Guys, read this story below, ok, and tell me, IS THIS RIGHT?
Jephthah Burns His Daughter
"At that time the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he went throughout the land of Gilead and Manasseh, including Mizpah in Gilead, and led an army against the Ammonites. And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD. He said, "If you give me victory over the Ammonites, I will give to the LORD the first thing coming out of my house to greet me when I return in triumph. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."
"So Jephthah led his army against the Ammonites, and the LORD gave him victory. He thoroughly defeated the Ammonites from Aroer to an area near Minnith – twenty towns – and as far away as Abel-keramim. Thus Israel subdued the Ammonites. When Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, his daughter – his only child – ran out to meet him, playing on a tambourine and dancing for joy. When he saw her, he tore his clothes in anguish. "My daughter!" he cried out. "My heart is breaking! What a tragedy that you came out to greet me. For I have made a vow to the LORD and cannot take it back." And she said, "Father, you have made a promise to the LORD. You must do to me what you have promised, for the LORD has given you a great victory over your enemies, the Ammonites. But first let me go up and roam in the hills and weep with my friends for two months, because I will die a virgin." "You may go," Jephthah said. And he let her go away for two months. She and her friends went into the hills and wept because she would never have children. When she returned home, her father kept his vow, and she died a virgin. So it has become a custom in Israel for young Israelite women to go away for four days each year to lament the fate of Jephthah's daughter." (Judges 11:29-40 NLT)
Questions
1) How could he offer his daughter as a sacrifice?
2) OK, she agreed to be used as a sacrifice, but that's because she was really easy going; but does it make it right?
3) Why couldnt the father go back on his word? He could have said :"The first thing that comes out of my house (A cow, Ox, sheep, dog, cat, anything - NOT DAUGHTER!!).
Comments
You can find a commentary on this by Abouna Tadros Malaty here. It was posted by our very own, Hos Erof.
Based on Abouna's commentary, since God does not accept human sacrifices, I do not think He accepted this one. However, I don't believe that was the point. The point, I think, is that God does not demand sacrifice from anyone. Thus, for Jephthah to make such a vow was foolish. If, instead of vowing to make a sacrifice, he simply glorified God and praised Him for the victory, would that have been in anyway deficient? Of course not. The only sacrifice God asks, is that we crucify ourselves so that He may reign in us. He only asks that we submit to His will and love Him because He 'first loved us'.
QT- I don't feel the bit threatened that you persist asking difficult questions on the Old Testament, but I am wary about the sheer number of inquiries and that they are jumping from place to place- it is like you are deliberately trying to test the word of God rather than sincere contemplation and striving for understanding. Would this be a valid concern?
Well done Thomas,
absolutely well spotted.
What's the truth?? Im debatting with some aetheists. (That probably makes sense now).
These were their questions. They did make me think.
Now, its not fair to have thought that i appear to be challenging the word of God, not at all, my spirit is one of searching for the answers, believing already that God's will is the best for us all. Regardless of what happens. But, if that's the impression u got Tommy then its for a good reason. That reason being these are the questions i've received from muslism and aetheists. I think by understanding them we can actually answer them.
Alas, intellectual pride might be their stumbling block, but if they stopped trying to poke holes on the Holy Bible they might begin to see its richness. If there is a God, do they have the right to judge Him? The audacity! Alas, it is important that we can defend our beliefs, but to what end? The Holy Bible are the Scriptures- the Book of the Church. Salvation does not come from the Scriptures, but by the law of Grace.
They need to understand that they are prejudiced- that in believing in naturalism they are excluding the 'subnatural' and the supernatural. Please read C.S. Lewis's book on Miracles or guide them to it. It is a very interesting read.
[quote author=Doubting Thomas link=topic=5825.msg78270#msg78270 date=1192239536]
QT- I don't feel the bit threatened that you persist asking difficult questions on the Old Testament, but I am wary about the sheer number of inquiries and that they are jumping from place to place- it is like you are deliberately trying to test the word of God rather than sincere contemplation and striving for understanding. Would this be a valid concern?
Well done Thomas,
absolutely well spotted.
What's the truth?? Im debatting with some aetheists. (That probably makes sense now).
These were their questions. They did make me think.
Now, its not fair to have thought that i appear to be challenging the word of God, not at all, my spirit is one of searching for the answers, believing already that God's will is the best for us all. Regardless of what happens. But, if that's the impression u got Tommy then its for a good reason. That reason being these are the questions i've received from muslism and aetheists. I think by understanding them we can actually answer them.
Trust me when I say this, debating makes you fall so much spiritually because the time spent on contemplation is spent looking for answers to questions that halp you in no way shape or form.
Another thing debating never brought people to god but your works and acts do. actually debating can make people not want to be in your religion. And if you feel that you are helping them then just give them the books by father Tadros Yacob and get yourself out of it or bring them to your priest. If they don't want to do either it means that they only want to argue and prove you wrong and make you atheist or muslim, and as you know the devil is cunning and wise. Watch out and God bless you. Draw the line and don't pass it.
You truly speak words of wisdom. However, what made me indulge in such conversation was the questions. They made me think. And you know what? When i discovered the answer to one of them, it really helped enormously spiritually speaking. I found that those who attack the Church do not do it because they find faults, but because they don't want to find the truth; NOR are they interested in learning. its as if they become the hands of the devil... working his lies. I feel that the questions answered MADE ME THINK, and to the extent that i hate to brush off a verse from the Bible because it may cause me doubt? Why not, in that case, ERASE EVERY SINGLE VERSE FROM THE BIBLE that may cause us doubt!? That's not the right way. We need to use the sayings of the father's, this great heritage of our Church, to answer them, and through answering them, we have honoured our Church.
There is some debate that is worth avoiding , and this I avoid. Its the debate where someone tries to convince you that your faith is wrong, or they ask u questions to prove to you that your faith is wrong. This i can avoid. However, if we just took the questions, out of the spirit of entrapment and web of deceipt that they have mixed with their questions, then these questions became like ANY other question suitable for presentation in a Church. Entering into such discussions is a sign of pride. Avoiding them is humility.
I'll repeat the last phrase: if we remove the question (their questions) from the spirit of deceit embedded in the question, and just use the question to present our ignorance to our CHurch in the hope of looking for an answer, then what is wrong with this. This is now taking yourself from a situation of pride to one of humility. I'm not interested in preaching God to these people. I'm not interested in showing our faith. I'm interested in answering the questions; just as if it was posted on tasbeha.org
Does this make sense??