Time for a break. Might pick up the series again later. For now, consider:
Jephthah's Really Bad Luck
Please read
Judges 11. Or let me summarize for you.
After some squabbling with the king of Ammon, war could not be avoided. The general of the good guys was Jephthah. Now, maybe he wasn't thinking very clearly, but he made a deal with God:
If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
Sure enough, the Lord delivered those Ammonites into his hands. And, wouldn't ya
know it?! Who's the first one out the door of Jeph's house to greet him? His daughter. His
only child! I can only imagine what was going through his mind. "Oh man, what are the chances of
that happening?!" Guess he was hoping for a lamb to greet him, or something.
And maybe then he thought back to the story of Abraham and Isaac, expecting (hoping) that God would stop him, just like he stopped Abraham.
No such luck. Jephthah killed and burned his daughter, in offering to God.
God is strangely silent on the matter, but we might assume that He was pleased with this sacrifice to Him. But you know what really stinks? The poor guy didn't even make it to the faith hall of fame in Hebrews! (Not to mention, his story is hardly ever in Sunday School curricula!
)