8/17/21-THE HEART OF SUBMISSION

Judges 11

If you don’t enjoy your own company, then there’s a strong possibility no one else will either. A true test that you’re trusting God for your mate is you’re preparing not planning.

“And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.” When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given my word to the Lord, and I cannot go back on it.” So she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to the Lord, do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon.” Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and bewail my virginity, my friends and I.” So he said, “Go.” And he sent her away for two months; and she went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains. And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man. And it became a custom in Israel”

‭‭Judges‬ ‭11:30-31, 34-39‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

This message will focus on who I consider the main character in this entire chapter, Jeptha’s daughter. Never in my life have I encountered such love and devotion to the Lord. Some have misinterpreted this verse to mean that he offered his daughter as a burnt offering but that’s not at all what happened here. Had it been an animal that came out first he would’ve done that, but instead his daughter came to meet him. So the sacrifice became that she would be dedicated to the Lord as Samuel was with one difference: She would be a spinster for the rest of her life.

The courage of this young woman whose name was never given, I believe purposefully to make room for other daughters of Jeptha is what I’d like to give honor to today. As a woman in Israel the main focus was marriage and carrying on the posterity of the family. Marrying and having children was considered true prosperity. A barren woman was ostracized and even considered cursed by God. So this young woman’s submission to the vow that her father made to Jehovah is beyond admirable; it was a significant sacrifice on both their parts. She would never marry and his family name would never be carried on.

Her only request was that she be given two months to be with her young female friends to mourn the fact that she would never be married. This could not have been easy for her. We are not privy to the conversations during those two months, but we can imagine that there were comments like, “I wouldn’t do it, don’t go back home, run away, that was your father’s vow, you didn’t know about it so you don’t have to consent to it.“ But I can also hear her through the tears, “All that may be true, but Jehovah means everything to me and my father. He has made a vow and we will keep it. I will not dishonor my father, Jehovah has been good to us both.“ It takes a special person to agree to a vow they did not make. I can assume her response because of her own words. This young woman sacrificed her desires to honor a vow that was made to the Lord. Jeptha did a great job as a single father. He raised a woman who loved the Lord more than her own desires to be married. Read again her response to her father. What a legacy! What a great example of transference of faith.

Now let me speak to singles for a moment. Especially those who have been stressing about being single. This young woman had a decision to make, honor the vow or rebel against her father. She demonstrated through her response that honoring a vow made to Jehovah was more important than getting married. She was disappointed that she’d never marry, she took time away to deal with the reality of what her future now held. But she came back and submitted to the will of God. What if your desire to marry is met with a “no“ from the Lord? How will you respond? Will you be Jeptha’s daughter and say “Your will be done” and submit to whatever else He has in mind for you, or will you say “get thee behind me Satan“ and go find you a man/woman?

Singleness isn’t a curse, it’s an opportunity to do everything God wants you to do without inhibition. I don’t believe for one moment that Jeptha’s daughter was idle. She was an only child so I’m sure with her father being a leader in Gilead she was quite busy. If you cannot enjoy your singleness as a daughter or son of God, you definitely won’t enjoy being with whoever you choose to be with because you’re not whole. Some of you have made wanting a mate an idol in your hearts. God will not compete with idols. You haven’t met Harry or Sally, but your preoccupation with the desire has almost rendered your singleness an anathema, something to be despised, instead of enjoyed. If as a child of God He wanted you married already, whatever age you are, you would be. If our steps are ordered by Him, then so is being married or remaining single.

As soon as my daughter changed her focus away from obsessing with meeting someone, and started to enjoy whatever her Father’s plan was for her, things changed. She was at peace with the idea that she could be single for the rest of her life. Jesus was always the Lord of her life but she had allowed society and her eyes to drag her into a mindset that would’ve become an idol. If Jesus isn’t enough then nothing else is. He has to be the One we find our completeness in. It takes two whole people to make a whole marriage or friendship for that matter. Broken and needy people make a mess of each other’s lives. Focus on what God has you doing right now, He said He will keep in perfect peace, those whose minds are stayed on Him, trusting Him. If you’re tormented by your singleness, your mind is not staying on Him.

If you’re a single female of a certain age and are worried about never getting married, relax. Could it be possible that God has you hidden away for better than you’re believing for or are willing to settle for? Could it be that God wants to use this time to mature you, stretch and grow you beyond where you are right now? Could it be that in His infinite wisdom He knows that you’re not ready for what you think you’re missing? God created Adam first for reasons known only to Him. But He did say man should not be alone. So in God's timing He will cause him to find you. Or it may be that He has chosen a life like Jeptha’s daughter for you. Would you be willing to accept that He knows what’s best for you? His plans for us are good and perfect. Remember it’s “he that finds a wife,“ not she that finds a husband.

Let God be your matchmaker. If you’re His, then be completely His. Then whatever happens will be good for you. He’s not known for making mistakes. He’s known for doing all things well. Read all of Judges 11. Jeptha’s life was one of rejection, there’s no mention of his daughter’s mother. But one thing was certain, when his father’s family rejected him, he put his trust in Jehovah. He honored his vow to the Lord by offering the best that he had: His only daughter. Doing this, as I stated earlier, cost him a lot. But the Lord was more important to him than anything. Can you say that of your commitment to Jesus, singles? What are you willing to offer to the Lord as a sacrifice forever? Can you live a souled out single life if that’s His best for you? Jeptha’s daughter did. It wasn’t without heartache, but after two months she returned to the life that was chosen for her. I pray you will trust the sovereignty of God, no matter what. He’s sacrificed much more, so much more to redeem us. Isn’t He worth it?

“Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.” Mark‬ ‭10:28-30‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Jeptha sacrificed his posterity, he sacrificed having a family line through his only child. And even though they both had their moment of mourning what would never be, they thought keeping the vow was more important than what was lost. Nothing is ever lost when God is holding it. He still makes the barren sing. Isaiah 54.

Let your singleness be a witness for Christ. Allow your wholeness to be an attraction to draw other singles whether male or female to a chaste and godly lifestyle. Don’t join the woe is me club. God has given you gifts and talents to use as a blessing to others and His glory. Don’t waste your years pining for what you don’t have. Use what you have been given to change your world.

Written by permission of the Holy Spirit

W. Tennant

August 17, 2021