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Judges 11:35 "And when he saw her, he rent 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.'"

 

This is the very troubling story of Jephthah's rash vow, promising God a burnt offering of the first person to greet him upon his return home if God would deliver the Ammonites into his hands. (Judges 11:30-31). God did allow Jephthah to defeat the Ammonites. Unfortunately, it was Jephthah's daughter who was the first to greet him when he returned home (Judges 11:34).

 

As we so often do when confronted with the consequences of our rash words or actions, Jephthah's first reaction is to blame someone else. His daughter has brought him low and become the source of great trouble to him, he says, when all she did was come out to meet her beloved father upon his return from battle. And she's the one who is to be offered as a sacrifice, she really does not need her dad blaming her for her death at his words! 

 

I think the lesson from this is first to really watch our words, especially when talking to God. Words mean something, they are our participation in the Logos. Our words can get us into plenty of trouble when we don't think before speaking, more so if we are making a vow or promise, and even more-more so if it is to God!

 

Jephthah realizes his rashness when he sees his daughter, which brings me to the second lesson: don't blame the victim of your misdeeds! When we realize we've made a huge mistake, our first impulse very often is to deflect, often to the very person we have wronged, but that just makes matters worse and adds more pain to the pain we've already caused. 

 

I struggle with the horrendous story of Jephthah and the sacrifice of his daughter. It seems like something God would have stepped in and prevented from happening. But I think it is here as a lesson of the importance of our words and our vows, to be very careful when making them, and not to blame others when they come back to haunt us.