Pastors Moment: IN THE LAND of Israel east of Jordan there lived a man named Jephthah. His brothers despised him and drove him away from their fathers home, so he went to live in the land called Tob. Here he became a strong man, and his brave deeds were told by many people. Finally even his brothers heard about them. At this time the Israelites were in great trouble again. They had quit going to the tabernacle at Shiloh to worship God. Everywhere in the land they were bowing down before the gods that other nations worshiped. Meanwhile the Ammonites and Philistines attacked them at will. After suffering for eighteen years under the rule of their enemies, the Israelites remembered how God had handed them victory after victory and they turned to him asking for help. But God was much displeased with the people. He was not willing to help them, because they had turned away from him to worship the gods of other nations. He said, Let the gods that you have chosen instead of me help you out of your trouble. I will not be your God when trouble comes upon you if you will not worship me when you have rest from your enemies. They saw that the gods they were serving could never help them at all. (Who are the gods in your life whom you have allowed to replace God? They knew that true God whom their fathers had worshiped could deliver them out of the power of their enemies. So they tore down their idols and began to serve the Lord. They confessed their sins to the Lord and asked him again to help him. When the Lord saw that the people were really sorry for their sins, he began to pity them. He saw them gather their soldiers together at a place called Mizpah, to fight against the Ammonites. But they had no leader. Finally some one remembered Jephthah whose brave deeds had been told through all the land. They sent quickly for him to come to lead them to the battle against the Ammonites. But Jephthah was not willing to come. Not until his brothers had promised to treat him kindly would Jephthah return again with his family to his old home and help his people out of their trouble. Jephthah knew that unless God would be with him he could not gain a victory over the Ammonites. So he asked God to help him, and he promised to give as a present to God the first thing that should meet him on his return home from the battle. This was not a wise promise; for Jephthah did not know what might come first to greet him on his return. Then the battle began; and the Israelites won the victory. News of the victory reached Jephthahs home before he returned with the army of Mizpah. And everybody was glad because God had helped them again. Jephthahs daughter, his only child, came hurrying out to meet her father, singing for joy. But her song ended quickly when she saw her fathers troubled face. He had remembered his promise to the Lord. Now he believed that he must give his only child as an offering to God. How sorry he felt because he had made such an unwise promise! He tore his clothes and cried out in distress. Then he told his daughter about the promise that he had made. The people of other nations sometimes gave their children to their gods; but the law of Moses forbade the Israelites doing such a thing. Perhaps Jephthah had never heard that part of the law read, and he had often heard about the cruel custom of his heathen neighbors. He believed that he would need to keep his promise, although it was not a wise one. And his daughter urged him to keep it. because God had given him the victory over their enemies. But first she asked for two months time to spend alone with her friends in the mountains, weeping because she must soon be taken away from them. Afterwards she returned again to her father that he might fulfill his promise to God. Jephthah judged Israel for six years after his victory over the Ammonites, and then he died. Did he sacrifice the daughter as promised? That is the point of Pastors Moment today take your bible and read. God Bless you and Keep You
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 21:28:43 +0000
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