Remote cover the chest growling and know control said 1039 listen to truth, the time had come to stop talking and to start fighting. At that moment, Jephthah received the mysterious empowering of the Spirit of God, and he carried out the battle that power. For all of his experience war, it was not Jephthah's skill that brought victory, it was God. Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah and the Lord gave them into his hands Jephthah was led and controlled by the Spirit. But that leading was not a quiet inactivity. Jephthah did not sit down and passively observe while God accomplished His He traveled through the region to gather troops; he organized them; he developed strategy; he led the attack. To be led by the Spirit is always to be led into activity and into the battle for God. The result was a victory. Whatever our strengths and weaknesses, the secret of our usefulness is our availability to our God. Gideon was a weak who was transformed by God into a fearless warrior. Jephthah was a valiant warrior. Because of his tragic family life, he had become strong to survive. The story of his life is of God's taking a strong and, by His Spirit, turning him into a usable Whatever our strengths and weaknesses, the secret of our usefulness is our availability to our God. God's had taken Jephthah from the scrap heap of and transformed him into the liberator of his people. We would have seen nothing that God could use Jephthah, illegitimate outcast with a graduate degree violence and survival. But the Lord took him and transformed him into His agent. Jephthah had been rejected by people but accepted heaven. The Lord delights to do that. No one is worthless that God cannot use him or her for His Your past not be as sordid as Jephthah's nor your gifts unusual, but the God who used Him use you as you trust Him. Krell Scene 4: Jephthah makes a rash vow The battle between and Ammon is set to begin. Therefore, the author informs us that the Spirit of the LORD comes upon Jephthah as he makes his way to the battle line he made unwise vow Furthermore, the guidance of Jephthah by the Holy Spirit have related solely to Jephthah's activities as a judge and not to his private life Judges 11–31, we read that Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, ‘If You indeed give the sons of Ammon into hand, then it shall be that whatever comes out of the doors of house to meet me when I return peace from the sons of Ammon, it shall be the LORD'S, and I offer it up as a burnt offering. it should have used a different gender here Since the masculine form is used, and the verb is to come out, it must refer only to persons and not to animals or anything C. Kaiser Jr., Jephthah Did with Her as He Had Vowed, Hard Sayings of the Old Testament 103; italics his). is more specific regarding the feminine gender required for animals. That is because things with no specified gender-abstracts or neuters-are expressed Hebrew by the feminine… ‘Whatever' is inclusive form that would fall into this category. M. Jr., Introduction to the Old Testament Historical Books 116.) Jephthah seeks to manipulate the Lord Himself with his rash vow. This vow is totally unnecessary, but needs God to come through big that he has the allegiance of his people. he opens his big mouth and makes what turns out to be awful mistake. Judges 11–33, God gives the victory. It is clear that God would have done this with or without the vow, but didn't believe that simple was sufficient. Yet, the Bible declares that simple is all that is required for salvation and the life. The issue is not the amount of a person has; what is critical is the object of a person's If a believer has Christ as the object of his or her even the of a mustard seed is more than enough. Judges 11–40, we come upon one of the most tragic sections of Scripture. As you read these verses, make sure you read them aloud, with emotion. Feel 's agony and the horrible loss of his unnamed daughter. When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, behold, his daughter was coming out to meet him with tambourines and with dancing. she was his one and only child; besides her he had no or daughter. When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, ‘Alas, daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are among those who trouble me; for I have given word to the LORD, and I cannot take it back.' she said to him, father, you have given your word to the LORD; do to me as you have said, since the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the sons of Ammon.' She said to her father, ‘Let this thing be done for me; let me alone two months, that I go to the mountains and weep because of virginity, I and companions.' Then he said, ‘Go.' he sent her away for two months; and she left with her companions, and wept on the mountains because of her virginity. At the end of two