Justin Houtz

Judges 11-12; Psalm 50; 2 Corinthians 1

DateVersionReading Plan
April 1, 2026ESV (2016)ESV Life Journal Plan – 2026

Judges 11-12

Observation & Interpretation

Judges 11:29-31 (ESV) Then the Spirit of the LORD was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, 31 then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.”

Judges 11:34-35 (ESV) Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot take back my vow.”

In the days of Jephthah as Israel judge and following the campaign against the Ammonites, the Spirit of the LORD was upon Jephthah and he passed on to the Ammonites. Jephthah made a vow to the LORD that if the LORD gave the Ammonites into his hand, he would offer up whatever comes out of his house as a burnt offering when he returned in peace. The LORD did so, giving the Ammonites into the hand of Jephthah, but when Jephthah returned home, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and dances. When Jephthah saw her, he responded in great lament. In the verses that follow, there is an exchange between Jephthah and his daughter and she is sent away for two months, during such time she wept for her virginity. She returned after two months and her father did to her according to the vow that was made. As the BBC states, “There is considerable disagreement as to what Jephthah actually did to his daughter. One view is that he killed her and offered her as a burnt offering to the Lord. This is perhaps the most obvious meaning of the text, even though the idea of human sacrifice is repulsive and was never approved by God (Deut. 18:9–14).”

Application

It is no small thing to take a vow with God. Jesus said Himself at the Sermon on the Mount that oaths should not be taken at all, either by heaven or earth (Matt. 5:33-37). This should give us pause to not carelessly bind ourselves to such agreements. In our finitude, we do not possess knowledge of the future and thus cannot be assured of our ability to fulfill a vow with any certainty. To take a vow reflects our sinful claim of sovereignty, acting as if we control the outcome rather than resting on the One who does. Let us instead take each next step in wisdom and faithfulness to the Lord as it comes, abiding in God’s Word and guided by His Spirit.

2 Corinthians 1

Observation & Interpretation

2 Corinthians 1:16-20 (ESV) I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

Paul expressed his desire to visit the Corinthians on his way to Macedonia. He was not vacillating in his desire and challenged the Corinthians as to his dependability. Paul then pivots to preaching, speaking of how his word to them of Jesus Christ was stable because it concerned the Son of God who does not vacillate. “All the promises of God, no matter how many they are, find their fulfillment in Christ.” (BBC)

Application

Quoting H. W. Cragg, the BBC provides helpful application of this passage:

We open our Bibles at a promise, we look up to God, and God says, “You can have all that through Christ.” Trusting Christ, we say, “Amen” to God. God speaks through Christ, and we believe in Christ; Christ reaches down and faith stretches up, and every promise of God is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. In and through Him we appropriate and take them to ourselves and say, “Yes, Lord; I trust You.” This is the believing yes.

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