is why we have turned to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the Ammonites and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.' Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, 'If you bring me home again to fight against the Ammonites, and the LORD gives them over to me, I will be your head.' And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, 'The LORD will be witness between us, if we do not do as you say.' So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and leader over them. And Jephthah spoke all his words before the LORD at Mizpah. Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites and said, 'What do you have against me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?' And the king of the Ammonites answered the messengers of Jephthah, 'Because Israel on coming up from Egypt took away my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jordan; now therefore restore it peaceably.' Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites and said to him, 'Thus says Jephthah: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites, but when they came up from Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh. Israel then sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, 'Please let us pass through your land,' but the king of Edom would not listen. And they sent also to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained at Kadesh. Then they journeyed through the wilderness and went around the land of Edom and the land of Moab and arrived on the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the boundary of Moab. Israel then sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him, 'Please let us pass through your land to our country.' But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory, so Sihon gathered all his people together and encamped at Jahaz and fought against Israel. And the LORD, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them. So Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country. And they took possession of all the territory of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan. So then the LORD, the God of Israel, dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel; and are you to take possession of them? Will you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? And all that the LORD our God has dispossessed before us, we will possess. Now are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend against Israel, or did he ever go to war with them? While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, 300 years, why did you not deliver them within that time? I therefore have not sinned against you, and you do me wrong by making war on me. The LORD, the Judge, decide this day between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon.' But the king of the Ammonites did not listen to the words of Jephthah that he sent to him. Then the Spirit of the LORD was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites. And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, 'If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the LORD's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.' So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the LORD gave them into his hand. And he struck them from Aroer to the neighborhood of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim, with a very great blow. So the Ammonites were subdued before the people of Israel. Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, 'Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot take back my vow.' And she said to him, 'My father, you have opened your mouth to the LORD; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that the LORD has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites.' So she said to her father, 'Let this thing be done for me: leave me alone two months, that I may go up and down on the mountains and weep for my virginity, I and my companions.' So he said, 'Go.' Then he sent her away for two months, and she departed, she and her companions, and wept for her virginity on the mountains. And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made. She had never known a man, and it became a custom in Israel that the daughters of Israel went year by year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year.”
[34:15]Hebrews 11:1-6 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
[24:14]Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
Observation questions- In Judges 11, what details are given about Jephthah’s family background and early life, and how did those details shape where he ended up living? [34:15]
- When Jephthah answered the king of the Ammonites, what parts of Israel’s history did he bring up to explain why the land belonged to Israel? [40:33]
- In Judges 11, what does Jephthah say about the LORD that shows what he believed God was like? [49:35]
- What actions in Judges 11 show that Jephthah did more than speak about faith, but actually acted on what he believed? [50:21]
Interpretation questions- Hebrews 11 names Jephthah among people who acted by faith. What does that suggest about the way God can work through flawed and troubled people? [54:47]
- Jephthah’s argument with Ammon was built on what God had already said and done. Why does real faith need that kind of content instead of vague religious confidence? [43:48]
- Jephthah knew the LORD by name and trusted him as judge and ruler. How does knowing who God is strengthen faith more than merely believing in a higher power? [49:35]
- Jephthah trusted God and still made a rash vow. What does that reveal about the difference between having faith and having wisdom? [01:00:50]
Application questions- Faith starts with God’s word. In this season of life, where is faith being fed by Scripture, and where is it being fed more by fears, assumptions, or feelings? [43:48]
- A hard past cannot disqualify present trust in the living God. What parts of a person’s past most often feel like a barrier to faith, and how can those wounds be brought honestly before the Lord? [54:47]
- Faith knows who God is. When pressure rises, is God usually being thought of as near, sovereign, and just, or as distant and uncertain? What might need to change in the heart’s view of him? [49:35]
- Faith acts on God’s word. Is there a clear area of obedience that has been understood for a while but not acted on yet? What makes that step hard? [50:21]
- Faith does not keep a person from foolish decisions. Where is there a need right now for more wisdom, slower speech, or greater care before making a promise or major choice? [01:00:50]
- Faith grows by hearing the word of Christ. What concrete habit could help someone return more steadily to Scripture this week so that trust in God is actually strengthened? [01:03:13]
- The blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin. Where does guilt still tend to linger in the conscience, and what would it look like to rest more fully in Christ’s cleansing instead of carrying that guilt alone? [17:25]
