Jephthah was an Idiot
The story of Jephthah in Judges 11 is a terrible tragedy, but it appears to be horrible not because of the commands or actions of the Lord. Rather, the stupidity of Jephthah is to blame. What a thoughtless and foolish vow this was!
Judges 11:31
“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.—
See it at YouVersion.com:
God clearly tells us in his Word not to make bargains with Him. Yet so often, we try to. Jephthah should have prayed to God for strength and guidance, not proposed a deal with God on terms Jephthah invented.
What kind of fool makes a pledge to kill the first thing that comes out of his house? Do animals normally come out of houses? Of course not. People do.
This is not a “wrath of God” story of punishment. Jephthah’s story is a tale of someone who acted the fool and paid the price. A sad, self-inflicted tragic end.
Let those with ears to hear listen!
After a bit more reading, it appears the daughter in this story was NOT killed / offered as a sacrifice but rather dedicated to the Lord, like a nun is. This post on YouVersion was helpful. I can’t seem to get a direct link to it on my iPhone so I’ll try later. Here is a partial screenshot:
http://flickr.com/photos/wfryer/5683828552/