THE LORD SPOKE (April 11)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Judges 10-11

What did he think?! How could Jephthah make such a rash vow? Didn’t he know the risk he might be taking when he promised to sacrifice as a burnt offering (Judg. 11:31) the first thing that came out of the door of his house upon his return?

It’s very unlikely that he expected anything other than an animal. The typical style of house at the time (known as an “Israelite four-room house”) had a small courtyard just inside the front door, with rooms on all three sides. Normally, the first to detect the approach of someone outside would be the goats or chickens, so Jephthah probably considered that an animal would be the first thing out the door when he arrived.

Did Jephthah actually sacrifice his daughter? The Bible doesn’t answer that conclusively. True, such a thing was forbidden but that didn’t stop some people from practicing child sacrifice. The same chapter makes mention of the Moabite god Chemosh (Judg. 11:24) who was closely related to the god Molech who’s worship included child sacrifice. How on earth could Solomon stoop to build high places for these two in Jerusalem (I Ki. 11:7)?

But again, did Jephthah actually sacrifice his daughter? At the end of the chapter (Judg. 11:39) it says “he did to her as he had vowed” but all the surrounding context revolves around his daughter’s perpetual virginity. This may have involved a figurative sacrifice, just as painful to Jephthah because she was an only child and he would thereby be permanently cutting off his own lineage.

The Bible seems to leave this issue unresolved. In either case, is there anything we can take from this text? To be sure! Do not make rash vows. When you make a promise to the Lord, weigh it very carefully and do not ever renege on your commitment. This does not mean, never make any promises. That would also be a great evil. But make sure you follow through on your covenants with the Lord.


New Testament: Acts 12

Herod Agrippa was a weasel. The grandson of Herod the Great, he had learned early how to play the political game to his advantage. He was the son of Aristobulus and nephew of Herod Antipas (who had beheaded John the Baptist). When Antipas was exiled, Agrippa received his tetrarchy as well as those of Philip and Lysanias. Two years later, in AD 41, he added Judea and Samaria to his growing kingdom, making it nearly equal to what Herod the Great had once ruled.

He was never the builder that Herod the Great was but, like Herod, he made intrigue and murder his trademark. He had James, the brother of John and the son of Zebedee, run through with a sword (Acts 12:2). Since that pleased the Jewish authorities, he proceeded to grab Peter with the same design.

Peter’s miraculous deliverance was as astonishing to him (Acts 12:11) as it was to everybody else (Acts. 12:14-16). Perhaps Rhoda’s forgetful surprise can be forgiven in the light of the incredulous response of the late-night prayer “warriors”. When she tells them that Peter is at the door it’s as if they say, “He can’t be - we’re praying for him to get out of prison.” How much did they believe their own prayers?

Herod Antipas was fit to be tied. He couldn’t find Peter anywhere so, after having the guards executed, he skipped town for awhile. Since his grandfather had built it, Caesarea had become the primary port and seat of government in the region. In doing so, it had finally destroyed the Phoenician monopoly on maritime trade in the eastern Mediterranean. The venerable Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon were hurting. They’d become dependent upon Herod for their very food supply (Acts 12:20).

Coming to Caesarea to plead their case before Agrippa, they looked for an opportunity to ingratiate themselves to him. With his eye on an ever higher office, he kind of liked the idea of being called a god - it smacked of Caesar. But God had had enough. “An angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.” (Acts 12:23). Normally you die and are eaten by worms.

This story is sandwiched between the visit of Barnabas and Saul to Jerusalem. They’d been commissioned by the church at Antioch (Acts 11:29-30) to take a money gift to the brothers in Jerusalem. Having done that, they were on their way back to Antioch with John Mark in tow (Acts 12:25). The result of both strands of the story was that “the word of God continued to increase and spread” (Acts 12:24).

And how! Acts 13 is about to burst into the story with the amazing missionary movement that took the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth.