“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.'” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Here we see yet another dark chapter in the record of the judges. Jephthah was a scoundrel and an outlaw. When the leaders of Gilead sought him out, they had not sought the Lord. In fact, although we are told near the end of chapter 10 that the Lord had grown impatient over their misery, He had told them rather explicitly that He was not going to come and save them this time because they had shown over and over again their dogged intention to reject Him. He does relent a bit and helps the guy they foolishly choose win the battle, but beyond that He does not have a hand in the events here. Read the rest…
The Nexus 