Bewailing Virginity - Judges 11:30-40

This story is a really interesting one in the Old Testament. On the surface it seems inconsistent with righteous thinking and what we know about God. Mike Verdicchio offers some explanation which goes a long way to offer some consistency and comfort with this story.

But this story also gives us an interesting option to look at some very challenging parts of mortality that otherwise the scriptures are silent on.

Being Single

Jephthah's daughter is obviously a woman of great faith who trusts in her father (and her Heavenly Father). In ancient Israel as with most societies today, a large part of worth is ascribed to relationships and family. The vow her father has made with God which impacts on her life would have been a very difficult one to accept. She took some time to ‘bewail her virginity’, which in large part may have been a period of grieving and coming to terms with the idea that she would remain single and have no chance to have a family of her own. 

Jephthah's daughter is the kind of unsung hero that we probably all have examples of in our lives. She probably had some other options. She could reject her father’s vow and the commitments she had made, take a husband out of the covenant, raise a family. But she instead chose to gain a testimony of the Lords plan for her and a desire to serve and trust him even if it meant giving up  or delaying her dreams.

An unexpected tragedy that changes the course of your life
Another take on this story is the idea that your life and dreams can change in an instant, sometimes through someone Else's act. How do you deal with an event or series of events that completely change what you thought your life would be? How do you go about forgiving someone else or yourself for those changes? How do you move forward when you know your life’s dreams will now go unfulfilled?

Again Jephthah's daughter shows us how with faith, and a lot of prayer, it is possible to gain an eternal perspective and new hopes and dreams. 

Terminal Illness
Knowing that your life will end or change dramatically in a short period of time. What do you do with that time? How do you prepare yourself, family and friends? How do you make peace with your circumstance?

Being a Parent

How as a parent do you watch them go through challenges, having their hopes and dreams changed, knowing you are powerless or even contributed to their circumstance, worried about their future, or a future without them? What about giving up your dreams of being a grandparent, or the admiration of your friends? And as you age and face your own mortality the prospect of not having them to care for you or leaving them without the only family they have?

I know people in all these situations, and have been privy to their fears and heartbreak. I have also seen the hand of the Lord, letting them know they are not alone, that there is an eternal plan. From what I have seen I believe that with any challenge there is a compensation of great heavenly love, you just have to get past the fear.

The importance of Friends
In any trying circumstance particularly when you don't have family (but even if you do), friends can make all the difference. Jephthah's daughter had great friends who supported her in coming to terms with her lot, and returned each year to give her strength and purpose to continue.

We can be those kind of friends. Conscious of the challenges of others, soft in our judgement, willing to listen when it is tough, be propagators of faith, and be enduring with our support. After all it is precisely those kind of friends who have seen us through our rough patches.

painting by Edwin Longsden Long recounting the story of Jeptha’s daughter