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Speaker 1: And Jeptha came to mispah unto his house and behold

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Speaker 1: his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and

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Speaker 1: with dances, and she was his only child. Beside her,

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Speaker 1: he had neither son nor daughter. Judge is eleven thirty four.

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Speaker 1: Dear God, to day, I will watch what I pledge

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Speaker 1: my allegiance to. I will be mindful of who is

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Speaker 1: for me and who is using me. That will not

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Speaker 1: allow my need to be wanted and affirmed to cause

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Speaker 1: me to partner with the wrong crowd. Father, help me

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Speaker 1: not to commit to things that are going to hurt me,

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Speaker 1: but rather let me learn to commit to those who

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Speaker 1: will uplift and empower what you have placed inside of me.

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Speaker 1: I will not be like Jephtha and sacrifice the thing

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Speaker 1: that is closest to me for people who have walked

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Speaker 1: away from me. This is my season to partner and

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Speaker 1: lock arms with those who have decided to partner in

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Speaker 1: lock arms with your mission for their lives. Lord, I

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Speaker 1: confess that today I don't need perfect people, just purposeful people.

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Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, Amen, thank you for making prayer a

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Speaker 1: priority in your day. To learn more about the Bible,

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Speaker 1: stay tuned for today's story, brought to you by Bible

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Speaker 1: in a Year dot com.

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Speaker 2: Jeff keeps his promise. In the last story, we learned

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Speaker 2: of Israel's desire for a king and their appointment of Abimelech,

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Speaker 2: Gideon's bastard son. Abimelech ruled over Israel with a cruel fist.

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Speaker 2: He killed many innocent Israelites. When he was seeking to

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Speaker 2: burn down a tower in the middle of a city,

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Speaker 2: a woman dropped a millstone on his head and crushed him.

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Speaker 2: In this story, we will learn about how the Israelites

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Speaker 2: straying once again and giving themselves over to every pleasure

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Speaker 2: and idol they could get their hands on. Soon they

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Speaker 2: would become oppressed and require deliverance from the Philistines and Ammonites.

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Speaker 2: By Jephthah the Judge, inspired by the Book of Judges.

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Speaker 3: I'm so glad you've joined us on the Bible in

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Speaker 3: a Year podcast today, But before we get to today's episode,

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Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would absolutely love

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Speaker 3: to send you my daily devotional that will give you

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Speaker 3: fresh encouragement every single morning and day from the moment

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Speaker 3: we wake up to the moment our head finally hits

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Speaker 3: the pillow. There are thousands of things demanding our attention,

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Speaker 3: but it's in the midst of all this crush and

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Speaker 3: hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and

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Speaker 3: truth in God's Word. That's why I want to help

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Speaker 3: you spend time each day growing in God's life giving,

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Speaker 3: life changing Word by sending you my free daily email

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Speaker 3: devotional PowerPoint Today. So visit Jagraham dot org to sign

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Speaker 3: up for your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's Jagraham dot org.

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Speaker 3: Jack Graham dot Org. In yesterday's reading, we heard the

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Speaker 3: tragic and violent story of a Bimelech, the first king

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Speaker 3: of Israel, who was chosen not by God but by

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Speaker 3: the people who did not seek God. We saw the

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Speaker 3: devastation caused by this evil king, and how God did

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Speaker 3: deliver his people from his hands by one of their own.

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Speaker 3: Today we'll find Israel walking away, straying, rebelling, once again,

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Speaker 3: giving in to all kinds of sin. And as always,

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Speaker 3: this rebellion will have grave, terrible consequences. The people will

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Speaker 3: once more be conquered by a foreign nation, this time

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Speaker 3: the Philistines and the Ammonites. In their hour of need,

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Speaker 3: God will raise up a man named Jepha to deliver

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Speaker 3: his people from oppression. Jephtha would be filled with God's spirit,

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Speaker 3: but in his fervor he would make a promise to

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Speaker 3: God that would cause him great sadness for the rest

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Speaker 3: of his life. Let's listen now to this powerful story.

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Speaker 2: It may be hard to discern why the Israelites continued

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Speaker 2: to stray away from God time and time again. After all,

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Speaker 2: God had delivered them and shown them his faithfulness more

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Speaker 2: times than they could count. However, the gods of the

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Speaker 2: Syrians and Ammonites allowed Israel to seek pleasure, lust, greed,

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Speaker 2: and pride. They did not hold them to a higher

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Speaker 2: standard or demand they treat one another well. The gods

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Speaker 2: were human made, therefore they might as well have been

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Speaker 2: human worship. So Israel caved to their desires and spiraled

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Speaker 2: into captivity to their own sin and depravity. As the

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Speaker 2: Israelites pursued their own gratification, they let their God down.

