Most people know the story of Abraham and his son. To test Abraham's faith, God tells him to sacrifice his first born son to show his devotion. Abraham takes his son up to a mountain, builds an altar and places his son upon it. With knife in hand, he raises it to slay his son and God says, "Hey! You don't have to really go through with it. I was just testing you." Relieved, Abraham and his son descend the mountain together.
Flash forward a few books in the Old Testament. We find a similar tale in the Book of Judges.
However, unlike with Abraham and his son, God does NOT intercede by letting Jephthah off the hook after he proved his faith was sincere. Consequently, Jephthah murders his daughter and gives her as a burnt offering. The Bible makes no mention of God reproving Jephthah for this act and, since we know that burnt flesh is a pleasing scent for the "Lord", we must assume God enjoyed smelling the burning flesh of Jephthah's slain daughter.
From what I can discern, the primary difference between these two tales is that Abraham's offspring was a son and Jephthah's offspring was a daughter. God chose to spare the male progeny and not the female progeny.
It certainly looks as if God has something against the fairer sex.
To see what other questions I've asked about the Christian Bible, go here.
Flash forward a few books in the Old Testament. We find a similar tale in the Book of Judges.
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. (Judges 11:30-35)Before carrying out his vow, Jephthah allows his daughter to spend two months bewailing her virginity. When this brief respite period comes to an end, he takes her away to sacrifice her to the Lord.
However, unlike with Abraham and his son, God does NOT intercede by letting Jephthah off the hook after he proved his faith was sincere. Consequently, Jephthah murders his daughter and gives her as a burnt offering. The Bible makes no mention of God reproving Jephthah for this act and, since we know that burnt flesh is a pleasing scent for the "Lord", we must assume God enjoyed smelling the burning flesh of Jephthah's slain daughter.
From what I can discern, the primary difference between these two tales is that Abraham's offspring was a son and Jephthah's offspring was a daughter. God chose to spare the male progeny and not the female progeny.
It certainly looks as if God has something against the fairer sex.
To see what other questions I've asked about the Christian Bible, go here.
I once had a Christian explain that story to me by saying that it was a metaphor (or allusion to?) how Jesus would one day be sacrificed for us.
ReplyDeleteIt still didn't explain why Isaac was spared, though, as they cited that story as another allusion to the coming of Jesus.
Another Christian explained that Jephthah's tale was suppose to be a cautionary one against making promises that we can't or don't intend to keep.