Take It Back

“Take It Back!”

As a fourth and fifth grade teacher, I have had a birds eye view of seeing little groups of students who often hang together like a tight-knit little family. One year in particular I rarely had an entire lunch break without hearing the dreaded words, “Mrs. Sempsrott, your boys were fighting… AGAIN!”

One day that will forever stick out in my mind is when I found one of “my boys” who had another of “my boys” in a headlock. He was saying, “Take it back!” The provoker had told him, “Your mom looks like she wears army boots!” The words could not be taken back… (I must confess that I had seen his mom and she did wear military-grade type boots for a job. But Mum’s the word for a wise teacher… SHHH!!)

“Take It Back” is definitely the theme of today’s story. If I was writing a country-western tune I could really go to town with the chorus for this one. “Baby, I didn’t mean it. I wish we could go back. You know that I meant well, Somehow this went to _ _ _ _ … Well, you get the idea! No more crooning is necessary.

Jephthah of Gilead was a great warrior and the main character in today’s passage. He certainly has his ups and downs. The story begins with his half-brothers chasing him off of their land. They weren’t saying that “His mama wore army boots.” They were really saying that “His mama’s boots were made for walkin’!” if you know what I mean. (Today, I am writing in my country voice with a little twang.)

His brothers said, “You will not get any of our father’s inheritance for you are the son of a prostitute.” (Judges 11: 2-3). So, Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Soon he had a band of WORTHLESS REBELS FOLLOWING HIM”. (Leader potential alert!)

Fast forward…The brothers now need him to do something for them, so they are backpedaling. “Come and be our commander! Help us fight the Ammonites!”

Before you know it, Jephthah is the one saying, “Take it all back”. “Aren’t you the ones who hated me and drove me from my father’s house? Why do you come to me now when you’re in trouble?” (Vs. 7) “Because we need you,” they replied. (AKA. We take it back… for now.) They go on to tell him that they will make him their ruler and commander of the army if he will come and deliver them.

“The Lord is our witness”, the elders replied. “We promise to do whatever you say.”

Promises, Promises…Before you know it, Jephthah is making promises of his own. He ought to stop and think about the vow he makes, because he may just want to “take it back”.

He vows to God, “If you give me victory over the Ammonites, 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.” (V. 30-31)

Unfortunately, his daughter Mizpah, came out playing on a tambourine and dancing for joy. She was his one and only child!

“Oh my daughter!” he cried out. “YOU HAVE COMPLETELY DESTROYED ME! YOU’VE BROUGHT DISASTER ON ME! For I have made a vow to the Lord, and I cannot take it back!” (Vs. 34-35)

Perhaps, you can tell from my capitalizing rant that I am not too thrilled with Jephthah. Like his brothers, he seems to have a habit of promises, promises, and then a lack of responsibility for his actions. Notice, that he blames his daughter for his rash words.

The OT teaching was clearly against sacrificing humans to God. They were only to sacrifice animals. Secondly, we do see that the scripture tells us that Jephthah kept his foolish vow. “When she returned home, her father kept the vow he had made, and she died a virgin.” (Judges 11: 39)

Some scholars believe that his daughter was given to the temple to serve as a sacrifice and could never have children or be married. Why? They believe this because she went away to weep for two months. Secondly, there was a statue in Israel that every year the daughters of Israel would go for four days a year to lament her fate. When the vow is “fulfilled” by her father we are told that she “never knew a man” which is a strange thing to comment on if she had been killed. This will remain a mystery…

Today’s story reminds us of something very important… Promises, Promises!

Here is what Proverbs 20: 25 reminds us, “It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider one’s vows.”

Ecclesiastes 5: 2 says, “Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth, So let your words be few.”

“Take It Back”? No, Mam! That song has already been sung!