by Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Judges 11:29-40<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. There are two stories that cause some concern because they involve the concept of\nsacrificing a human being to God.\n A. They cause concern because the Bible is very clear about God\u2019s opinion on human\nsacrifices.\n
B. The slaying of humans invokes a death sentence – Genesis 9:5<\/p>\n C. False gods were worshiped with human sacrifices, but not the true God –\nDeuteronomy 12:29-32\n
1. Leviticus 18:21 – To do so would profane the Lord\u2019s name<\/p>\n
2. Jeremiah 7:31, 32:35 – God never even thought of allowing such a thing<\/p>\n
II. Most are familiar with the sacrifice of Isaac – Genesis 22:1-14<\/p>\n
A. Abraham was asked to offer his only son to God.<\/p>\n 1. This was the child Abraham had waited 25 years for during his old age.\nIsaac was not born until Abraham had reached the age of 100.\n 2. This was the child through whom God had promised to bring great\nblessings upon Abraham. – Genesis 17:19\n
3. Here then is two contradictions in God\u2019s command. <\/p>\n a. The child is to die before he has children. Yet, with this child\u2019s\nchildren would be a everlasting covenant.\n
b. God abhors human sacrifices, yet He asks for one of Abraham<\/p>\n 4. It is these contradictions that hint there is something more here than the\nsimple obvious facts.\n a. Later we are told how Abraham resolved the conflict within himself\n– Hebrews 11:17-19\n
b. Here Abraham demonstrates his great faith. <\/p>\n (1) He trusted God even when God seemed to contradict His\nown statements.\n
(2) It wasn\u2019t a blind faith, but one that was well reasoned.<\/p>\n c. Abraham believed he would return with Isaac before he walked up\nthe mountain – Genesis 22:5\n
5. In truth, it is a foreshadowing of the later sacrifice of God\u2019s only son<\/p>\n
B. Isaac was called the lamb for the offering – Genesis 22:7<\/p>\n
1. Jesus too was called the lamb of God – John 1:36<\/p>\n
2. Redeemed by the blood of a precious lamb – I Peter 1:18-19<\/p>\n
C. Isaac carried the wood for his own sacrifice – Genesis 22:6<\/p>\n
1. Jesus carried his own cross – John 19:17<\/p>\n
D. They traveled three days to the place of sacrifice<\/p>\n
1. Why so far?<\/p>\n a. Some see this as part of the test of Abraham\u2019s faith. He was given\nplenty of time to change his mind.\n
b. Yet, perhaps there is something more here<\/p>\n 2. The place they went was a mountain in the land of Moriah, known as\nJehovah-jireh (The Lord will provide).\n a. Moriah is only mentioned one other place in the Bible. It was the\nmountain where the temple was built – II Chronicles 3:2\n b. Jesus died outside the gates of the city of Jerusalem. The city where\nthe temple was located. Jesus died on a mountain of Moriah.\n
3. Abraham\u2019s sacrifice began the day he left home. <\/p>\n a. He had given up his son Isaac for three days before he actually\nplaced Isaac on the altar \u2013 before God restored his son to him by\nhalting the sacrifice.\n
b. Jesus spent three days in the grave before God restored him to life.<\/p>\n
E. There is more here than we first notice.<\/p>\n
1. A story is being played out in advance of the real story.<\/p>\n 2. God asks for Isaac to be a burnt offering, but He did not require his actual\ndeath.\n 3. Yet, because Abraham had given over his son to God, it was an acceptable\noffering – Genesis 22:16-18\n
III. Jephthah\u2019s daughter – Judges 11:29-40<\/p>\n
A. Jephthah, but Lord\u2019s leading, is about to enter a major battle with the Ammonites.<\/p>\n 1. For some reason, he decided that he needed to insure God\u2019s aid and makes\na vow to God.\n 2. It is a foolish vow because Jephthah did not consider precisely what or who\nwould be offered.\n a. Some believe Jephthah was considering offering a person because\nthe Hebrew word in Judges 11:31 can be \u201cwhoever,\u201d though most\ntranslations render it as \u201cwhatever.\u201d\n
3. Yet vows must be kept, especially vows to God – Ecclesiastes 5:1-5<\/p>\n B. Jephthah won, and on his return his one and only child, his daughter was the first\nto come and greet him.\n
1. Jephthah is devastated.<\/p>\n
a. She was his only child.<\/p>\n
b. His lineage has come to an end. No one would inherit his property.<\/p>\n
2. Yet, Jephthah does not consider retracting his promise – Judges 11:35<\/p>\n
3. For this Jephthah his remembered for his great faith – Hebrews 11:32<\/p>\n C. Once again, we have a conflict. How can Jephthah be a hero of faith if he offered\nhis child up as a burnt offering to God?\n
1. It almost appears that two wrongs make a right, which is never true.<\/p>\n
D. Burnt offerings are not always burnt<\/p>\n 1. Isaac was offered, but God prevented the slaying. True, you can argue that\nAbraham intended to burn his body.\n
E. Burnt offerings<\/p>\n
