Jephthah made a solemn promise to the Lord: “If you will decisively hand over the Ammonites to me, ³¹ then whatever comes out the doors of my house to meet me when I return victorious from the Ammonites will be given over to the Lord. I will sacrifice it as an entirely burned offering.” Judges 11:30-31

You’re about to read a very sad story. The good Judge Jephthah made a foolish promise to God that he felt he needed to keep. Rather than summarize the story, I suggest that you just take up your Bible and read it right now; afterwards you can check out the rest of today’s “Firestarter.” [Pause to read the passage.]

Some questions that you can ask yourself and your family… Is it OK to make bargains with God? Did Jephthah really have to keep his promise? What would it have been like if he could talk over his problem with others? He and the other judges in this part of the Bible were like “Lone Rangers.” They felt they had to go it alone. Let’s not do the same. The idea of reading the Bible together means that we can talk about what we read and what it means to each other.

God continues to speak to us after listening to the Bible passage. Jot down a few thoughts and feelings in your journal. You’ll be doing just what the writers of the Bible did.

Judges 11:29-40

Examples of Bible Breaths Learn More…

Spirit of God upon me v. 29
Never bargaining with You v. 30
Your power ever with me v. 32
Offering my life for You v. 36

Check out Study Tools in BibleGateway.
I especially recommend the free resource
in Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

Tuesdays are dedicated to the Old Testament books of history
and the Hebrew “Writings.”

 

These Firestarters are for families with children. For the Firestarters in the original edition, I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or table! Check the menu options at the site for more information.