What a delightful time we had last Sunday!  We heard some great messages from Priscilla and Tim, and we got to learn a little more about some of the people in our church. Debra Price was our honored member this month and we learned a little more about her as she answered Pastor David’s questions.  Then we got an extra!  Tim spent some time getting to know John and helped him to tell us a little about his life.  We really appreciate that.  It’s part of why we’re here.

This week I want to share with you the next in a series I have been working on about the Old testament deliverers, what they can teach us and how they foreshadow the coming of Jesus.  Some of them are harder than others, and this Sunday’s star is one of those.

Jephthah was a judge in Israel.  He was chosen to deliver them from the Ammonites after they had once again fallen into sin and begun worshiping idols.  His story is found in the book of Judges chapter Ten through the first few verses of 12.  If you remember his story, you know it is marred by a tragedy of his own making.  He made a very foolish promise, and he kept it.

When we read the Bible, we should remember that it is in part a book of history.  Not everything found within its pages is there for us to emulate.  Why then do we have this record?  Why didn’t God stop this from happening?  I may not be able to satisfactorily answer those questions for you, but there are some important things we can learn from Jephthah’s story.  I hope to see you there.