1. There were several offerings used for atonement for sins. <\/p>\n a. The sin offering was given when a person committed an\nunintentional sin – Leviticus 4:2, 13-14, 22-23, 27-28\n b. The guilt offering was given when a person committed an\nunintentional sin and has the opportunity to make restitution –\nLeviticus 5:14-19\n c. For both the sin and guilt offerings, portions were offered up to\nGod and the remainder was discarded outside the camp – Hebrews\n13:10-14\n (1) Portions of the meat were given to the priests – Leviticus\n7:7\n
d. The burnt offering also was for atonement for sins – Leviticus 1:4<\/p>\n (1) However where the sin and guilt offerings required specific\nsacrifices depending on the social status and wealth of the\nsinner, the burnt offering was voluntary – the worshiper\ncould select what he would offer, so long has it was without\ndefect – Leviticus 1:10; 22:18.\n (2) Though there was a continual burnt offering offered for the\npeople which was specified – Exodus 29:38-42\n (3) Where the sin and guilt offerings were partial, the burnt\noffering was given wholly – Deuteronomy 33:10\n
(a) Only the skin was given to the priests – Leviticus 7:8<\/p>\n
(4) It was a soothing aroma to the Lord – Leviticus 1:13, 17<\/p>\n (a) In other words, it was offered to turn away God\u2019s\nwrath.\n 2. Offerings given in fulfillment of a vow, freewill offerings, and offerings\nrequired at feasts were also burnt offerings – Numbers 15:3; 29:39\n a. For example, the Feast of Weeks required a freewill offering – Deut.\n16:10\n b. While freewill offerings were \u201cburnt offerings\u201d not all were actually\nburnt, but were used in the work of God – II Chronicles 31:14\n
(1) Notice called most holy things, as stated in Leviticus 27:28<\/p>\n (2) Money and clothing was given as a freewill offering – Ezra\n1:4-6; 8:28\n (3) Money gained from prostitution could not be accepted as a\nvowed offering – Deuteronomy 23:18\n (4) Words of praise could also be freewill offerings – Psalms\n119:108\n c. Note: There is a vowed or freewill offering that was a peace\noffering – Leviticus 7:16-17; 22:21-23\n d. Note: The vowed offering and freewill offerings were either burnt\nofferings or peace offerings.\n
3. Jesus\u2019s death combined all these offerings<\/p>\n
a. His sacrifice was sin offering – Hebrews 9:24-10:3; 13:10-14<\/p>\n b. His sacrifice was a burnt offering, even though he was not burnt –\nEphesians 5:2, this is because he gave himself wholly over to God\nto appease God\u2019s wrath.\n 4. The Christian, too, is a whole (or burnt) offering whose living sacrifice is\npleasing to God – Romans 12:1-2\n
F. Vowed offerings had to be kept – Deuteronomy 23:21-23; Ecclesiastes 5:1-4<\/p>\n
G. Special rules for dedicating something or someone for destruction<\/p>\n 1. In fulfillment of a vow, a person could devote anything that belonged to\nhim\n a. Provision was made for redeeming (buying back) what was devoted\n– Leviticus 27:1-25\n b. These devoted things were considered to be holy and the\nredemption was actually purchasing a \u201cloan\u201d back.\n 2. Some things could not be redeemed because they already were dedicated to\nthe Lord – Leviticus 27:26\n a. Hannah\u2019s dedication of Samuel was permanent because Samuel was\nher firstborn – I Samuel 1:11\n 3. If something was devoted for destruction, such as a burnt offering, it too\ncould not be redeemed, it was completely devoted to the Lord – Leviticus\n27:28\n 4. A person or people marked by the Lord for destruction could not be\nredeemed – Leviticus 27:29\n H. These rules handled the offering of things which could not be sacrificed, such as\nunclean animals, humans, or land.\n
1. Most things were purchased back at their value plus 20%.<\/p>\n 2. Things that could not be used as a sacrifice remained the Lord\u2019s to be\nredeemed later – Leviticus 27:11-13 (notice that they were not offered).\n 3. Property not redeemed by the year of Jubilee because it was sold to a third\nparty while dedicated became the property of a priest – Leviticus 27:20-21\n
I. Herein was the problem Jephthah ran into with his vow. <\/p>\n 1. His daughter was his first and only child. All first-born children were\ndevoted to the Lord and had to be redeemed when one month old –\nNumbers 18:15-17\n 2. Second, the vow was an offering of destruction, such could not be\nredeemed.\n
3. As his only child, Jephthah\u2019s lineage would end with his daughter.<\/p>\n
4. As a result, Jephthah\u2019s daughter became consecrated to the Lord.<\/p>\n a. Notice that she mourned for two months her virginity \u2013 not her life\n– Judges 11:37-38\n b. When she returned, Jephthah fulfilled his vow and she never had\nrelations with a man \u2013 not that she lost her life – Judges 11:39\n
J. What happened to Jephthah\u2019s daughter if she did not die?<\/p>\n
1. As with other \u201cunacceptable\u201d offerings, she belonged to the Lord.<\/p>\n 2. There are several mentions of women serving in the tabernacle and the\ntemple\n
a. Exodus 38:8 – Women at the door of the tabernacle<\/p>\n
