Question: Mr. McLemore, there is considerable discussion in our Sunday School class about whether Jephthah actually offered his daughter as a burnt offering. What do you think?

Answer: The Bible’s reporting of an action is not divine approval. What we would desire to be true must not be allowed to prejudice our reading of the word of God. The text clearly states that Jephthah vowed a human sacrifice and performed his vow: "And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said,‘... [W]hoever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return victorious from the Ammonites, shall be the Lord’s, to be offered up by me as a burnt offering.’...[H]er father...did with her according to the vow he had made..." (Judges 11:30, 31, 39). The story powerfully reinforces the message of the book (Judges 17:6; 21:25) and other biblical teaching (e.g., Ecclesiastes 5:1-7). Jephthah had tremendous faith (Hebrews 11:32-34), but his vow reveals an attempt to obligate God to the outcome he desired. Great faith in God must always be accompanied by a resignation to God's will.