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Speaker 2: Without God by their side fighting for them, they fell

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Speaker 2: into captivity to the Ammonites and the Philistines. For eighteen years.

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Speaker 2: They were brutally oppressed. Women were raped and taken as slaves.

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Speaker 2: Children grew up with cruel task masters, and men were

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Speaker 2: slaughtered and hung on trees. It was a dark age

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Speaker 2: for Israel, and cries could be continually heard from the

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Speaker 2: Jordan River and beyond. Israel. As they had many times before,

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Speaker 2: cried out to God, save us. We have sinned against you,

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Speaker 2: but please do not forsake us, they prayed. This time

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Speaker 2: God replied to them. Instead of saving them right away

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Speaker 2: and sending a judge as he had done dozens of

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Speaker 2: times before, he responded saying, the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites,

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Speaker 2: the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites, the Moenites, all these nations,

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Speaker 2: I have saved you from. You cried out to me,

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Speaker 2: and I delivered you from their oppressive hands. Yet you

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Speaker 2: have forsaken me every time. Why don't you ask your

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Speaker 2: new gods to save you. Sometimes Israel would forget that

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Speaker 2: God could actually grieve. He loved the people, and they

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Speaker 2: rejected him. The Israelites put away their other gods and

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Speaker 2: served God even in the midst of distress and oppression.

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Speaker 2: This time they worshiped God before he delivered them, not after. Yet,

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Speaker 2: of course, God would not delay long in saving his people.

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Speaker 2: In the region of Gilead, there was a mighty warrior

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Speaker 2: named Jephtha. Jephtha grew up estranged from his family, for

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Speaker 2: he was a bastard. His father had him with a prostitute,

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Speaker 2: and therefore Jephtha was hated by the rest of his brothers.

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Speaker 2: He toiled in his father's field and protected his family's

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Speaker 2: land with his sword, yet it was never good enough.

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Speaker 2: Jephtha was despised for where he came from, and his

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Speaker 2: brothers eventually cast him out, saying, you are a son

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Speaker 2: of a whore. We will never share our inheritance with

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Speaker 2: the likes of you. And just like that, Jefftha fled

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Speaker 2: from his brothers in the land of Tobe. While jeff

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Speaker 2: Thea was journeying, he became beloved by other outcasts and

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Speaker 2: forgotten sons. Together they formed a band of worthless fellows,

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Speaker 2: and their reputation grew. They were known for their power,

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Speaker 2: skill and spirit, and were hired hands for protection. Jeftha

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Speaker 2: was rejected by his own family, but found great comfort

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Speaker 2: with the outsiders that followed him. Years had passed in

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Speaker 2: the Ammonites ward against Israel. The elders of Gilead were

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Speaker 2: distressed and desperate for warriors. They had heard of Jefftha's

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Speaker 2: skill and exploits across the land and sought him out.

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Speaker 2: Come back to us and be our leader. The elders begged.

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Speaker 2: Jeffa scowled at them. How dare they, he thought to himself.

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Speaker 2: First they make me an outcast, and now that they

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Speaker 2: want something from me, they treat me like royalty. Jeff

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Speaker 2: Thea dismissed them and said, you hated me and drove

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Speaker 2: me out of my father's house, and now that you're

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Speaker 2: in need, you come begging. The elders continued to beg Jephtha.

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Speaker 2: He sat there in silence. Jephtha had lived as either

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Speaker 2: an outsider or outcast his entire life. His greatest fear

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Speaker 2: was that he would succeed in saving Israel, only to

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Speaker 2: be rejected by them again. He closed his eyes and

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Speaker 2: released a deep sigh. He knew what was right, and

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Speaker 2: he knew he could win against the Ammonites. He opened

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Speaker 2: his eyes and said, I will be your leader in battle,

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Speaker 2: but only if I remain your leader afterwards. The elders agreed,

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Speaker 2: and Jephtha marched with his band of misfit warriors back

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Speaker 2: to his homeland. Jeffa traveled with the armies of Israel

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Speaker 2: behind him. They marched across a valley near the Ammonite camp.

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Speaker 2: It was less than a day before battle, and Jeftha

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Speaker 2: knelt before God in the cool evening. He breathed, heathed deeply.

