Judges 11:1–40 “Trust the Loving King”
The Word is Powerful.
The Word transforms our lives.
Let us desire the Word.
To summarize today’s passage:
The Ammonites attacked Israel. Moved by compassion, God raised up Jephthah as a judge over Israel. Jephthah was born as the son of a prostitute, and because of this, his brothers drove him away. He lived as an outcast.
When war broke out with the Ammonites, no one dared to step forward to fight. In that desperate situation, the elders of Gilead went to Jephthah and asked him to become their commander and leader. Jephthah went to war against the Ammonites, and Israel won the battle.
Before the battle, Jephthah made a vow to God, saying, “If You give me victory, I will offer as a burnt offering whatever comes out first to meet me when I return.” Tragically, the first to come out and greet him was his daughter. She became the burnt offering, and the story ends with Jephthah and all Israel mourning deeply.
From this passage, I want us to remember two things.
1. God Works Through Jephthah’s Weakness
Jephthah was the son of a prostitute. He was rejected by his brothers and forced to flee, living as an outcast.
Yet God chose this very man and established him as a judge over Israel.
God’s power—His grace—is made perfect in weakness.
The Lord works through weak people, and His work is accomplished when He becomes our head.
No matter who we are or what condition we are in, God continues to work in and through us.
Even when it feels like every path is blocked, God is still our God. He is still at work among us and through us. Let us remember this truth.
2. God Teaches Us Through Jephthah’s Weakness
Jephthah’s story does not end quickly or happily with military victory. Instead, it ends painfully and heavily because of the sacrifice of his daughter.
Why did Jephthah make a vow that should never have been made?
① Because of fear and desire
Human sacrifice was a practice of the Ammonites.
Faced with a powerful and terrifying enemy, Jephthah was driven by fear and by the desire to win at any cost.
In that moment, he forgot that God was his Lord. Instead, fear and desire became his masters.
Forgetting God’s Word and God’s standards, and following the ways of the world, he came to believe that even offering a human life was acceptable.
One of the most repeated commands in Scripture is, “Do not be afraid.”
That tells us how fearful we are as human beings. We live carrying many fears.
But we must also remember that we can entrust our fear and our desire to the Lord.
Cast all your anxieties on Him. Think of the Lord. Fix your eyes on Him.
Remember that He is our Shepherd, our Savior, and that He is with us to the very end of the age.
② Because of a wrong understanding of God
Jephthah made his vow in order to impress God.
He believed, consciously or unconsciously:
“God blesses us only when we do something well.”
“Don’t you have any pride? You must do better to receive salvation.”
These thoughts have attacked the faith of believers from the early church until today.
But that is not true.
God does not save us because we repent well or perform well.
He saves us because He loves us.
God does not bless us because of what we do; He blesses us because of who He is.
And the proof of that is Jesus Christ.
When we truly receive this grace, we grow to trust God more deeply.
And when we remember this truth, we are able to live today—this very day—with greater boldness, honesty, and courage as Christians.
Jephthah sought victory by sacrificing someone else.
But Jesus fulfilled the Father’s will by sacrificing Himself.
The Perfect One died for imperfect people,
resolving our brokenness and leading us in our weakness.
We must remember this grace.
The world calls this grace fake.
But we know that this grace is real.
May we all deeply remember and enjoy the grace of Jesus Christ,
who loved us and came into this world for us.
God sent Jesus to this earth because He loves each and every one of us.
This loving Lord is our true ruler.
Jesus alone is the way, the truth, and the life.
He alone is our Good Shepherd.
Let us pray that He truly becomes our Shepherd,
and that we may live as His sheep—trusting Him and following Him.
Let us go beyond our fear and our desire,
beyond our misunderstandings formed by countless reasons,
and become people who deeply experience God and walk in obedience.
Let us pray together:
“God, help us trust You, our loving King.
May we not be swallowed by fear, loneliness, greed, resentment, or the many struggles we face.
Instead, help us break through them, overcome them, and move closer to You.
Help us entrust all our anxieties to You,
and move forward holding firmly to Your word: ‘Do not be afraid.’
In Jesus’ name, amen.”
