Negotiating with God is something we are all tempted to do, and most of us have at one point or another. Even people who claim to not believe in God can find themselves doing this, symptomatic of fallen human nature. “God, if you get me out of this I will go to church!” “God, if you show me you are real, I will believe in you.” “God, help me win the lottery, and I will triple tithe.” “God, keep me from getting caught, and I will never do that again!” Sound familiar?

Jephthah’s Story

In Judges Chapter 11, we hear about the life of Jephthah. Jephthah was a mighty warrior but was shunned by his family because of the circumstances surrounding his birth (Judges 11:1-2). Jephthah’s mother had taken him to live in another nation where the people worshiped false gods. These so-called gods required human sacrifice in order to curry their favor. In time, another nation called the Ammonites, declared war on the Israelites and the leaders of Gilead, where Jephthah was from, came to him and asked him to lead their army into war (Judges 11:4-11). The Bible says God was with him to accomplish this task (Judges 11:29). Jephthah prepared to attack the Ammonites, but before the battle, he made a vow to the Lord that if God would give him the victory, he would sacrifice the first thing that came out of his house to meet him (Judges 11:30-31). Jephthah won the battle and returned home to be greeted by his only child, his daughter (Judges 11:32-34).

Jephthah and His Daughter

This immediately causes major concern and questions to enter our minds. “Did he kill his daughter? Did Jephthah know that it would be a human that came to greet him? What was Jephthah actually vowing?” These are valid questions (and Miles Van Pelt has written an excellent post explaining them here); however, it can be easy to get caught up in our questions and miss the thrust of the story. This is not a story about the death of an innocent child, but how catastrophic a skewed view of God can really be. It seems that Jephthah’s childhood experiences and influences drastically misshaped his view of God.

Bad Theology Matters

Bad Theology Matters, and it always has life shaping consequences.

What Jephthah ultimately wanted was God’s help. He knew that victory in the battle he was facing would require divine intervention. That recognition is a good thing. We all face challenges that we know are too big for us to handle on our own. Deep down we know that we need God’s help to do what’s in front of us, but it’s how we seek that help that’s the issue. Jephthah chose to barter. He thought God’s favor required him to make a deal. Human nature is captured by this strenuous pull. We try to bargain with God, offering Him things we don’t possess and He doesn’t want, in hopes to receive something we know we don’t deserve. But deserving is not how favor works. Favor is defined as: “something done or granted out of goodwill, rather than from justice or for remuneration [reimbursement]; a kind act.” Jephthah’s twisted view of God led him to believe that God’s favor was the result of remuneration rather than relationship. Yet Scripture tells us that favor from God flows from right relationship with God.

God’s Favor Flows From Relationship With Him

James writes, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8, ESV).

Peter’s encouragement adds, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).

Whenever God’s saving power is at work in our lives, it’s never because we made a deal God couldn’t refuse.

God’s favor flows out of our relationship with Him in humble submission to His will in our lives. It’s certainly true that at times God calls us to deny ourselves that we might be sensitive to His leading and receive His favor. Fasting would be a prime example (you can read more about fasting here). Fasting is about submission to God. Haggling is about the manipulation of God. When we make God’s favor about what we can do for Him rather than what He has done for us, we put a price tag on His grace, which in the end, only cheapens it. God’s favor is not based on what we can offer Him, but His full and free offering of Himself to us. Whenever God’s saving power is at work in our lives, it’s never because we made a deal God couldn’t refuse.
Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (ESV).

God Wants to Help You

Whatever you are going through, whatever you need, God wants to help you. Don’t be swayed by misconceptions of what you have to do in order for Him to care. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Lean hard on the certainty of God’s goodness, and you will not be disappointed. If you come to Him, He will help you!

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (Lamentations 3:22-24)