A look at Judges 11:1-33 and Luke 21:1-38

[Jacob Ben Avraham]

JUDGES 11:1-33

 

     This lesson is about “Yephtah” who was bullied and mistreated by his brothers and was excluded from his father’s inheritance, he ran away and got together with a gang of thugs and became like the “Jessie James gang” However when the trouble started back home, who did the brothers look for? Yes, Yephtah! In spite of the fact that he was mistreated, he didn’t let a negative attitude take control, he returned and became their commander.

     Then he “vows and vow” “If you deliver the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house I will offer up to you as a burnt offering” The Israelites won the war, and when Yephtah returned home and his “only daughter came out to greet him”.  There are mixed emotions and opinions over this.  Some suggest that He DID offer his daughter as a burnt offering, he killed r and burned her body on the altar.  BUT… would the Holy GOD of Israel accept this kind of abomination? A human sacrifice? I would say NO! (my opinion)

     So, what MIGHT have happened?  Some believe that he did “offer up” his daughter, but to serve as a servant in the tabernacle of YHVH, perhaps helping the Levites or something similar.  Again, just an idea, but no one knows for sure, we’ll find out the truth in Heaven! Others say that in the original translation, the words were misunderstood, and the phrase, “Whatever comes out of my house to meet me when I return in peace, it shall be the LORD’s and I will offer it up as a burnt offering” was really, “it shall be the LORD’s “OR” I will offer it up as a burnt offering! (meaning that "it" refers to an animal and not a human) This explains why Yephtah might have offered up his daughter to serve in the Tabernacle for all her life, had an animal, like a lamb or a goat had come out, THAT animal would have been offered up as a burnt offering, but again, this is just an idea.

    Also, Jephthah might have gone to the elders and rabbis where he lived and consulted with them about his vow.  They might have given him that advice to offer up his daughter to serve in the Tabernacle in whatever capacity that was needed as an alternative to being a "burnt offering" which makes all sense. 

     What does this teach us? Be careful of what we “vow” we might end up “swallowing” our words, best not to promise anything, and again, not to hold a grudge against those who have mistreated us, forgive those who have mistreated us. 

LUKE 21:1-38
 

     Yeshua talks about the “end times” “Watch out” he warns, things will be getting worse before it gets better. Many think that we will be looking forward to better times, yet Yeshua says just the opposite! Wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, etc., the world is going downhill fast, not only physically, but morality is taking a tailspin downward.

     This reminds us of the 2nd law of Thermodynamics.  Everything is going from order to disorder. 

     We need to take heed and be faithful, await the coming of Messiah Yeshua, AFTER He returns, the world will enter a thousand-year time of real SHALOM.  Yeshua taught all of this in the temple in Yerushalayim and would camp out on the Mt. of Olives during the night.  What an interesting life! I think it would have been great to have seen and heard Yeshua in person back then.  Yet we can still hear his voice through HIS WORD.

 

 

A bird's-eye view of the world