Judges 11: Worst. Prayer. Ever... Idiot!

The “Real Housewives” of the Old Testament… that is what the Book of Judges could called. It could also be called “The Tiger King of Canaan.” Chuck Swindoll says the “primary message of Judges is that God will not allow sin to go unpunished.”” I completely agree. The key lesson to be learned is Don’t Be Stupid, follow God. The cycle of sin stinks. Don’t Do Life Your Way. Do Life God’s Way.” In the pages of the book of Judges, we have the most outrageous stories in the Bible. This is what happens we people abandon the Lord and go their own way.

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Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT).
Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome & Daily Bible Aim
• 0:24 Setting Up Judges 11
• 2:30 Jephthah’s Origins and Exile
• 3:07 Called to Lead Against Ammon
• 4:07 Diplomatic History Lesson
• 6:46 The Rash Vow Is Made
• 8:40 Victory and Tragic Fulfillment
• 11:05 Lessons on Prayer and Vows
• 12:31 Closing Reflections and Prayer

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:01

Hey everyone, and welcome to the Bible Breakdown Podcast. In this podcast, we will be breaking down the Bible one chapter a day. Whether you are a new believer or have been following Christ for a while, we believe that you will learn something new and fresh every single day. So thank you for joining us. Let's get into breaking down the Bible together.

