In the Book of Judges, there’s a valuable lesson to be learnt from the story of a man named Jephthah who had a strong faith in the God of Israel but whose theology was weak. Jephthah made a serious mistake: verse 29 of chapter 11, says, “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.” Desiring to seek favour with God, Jephthah made an unnecessary vow he would come to regret the rest of his life!

Jephthah promised to sacrifice as a burnt offering to the Lord, the first thing that came out of his house when he returned from battle if the Lord granted him victory over the Ammonites. He wrongly thought he could bargain with God! Well, it was a “shock-horror” moment for Jephthah to see his one and only child coming out of his house, rejoicing over his victory. The sweet taste of success against the Ammonites quickly soured Jephthah’s spirit.

Staying true to a vow that didn’t have to be made, verse 39 of chapter 11, says … “Her father kept his vow, and she died a virgin”. (More about this, shortly.)

Friends, if Jephthah had only known the teaching of Leviticus 27:1-8 he would have known that the Lord forbade human sacrifices. Scripture taught that consecrated lives could be redeemed by giving pieces of silver to God at the Temple. Verse 5 says, “A boy between the ages of five to twenty is valued at twenty shekels of silver; a girl of that age is valued at ten shekels of silver.” 

We mustn’t be too hard on Jephthah: He did not have the opportunity to learn Scripture while living in the pagan town of Tob. What was the fate of Jephthah’s daughter? There are two theological schools of thought concerning her fate: 1. She was subject to a burnt offering, or 2. She rendered life-long service in the Tabernacle as a virgin. The treasure of this incident is the realization of the truth that God overlooks ignorance… but, not unbelief.

Through ignorance of God’s word, Jephthah made a monumental mistake–one he would regret the rest of his earthly life. We might find him guilty! Surprisingly, however, God’s judgment on Jephthah was not condemnation, but commemoration, together with such “heroes of the faith” as: Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and others recorded in Scripture’s Great Hall of Faith (Heb. 11:32).

Friends, while we can be thankful that our God overlooks our theological “ignorance” in relation to self-condemnation, we cannot leave this story without appreciating the fact that ignorance of God’s word can be devastating. Hosea 4:6 quotes the Lord as saying … “My People are destroyed from lack of knowledge”.

NOTE: Being ignorant of God’s guiding instructions for our lives is like a ship navigating through unchartered waters without a map; an aircraft flying at night in a storm without radar; or walking in a mine-field without a metal detector.

Our God who overlooks theological ignorance is only one-side of this story. The other side underscores the truth that God does not overlook unbelief (i.e., a person’s refusal to surrender their lives to His Son, Jesus… their Saviour).

Because the Israelites in this incident confessed and repented of their many years of sin, and turned back to the Lord, God took their side against their enemy, the Ammonites, and gave them a resounding victory.

To become a Christian, a person doesn’t need know much about God, but they do need to “know” Him… to be related to Him through exercising a sincere faith in Jesus Christ. Anyone can come to Christ with a child-like faith!

If you have a deep faith in God and a shallow theology, you are saved, but you are in serious danger of doing much harm to yourself and to others. The story of Jephthah underscores the importance of living with a strong faith in Jesus Christ, together with sound knowledge of God’s word. In 2 Timothy, Paul says… All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work (3:16-17).

Friends, how familiar are you with God’s word? Choosing to remain biblically illiterate is fool-hardy!  Remember: Living with a strong faith + weak theology guarantees regrettable outcomes! Here’s a quote that is worth remembering: Ignorance will always take you where you “do not want to go”, and will force you to pay “more than you can afford”.

Best wishes, 
Bill