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Speaker 2: His breath could be seen in the winter air. The

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Speaker 2: spirit of God was with him. He could feel the

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Speaker 2: power of God moving upon the land, preparing victory for him. Jephtha,

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Speaker 2: in a moment of emotion, vowed before God, saying, if

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Speaker 2: you give us victory tomorrow, I will sacrifice whatever comes

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Speaker 2: through my doors first to greet me. Jephtha's oath was

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Speaker 2: not warranted or asked for by God, yet he bound

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Speaker 2: himself to his word and would live to deeply regret it. Jephtha,

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Speaker 2: his band of misfit warriors, and the entirety of Israel's

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Speaker 2: army crossed into Ammonite territory. They stormed the land, gliding

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Speaker 2: through twenty of their cities with swords and arrows. First,

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Speaker 2: they took the small towns and stormed the largest cities

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Speaker 2: in great force. Jephtha's unwavering bravery and decisive strategy led

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Speaker 2: them into victory. The Ammonites were subdued under Israel's boot

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Speaker 2: and God was glorified. Jephtha returned home, glowing from the

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Speaker 2: victory against the Ammonites. He was smiling, anticipating the sacrifice

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Speaker 2: he would make to God. Whatever animal from his land

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Speaker 2: he would see first, he would take and lay it

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Speaker 2: on the altar for God. He closed his eyes once again,

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Speaker 2: breathing in the sweet air of home. He had finally

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Speaker 2: been able to return to his father's land with his family.

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Speaker 2: A new era of peace would reign under him, and

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Speaker 2: Jefhtha rejoiced over the next chapter of his life. With

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Speaker 2: his eyes still closed, Jeftha could hear tambourines in the distance.

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Speaker 2: Oh no, Jeffa thought. As he opened his eyes. There

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Speaker 2: he saw his beautiful daughter dancing in the sunlight. She

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Speaker 2: had made an entire routine to celebrate her father's victory.

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Speaker 2: Jeffa's heart sank as he watched her twirl with joy.

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Speaker 2: She was his only daughter. Besides her, he had no

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Speaker 2: other child. She was his world, in his greatest treasure.

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Speaker 2: Welcome home, father, she said with glee. Then she wrapped

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Speaker 2: her arms around him. Jephtha wept. He tore his clothes

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Speaker 2: and rage. My sweet daughter, I have vowed to the

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Speaker 2: Lord to sacrifice whatever comes through my gates. First, the

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Speaker 2: two of them wept together. Jephtha's daughter wiped her tears

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Speaker 2: and changed her posture. She said, you have vowed to God,

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Speaker 2: Do to me whatever is necessary. Only allow me to

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Speaker 2: go to the mountains and weep with my companions over

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Speaker 2: my virginity. For now I will never be married or

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Speaker 2: be a mother. So she was sent away for two

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Speaker 2: months to weep and mourn with her friends. At the

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Speaker 2: end of the two months, Jephtha's daughter came down from

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Speaker 2: the mountain. Her father lamented his own victories in life,

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Speaker 2: for he and his foolishness bound himself to a vow

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Speaker 2: God never asked him to give. His false sense of

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Speaker 2: honor and obedience caused him grief. He and the rest

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Speaker 2: of Israel would remember his vow for the rest of

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Speaker 2: their days. It became a custom in Israel for the

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Speaker 2: women to lament over the daughter of Jephtha every year.

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Speaker 2: Legends of jeph Tha's bravery would be drown out by

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Speaker 2: his foolishness, as many stories often do. Yet the story

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Speaker 2: of God's faithful hand of protection over history continues, and

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Speaker 2: his covenant never wavers.

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Speaker 3: Today's story begins once again with the sinful rebellion of

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Speaker 3: God's people. Despite the trustworthiness the faithfulness of God all

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Speaker 3: that God had done for them as a people, again

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Speaker 3: and again, they chose not to obey his commands. The

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Speaker 3: people of Israel turned to false God's idols, other gods,

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Speaker 3: which are no gods. This descent into wickedness stirred God's

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Speaker 3: righteous anger. Because God is a righteous and holy god,

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Speaker 3: and justice has served, so he removed his hand of

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Speaker 3: protection and allowed the Philistines and Ammonites to oppress Israel.

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Speaker 3: For eighteen long years, God's people endured unspeakable horrors, men, women,

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Speaker 3: and children alike, until once more they cried out in

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Speaker 3: anguish God, help us. We know we've done wrong, we

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Speaker 3: know that we have sinned. Please do not abandon us.

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Speaker 3: Through the years, they had sinned and sinned and sinned again.

