Jephthah’s Vow and His Daughter as The Bride of Christ Allusion in the Old Testament

Jephthah’s Vow and His Daughter as The Bride of Christ Allusion in the Old Testament

In the Book of Judges 11:29-40, we hear about the story of the judge Jephthah. All throughout history, this story has been surrounded by tons of controversy because it is believed that Jephthah sacrificed his daughter as a burn offering in order to fulfill a vow to God. An alternative view shows that Jephthah never killed his daughter, but instead, offers her up for lifetime Godly service similar to Hannah with Samuel. I believe the alternative view holds more scriptural weight in supporting a lifetime of service to the Lord.

·         In Hebrews 11:32-34, Jephthah is listed in the Hall of Faith. Human sacrifice is a dishonorable act before God because it is a reflection of Molech worship (See Deuteronomy 12:31; 18:9-12; 2 Kings 3:27; 23:10; Isaiah 57:5). Hence, one of the reasons why King Solomon did not make it into the Hall of Faith.

·         In Judges 2:16-19, the Lord raised up judges to save Israel. When God’s leaders fall into sin, the Bible is always exposes it to the reader. For example, Moses struck the rock twice and was banned from entering the Promised Land (Numbers 20). David committed adultery and murder, which resulted in humiliation and the death of his baby (2 Samuel 11-12). We even see this in the New Testament when Paul rebukes Peter about his partiality with the Gentiles (Galatians 2). Interestingly, we don’t see any issues regarding Jephthah outside of Judges.

·         In Judges 11:29-30, we see that Jephthah made his vow “in the Spirit.” We see this with Gideon and Samson as well.

·         In regards to Jephthah’s vow, he was not expecting for an animal to greet him after his victorious battle .In Judges 11:31, the verb “to meet” is always used for people, never for an an animal. Another thing to consider is that when men returned from battle, women would come to greet the men in celebration (See Exodus 15:20; Judges 5:28; 1 Samuel 18:6). It is possible that Jephthah was hoping to run into a servant girl or extended family member. An animal was never an option. Judges 11:31 should be translated to “whoever comes out,” not “whatever comes out.”

·         In Judges 11:31, Jephthah promised to commit his sacrifice as a whole burnt offering. Although this offering is never used symbolically anywhere else in the Old Testament, we can see used as a way to offer service by an act of giving unto the Lord. For example, we see this in Exodus 29 and Leviticus 8 with the Levitical Priesthood. Aaron and his sons (the Levites) were symbolically offered to the LORD as a wave offering (wave offerings were burned before the Lord. Another symbolic offering can be noted in Psalm 51:17 where a broken and contrite heart is viewed as an appropriate and acceptable sacrifice to the Lord. Lastly, Romans 12:1, tells believers to offer their bodies as living sacrifices to the LORD as an act of worship.

·         Jephthah’s daughter doesn’t seem concern over death, but her virginity. In Judges11:37, she requests a two-month leave, so that she can weep over her virginity. She chooses to cry in the mountains because it was forbidden for servants of the sanctuary to express any public mourning/sadness (See Leviticus 21:1-4, 10-12). After Judges 11:39, it states that “ After the two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin”.  Notice that his vow was fulfilled and she was a virgin, not that she was burned to death. We see lifetime Godly Service in other parts of the Old Testament (See Exodus 38:8; 1 Samuel 1:11, 22–28, 2:22).

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Bride of Christ Allusions

1.      Jephthah’s daughter is now a permanent virgin like Christ was a permanent virgin. Christ presents his Bride as Holy and Pure.

·         Ephesians 5:25-27- 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

2.      Jephthah’s daughter is viewed as a Deaconess to the other virgins. These virgins could have served the purpose has her bridesmaids as we would have seen in Song of Solomon/Matthew 25/Psalm 45:14. Jephthah’s daughter served as a Prophetess and instructed the maids and virgins to love their husbands/spiritual insights/await Christ their True Husband/New Covenant.

·         Titus 2:4-5 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

3.      She comes down the mountain like the New Jerusalem. Like Moses and the Law in Mount Sinai, the Bride of Christ comes from Mount Zion with the Word of God.

·         Revelation 21:10- 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

4.      She cries 2 months and is “resurrected” on the 3rd month ready for service. This emulates the resurrection of Christ. Obedience to the Father results in great sacrifice. The reasoning behind the months is that women measure their menstrual periods with the help of lunar cycles. Hence the symbolism in Genesis 37:9-10.

5.       In Judges 11:40, we see that this is a commemoration or memorial of a sign. The translation is a bit messy and should say “from this time forth, at certain times”.If this means four times a year, this can even be linked to New Moon Festivals. We also see that the same Hebrew word for commemoration is also used in Judges 5:11 in order to commemorate the victories of the Lord.











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