Today's Reading:

Judges 11 - The story of Jephthah tells of two wrongs. The first wrong is in making a brash vow to the Lord and the second wrong is in the offering of Jephthah's daughter as a burnt offering. How can two wrongs make a right since Jephthah continued to Judge Israel apparently with the Lord's blessing?

Did Jephthah really offer up his daughter as a burnt sacrifice? How on earth could God allow this? It seems completely barbaric.

Did Jephthah literally sacrifice his daughter as a burnt offering or did he set her apart as a Nazarite as described in Numbers 6?

The focus of the story is a focus on the barbaric nature of Jephthah's choice. The foolishness that is seen in him even making a vow to God (basically trying to manipulate God to help him win a battle) is complicated further by the shocking sight of his daughter coming out to greet him and congratulate him on his victory. (That portion of the story has always stood out to me. It is an ironic and subtle, yet poignant, communication from God to Jephthah.) This isn't a two-wrongs making a right story, it is a picture of God pointing out how the ways of the pagans had infiltrated even the heroes of the Israelites.

There is much discussion as to if Jephthah fulfilled his vow to sacrifice his daughter. Many commentators look to the 2 month period of time that his daughter mourned her "loss of child bearing" as a sign that Jephthah committed her to lifelong virginity (I'm guessing that's the reference to the Nazarite?) and thus did not carry on his family line. If that was true, it would have been traumatic for both his daughter and himself. However, it is difficult at best to allow the language to mean anything other than he sacrificed his daughter.

The most difficult question to answer is, How could God allow this? We don't know. There are a number of guesses we could make, but none of them would ever come close to knowing the mind of God. Was He pleased with it? I am certain I could say He wasn't pleased with the vow in the first place, as it smacked of lack of faith and trust. I would hazard the guess that the same could be said for the sacrifice of his daughter. We must remember that the focus of this story is on Jephthah, and not on God. It is a reminder of the dark period of time in the history of Israel; it is a reminder of the sinful condition of the hearts of man; it is a reminder of how far sin can take someone.