SPEAKER_01: 0:23

Well, hello, everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, Pastor Brandon, today, Judges chapter 11. And today is just one of those head slappers. I just, if I were to give this one a title, it would be Worst Prayer Ever, you idiot. I don't know if it's sacrilegious to call someone in the Bible an idiot. I don't mean it, I don't mean it other than he's an idiot. And and the thing is, we've all had these moments where we have made bad prayers, bad promises to God, but this one might be the worst. When I was reading through Judges, I was like, in Jesus' name, can we skip this one? Nope, because it's important. And when you think about it, of all the things that God could have put in his word and didn't, the things that he did put in here are things we need to know about. So we're gonna go there. And in Jesus' name, we're gonna learn about what not to do ever in the history of Evers. In Jesus' name, let's do it. If you like what we're doing here, make sure that you like, share, and subscribe to this YouTube channel. Also leave us a five-star review. And if you agree with me that we should never pray the prayer you're gonna hear today, I want you to leave us a five-star review on the podcast and like this episode because I'm gonna tell you something. No, no. Thou shalt not do this ever. So if you got your Bibles with me, we're gonna open up to Judges chapter 11. And remember, the overall theme of Judges is don't be stupid. Follow God. Or the nicer way to say this is don't do life your way, do life God's way. And they don't have a king, they don't have someone enforcing God's law or proclaiming this is the way you need to do God's law. And so these different judges start rising up over the years, just helping lead them back to God. And now there is a judge who needs to find God himself, okay? But he is gonna raise up again, help the nation of Israel. Then he's gonna make a promise to God, a prayer to God. And we're gonna read about it and see if we can find some kind of goodness out of this mess. Okay, you ready? Judges chapter 11, verse 1, talking about a guy named Jephthah says this. Now, Jephthah of Gilead was a great warrior. He was the son of Gilead, but his mother was a prostitute. Lord help us. Gilead's wife also had several sons, and all um, and with all of these half-brothers grew up, they chased Jephthah off the land. You will not get any of our fathers' inheritance, they said, for you are the son of a prostitute. So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, and then soon he had a band of worthless rebels following him. So a bunch of nice guys. Here we go. Verse 4. At about this time the Ammonites began their war against Israel. When the Ammonites attacked, the elders of Gilead sent for Jephthah in the land of Tob. And the elders said, Come be our commander, help us fight the Ammonites. But Jephthah said to them, Aren't you the ones who hated me and drove me out of my father's house? Why do you come to me now when you're in trouble? It's a really good question. Verse 8, because we need you, the elders replied, If you lead us into battle against the Ammonites, we will make you the ruler over the people of Gilead. Jephthah said to the elders, Let me get this straight. If I come and with if I come with you, and if the Lord gives me victory over the Ammonites, you will really make me the ruler over all the people? The Lord is our witness, the elders replied. So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him their ruler and commander of their army. At Mizpah, in the presence of the Lord, Jephtha repeated what he had said to the elders. Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon, asking, Why have you come out to fight against my land? The king of Ammon answered Jephthah's messengers, When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they stole my land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River and all the way to the Jordan. Now then, give back the land peacefully. Jephthah sent messengers back to the Ammonite king. This is what he said. This is what Jephthah says. When the people of Israel arrived in Kadesh on their journey from Egypt across the Red Sea, they sent messengers to the king of Edom, asking for permission to pass through his land, but their requests were denied. Then he asked the king of Moab for similar permission, but he wouldn't let him pass through either. So the people of Israel stayed in Kadesh. Finally, they went around Edom and Moab through the wilderness, and they traveled along Moab's eastern borders and camped on the other side of the Arnon River. But they never crossed the Arnon River into Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab. Israel sent messengers to King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled from Heshbon, asking for permission to cross through this land to get to their destination. But King Sihon didn't trust Israel to pass through his land. Instead, he mobilized his army at Jahaz and attacked them. But the Lord, the God of Israel, gave his people victory over King Sihon. So Israel took control of all the land of the Amorites who lived in that region, and from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River, and from the eastern wilderness to the Jordan. So you see, it was the Lord, the God of Israel, who took away the land from the Ammonites, Amorites, and gave it to Israel. Why then should we give it back to you? You keep whatever your God Kemosh gives you, and we will keep whatever the Lord gives us. Oh Lord, here we go, verse 25. So you so so you any are you any better than Balak, son of Zippor, the king of Moab? Did he not try to make a case against Israel for disputed land? Did he go to war against them? Israel has been living here for now 300 years, inhabiting Heshbon and its surrounding settlements, all the way to Aor and its settlements, and in all the towns along the Arnon River. Why have you made no effort to recover them before now? Therefore, I have not sinned against you. Rather, you have wronged me by attacking me. Let the Lord, who is judge, decide today which of us is right, Israel or Ammon. But the king of Amon paid no attention to Jephthah's message. In other words, he said, I'll kill a fool if you go to war with us. We defeated you soundly. It's your fault for losing. Get on up out here. That's what he's basically said. And the other king is like, then let's bring it. So here we go. Here's the idiot prayer. At that time the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he went throughout the land of Gilead and Manasseh, including Mizpah and Gilead, and from there he led the army against the Amorites. So far, so good. And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord. He said, If you give me victory over the Ammonites, I will give to the Lord whatever comes to my house comes out of my house to meet me when I return in triumph. Let me read that sentence again. I will give to the Lord whatever comes out of my house to meet me when I return in triumph. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering. Now pause. That sounds horrible, but let me give you a little context. At that time, it was very common to have a house, and there's a lot of houses, especially in farm areas, that have this now, where you would have kind of a barn, and the place that you would live would be either above this barn area or be in another area. So you'd have kind of a barnslash house. So in your house, house, you could come and go, as well as having certain farm animals that could come through because they all kind of live together, like either above it or attached to it. So it's very likely he's thinking it could be his favorite horse, it could be his favorite donkey, it could be his favorite cow. That's what he's thinking, is I don't care how special of an animal it is to me, I will sacrifice it if you give me this victory. Okay, so here we go. Once again, he said, verse 31 I will give to the Lord whatever comes out of my house to meet me when I return in triumph. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering. So Jephthah led his army against the Ammonites, and the Lord gave him victory. He crushed the Ammonites, devastating about 20 towns from Aor to an area near Mineth, as far as Abel Cameron. That is why Israel defeated in this way, that is why Israel defeated the Ammonites. When Jephthah returned home to Mizbah, his daughter came out to meet him, playing on a tambourine and dancing for joy. She was his one and only child. He had no other sons or daughters. When he saw her, he tore his clothes in anguish. Oh, my daughter, he cried out, you have completely destroyed me. You brought disaster on me, for I've made a vow to the Lord, and I cannot take it back. Can we just pause? Oh, Jephthah, what are you doing, my friend? All right, verse 36. And she said, Father, if you have made a vow to the Lord, you must do what you have vowed. But for the Lord has given you great victory over your enemies, the Ammonites. But first, let me do this one thing. Let me go up and roam in the hills and weep for my friends for two months, because I will die a virgin. In other words, without kids of my own. Verse 38, You may go, Jephthah said. And he sent her away for two months. She and her friends went into the hills and wept because she would never have children. When she returned home, her father kept her vow that he had made, and he and she died a virgin. So it became a custom in Israel for young Israelite women to go away for four days each year to lament the fate of Jephthah's daughter. Oh, Lord. Joker Dunn killed his daughter. I'm gonna tell you something. I'm gonna tell you something. Here is our application point for today. If you make a vow to the Lord, which by the way, how about make those sparingly? But if you make a vow to the Lord, can you might think that through a couple times? Listen here, Joker. You live in a house, yes, where your favorite dog Pookie and your favorite donkey and your favorite cow, uh, whatever Susie comes, whatever, you got them named, you love them, all that. You also got your family living there. Oh listen, it's one thing. It's bad enough to kill Fifi, the dog. It's bad enough to kill your favorite cow, but your baby. So here's the application point if you really want God to answer your prayer, just ask him. Don't make brave vows. Thus saith the Lord, I will climb Mount Everest twice. If you help me have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, don't do that. Just pray and trust the Lord and don't make extravagant promises to the Lord. Because here's the thing, I did a little bit of research on this, and most scholars think Joker did it. Like this wasn't something that was like some kind of like, you know, like fable or uh good lesson. No, no, this is historical documentation. Joker done killed his baby. So I know I am distraught over this because even in reading it with all of you, it just hit me fresh. I'm gonna tell you something I ain't never gonna do. I ain't gonna pray that prayer. All right. So, application is don't do life your way, do life God's way. And here's the thing if you're praying and you're believing for God to do something and you really need Him to do it, it's okay to pray. Maybe you fast and pray. Maybe you fast, pray, and worship. Maybe you fast, pray, and worship and get your friends involved. But whatever you do, don't say, God, the first thing that comes out of my house, I'm gonna kill it. As a way of saying thank you. That ain't gonna work. Can we just pray? Let's just pray right now. Father, thank you that I live in the New Testament, not the Old Testament. Thank you that you are my king and that you lead us. Thank you, God, that this is not our story. But we can learn from this story, and that is to be faithful to you, to pray, to trust you, and to not pray those kind of prayers. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen and amen. Remember, God's word says, In those days Israel had no king. All the people did what was ever, whatever seemed right in their eyes. So, for your sake and for the sake of your only daughter living at home, even if she does play a tambourine, don't do life your way. Do life God's way. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for happier days on Judges chapter 12.