Welcome Back Bible Scholars
Thanks for joining me for the preview of this week’s SS Lesson entitled “JEPHTHAH ANSWERS THE CALL”. The lesson theme for the month of June is “Called To Be Strong” and it focuses on four individuals God used to help save and deliver Israel in times of distress. These individuals were referred to as “judges” and their stories are found in the Book of Judges in the Old Testament. Prior week lessons focused on Deborah and Barak and Gideon. This week we turn our attention to Jephthah.
I must admit that I was not familiar with Jephthah story, but his story is a very interesting one. In some way what happened to him is similar to what happened to Abraham’s son Ishmael. Jephthah was forced out of his father’s house just like Ishmael. But here is a classic example of being careful how you treat someone on your way up because they are the same people you will meet on your way down. While Manasseh was up, they didn’t want or need Jephthah, but when they were in trouble, they sought him out and made him a ruler over them. He was a “great man of valor” and was an able military leader. His fight was against the Ammonites and he defeated them.
In requesting God’s help, Jephthah made an ill-advised vow to the Lord to sacrifice the first person who came out of his door as a burnt offering if he was successful in battle. Sadly, that person turned out to be his only child and daughter. Something else disturbing was that the tribe of Ephraim challenged Jephthah’s right to go to war as he had done, without their concurrence, against Ammon. He first defeated them, then intercepted the fugitives at the fords of Jordan, and there put forty-two thousand men to the sword. Jephthah is considered a hero and mentioned along with the other great people of faith in Hebrews 11.
To learn more about Jephthah click on his name. Also, you can access the SS lesson scriptures on the go anywhere and anytime through our website. So, let’s prepare to have a great discussion on Sunday as we take a closer look at “JEPHTHAH ANSWERS THE CALL” and the implications it has for us today.
Blessings
Pastor Jordan