b. I Samuel 2:22 – Women at the door of the tabernacle<\/p>\n c. John 18:16-17 – It appears from this verse and ancient sources that\nwomen were often employed as doorkeepers.\n d. Anna is mentioned as a widow who stayed at the temple to serve\nthe Lord with fasting and prayers – Luke 2:36-37\n
(1) Possibly like Psalm 134:1-2<\/p>\n (2) It is believed that such women foreshadowed the women\ncared for by the church – I Timothy 5:5\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Judges 11:29-40 I. There are two stories that cause some concern because they involve the concept of sacrificing a human being to God. A. They cause concern because the Bible is very clear about God\u2019s opinion on human sacrifices. B. The slaying of humans invokes a death sentence – Genesis 9:5 C. False…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[32],"tags":[23,793,943,272],"class_list":["post-62764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon","tag-abraham","tag-apparent-contradictions","tag-jephthah","tag-sacrifices"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":63413,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-sacrifice-of-isaac\/","url_meta":{"origin":62764,"position":0},"title":"The Sacrifice of Isaac","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 20, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Genesis 22:1-14 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There are stories that cause some concern because they involve the concept of sacrificing a human being to God. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They cause concern because the Bible is very clear about God\u2019s opinion on human sacrifices. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The slaying of humans invokes a death sentence\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":52182,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/doesnt-leviticus-2729-indicate-that-god-accepted-human-sacrifices\/","url_meta":{"origin":62764,"position":1},"title":"Doesn’t Leviticus 27:29 indicate that God accepted human sacrifices?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Dear Mr. Hamilton, In Leviticus 27:28, you say\u00a0Jephthah's daughter could not be redeemed, but Leviticus 27:29 says, \"No person under the ban, who may become doomed to destruction among men, shall be redeemed,\u00a0but shall surely be put to death.\" Doesn't it mean that Jephthah's daughter should have been put\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16374,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-an-obligation-to-fast-and-make-sacrifices-to-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":62764,"position":2},"title":"Is it an obligation to fast and make sacrifices to God?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 15, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is it an obligation to fast and make sacrifices for God? Or is it just a holy week thing? If it is an obligation, how often are we supposed to do it? Answer: For fasting, see:\u00a0Should Christians fast? The only sacrifice in the New Testament is the dedication of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":90197,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-these-passages-talk-of-human-sacrifices\/","url_meta":{"origin":62764,"position":3},"title":"Do These Passages Talk of Human Sacrifices?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a question about human sacrifice in Scripture, please. I believe in the Bible and I am a Christian, of course. But the following verses do bother me, because they really do sound like human sacrifice: Isaiah 34:5-6 (about Edom): \"The LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31053,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/jesus-would-never-be-a-part-of-a-religion-that-sacrificed-animals\/","url_meta":{"origin":62764,"position":4},"title":"Jesus would never be a part of a religion that sacrificed animals!","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 28, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Christ would have not been the person, the all perfect being, to have believed in this cult of animal sacrifices. Also he was a vegetarian. He would not have created innocent sentinent animals for his personal lust of murdering them in an abhoring debauchery way for sacrifice and food.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12137,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/were-only-priests-allowed-to-offer-sacrifices\/","url_meta":{"origin":62764,"position":5},"title":"Were only priests allowed to offer sacrifices?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 3, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Were priests from the tribe of Levi the only ones who could lawfully offer sacrifices?\u00a0 If so, why did the Judges do them?\u00a0 Noticed that none of the Judges were from the tribe of Levi (using the information I have anyway).\u00a0 I am wondering about this in conjunction with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62764\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}