The Israelites have abandoned God to worship other gods.  The forms of worship were far from holy and they even participated in the pagan ritual of child sacrifice.  This utter rejection of God sealed their fate and again they were oppressed by an enemy nation, this time the Ammonites.  When the people cried out for deliverance Jephthah became the Judge in Israel.  Jephthah acknowledges that the victory will come from God.  In fact, in return for victory he will offer God the first thing that leaves his house to greet him as he journeys home.  This was a foolish vow to make, because God does give his people victory and as Jephthah returns home from battle it is his daughter that comes out to meet him.  He cannot relinquish on his vow so he sacrifices her just as he had promised.

Why did he make such a vow?  it is important to establish that this was not a sacrifice that God had demanded, it was Jephthah’s own choice.  The issue was that Jephthah and those around him had forgotten what God was really like.  They were so used to worshipping any god, that they treated the God of creation in exactly the same way.  They thought this sacrifice would please God or repay the debt of the victory.

We may not be as extreme as Jephthah, but there are times when we misinterpret the heart of God.  We jump through hoops and cripple ourselves thinking of how to please him. The simple truth is that God’s love for us was given freely and the price of victory has already been paid through Jesus.   What does God expect from his people?  Simple that we love him with all our heart, mind and strength.