Tweet
I'd like to share the story of Jephthah, one of my personal favorite passages in the Holy KJV Bible. But first, let me summarize the story for you, as I recently did for the little Christian tykes in Sister Mary Maria's Sunday School class. Those 3-5 year olds were enraptured with my every word, I can tell you!
A long time ago the nation of Israel was fighting the evil terrorist nation of Ammon. One of their military leaders was named Jephthah and he loved God very much, just like your Daddy loves you. But the soldiers from Ammon were beating Israel and Jephthah was worried!
So Jephthah prayed to God. Jephthah told God:
"If you let me kill all of the Ammonites, I will burn alive whoever comes out of my house when I come home from victory from this fighting!"
(Judges:11:29-31)
God was very eager that He would get a burnt sacrifice from Jephthah so He agreed to help Israel. The Israelites and Ammonites fought, and the Israelis came out as the winners! Everyone was very happy and now it was time for Jephthah to go home.
When Jephthah walked up to his house, his daughter Adah came out dancing excitedly at the joyous return of her father. She was so happy! Jephthah then said:
"Oh hi! I told God I'd burn alive whoever walked out of the house!"
(Judges:11:34-35)
Adah told her Daddy:
"Oh that's alright......Daddy, can I go to the wilderness to cry a couple months with my friends? Then you can kill me!"
(Judges:11:36-37)
And then Jephthah told his daughter:
"Sure! Why not?!"
So Adah went with her friends into the wilderness and cried for a couple months.
(Judges:11:38)
Then, when Adah came back, her Daddy, Jephthah burned her alive! It was great fun! And it made God so happy!
(Judges:11:39)
And God loves you all too, kids. So always remember to do whatever your Daddy tells you to do, because God wants us to make Him happy, okay?
A long time ago the nation of Israel was fighting the evil terrorist nation of Ammon. One of their military leaders was named Jephthah and he loved God very much, just like your Daddy loves you. But the soldiers from Ammon were beating Israel and Jephthah was worried!
So Jephthah prayed to God. Jephthah told God:
"If you let me kill all of the Ammonites, I will burn alive whoever comes out of my house when I come home from victory from this fighting!"
(Judges:11:29-31)
God was very eager that He would get a burnt sacrifice from Jephthah so He agreed to help Israel. The Israelites and Ammonites fought, and the Israelis came out as the winners! Everyone was very happy and now it was time for Jephthah to go home.
When Jephthah walked up to his house, his daughter Adah came out dancing excitedly at the joyous return of her father. She was so happy! Jephthah then said:
"Oh hi! I told God I'd burn alive whoever walked out of the house!"
(Judges:11:34-35)
Adah told her Daddy:
"Oh that's alright......Daddy, can I go to the wilderness to cry a couple months with my friends? Then you can kill me!"
(Judges:11:36-37)
And then Jephthah told his daughter:
"Sure! Why not?!"
So Adah went with her friends into the wilderness and cried for a couple months.
(Judges:11:38)
Then, when Adah came back, her Daddy, Jephthah burned her alive! It was great fun! And it made God so happy!
(Judges:11:39)
And God loves you all too, kids. So always remember to do whatever your Daddy tells you to do, because God wants us to make Him happy, okay?
Judges 11:29-40 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over [unto] the children of Ammon.
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,
Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.
And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, [even] twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.
And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she [was his] only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.
And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.
And she said unto him, My father, [if] thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, [even] of the children of Ammon.
And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.
And he said, Go. And he sent her away [for] two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.
And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her [according] to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,
[That] the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,
Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.
And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, [even] twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.
And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she [was his] only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.
And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.
And she said unto him, My father, [if] thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, [even] of the children of Ammon.
And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.
And he said, Go. And he sent her away [for] two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.
And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her [according] to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,
[That] the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.
You're a great Sunday school teacher! XD
Comment