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Speaker 3: But God had taught them that if they turned to

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Speaker 3: him and trusted him and repented of their sin, he

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Speaker 3: would save them. But this time it was going to

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Speaker 3: be different. He reminded them of all he had done

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Speaker 3: to save them time and time again. Still they insisted

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Speaker 3: on idolatry worshiping other gods. So God told his people

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Speaker 3: to run to those gods for help. God was deeply

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Speaker 3: grieved by the repeated disobedience of his children. Israel did repent,

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Speaker 3: and the people got rid of the other gods. They

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Speaker 3: worshiped God and God alone, and submitted to his rule

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Speaker 3: his sovereignty in their lives. They didn't wait for salvation

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Speaker 3: to praise God. They worshiped him even in the midst

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Speaker 3: of their trials. God heard their worship and resolved to

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Speaker 3: save them once again. He would do this through a

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Speaker 3: man who himself had felt the great pain of rejection

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Speaker 3: by his family. His name was Jephtha. Jepha was despised

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Speaker 3: by his own rejected by his brothers because he was

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Speaker 3: the illegitimate son of his father. Jephtha left home, despondent

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Speaker 3: and alone, until he found company with other outcasts and rejects.

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Speaker 3: These became valiant fighters, and after many years passed, Jepha's

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Speaker 3: people sought him out for help. They wanted him to

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Speaker 3: lead them in the fight against the Ammonites. Jephtha's response

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Speaker 3: sounded a lot like God's words to his people in

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Speaker 3: Judges eleven seven. But Jephtha said to the elders of Gilead,

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Speaker 3: did you not hate me and drive me out of

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Speaker 3: my father's house. Why have you come to me now

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Speaker 3: that you are in distress? But they persisted, and he

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Speaker 3: finally agreed, but on the condition that once he defeated

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Speaker 3: their enemies, he would continue to lead them, and they

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Speaker 3: agreed to his terms. So Jephtha gathered israel army and

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Speaker 3: went to fight the Ammonites. Before they faced the enemy,

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Speaker 3: Jephtha promised he would sacrifice the first thing that greeted

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Speaker 3: him back home if they were to defeat the Amonites.

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Speaker 3: God had not required this of Jephtha. It was an

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Speaker 3: impulsive and unsolicited decision, but it was binding because of

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Speaker 3: the faithfulness of God, not Jephtha's vow, The Lord gave

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Speaker 3: Israel victory over the Ammonites. Jephtha returned home a hero,

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Speaker 3: but when he was greeted first by his daughter, his

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Speaker 3: joy turned to abject despair. The realization of what his

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Speaker 3: promise would cost him came crashing down on him. There

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Speaker 3: was no escaping it in his mind, and he knew it,

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Speaker 3: and he embraced her and wept bitter tears. He allowed

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Speaker 3: her to go to the mountains with her friends to

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Speaker 3: mourn what she was going to lose, and then he

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Speaker 3: made good on his promise. His story is a reminder

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Speaker 3: that we must always make decisions not based on our

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Speaker 3: own imagination, but on God's revelation. In other words, words,

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Speaker 3: his promises not what we think. Jeptam made an unnecessary

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Speaker 3: sacrifice born out of a rash vow that cost him

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Speaker 3: the child, but really save no one. Many years later,

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Speaker 3: God would make good on his promise, born out of

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Speaker 3: love and sacrifice of his son. But that sacrifice of

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Speaker 3: the Lord Jesus Christ would not be just for Israelites,

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Speaker 3: but to the jew first and also to the Greek.

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Speaker 3: In other words, to the whole world. These stories are unusual,

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Speaker 3: and sometimes we listen to these stories and wonder why

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Speaker 3: this happened, what happened? But remember this entire message of

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Speaker 3: the Bible is pointing to the greatest sacrifice of all,

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Speaker 3: the redemption of salvation through God's son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Speaker 3: Always see the Savior in the scriptures. Dear God, thank

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Speaker 3: you for today's reading, which reminds us to be thoughtful

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Speaker 3: and careful with our commitments. And thank you Lord that

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Speaker 3: you counted the cost and sent Jesus your son to

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Speaker 3: die in our place. That though the wages of sin

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Speaker 3: is death. The gift of God is eternal life through

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Speaker 3: Jesus our Lord. And we do pray for those who

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Speaker 3: are seeking you, who want to know you and have

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Speaker 3: a personal relationship with you through your Son, and we

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Speaker 3: ask for their salvation in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you

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Speaker 3: for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm

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Speaker 3: Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas, and before we go, I

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Speaker 3: want you to know that I would love to send

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Speaker 3: you my daily devotional to give you fresh encouragement every

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Speaker 3: single day. So visit Jackgraham dot org to sign up

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Speaker 3: for your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's Jack Graham dot org.