E-pistle for July 15, 2005
Posted by: info <info@...>
Dr. Curt Scarborough, President FreeWay
Foundation July 15, 2005
Today's Interview: Jephthah
Is Pillsbury College & Seminary Accredited?
Curt Scarborough's HOLY GROUND INTERVIEWS
Featuring Today's Special Guest: Jephthah
CS Jephthah, although you are listed as one of the heroes
of faith in the
eleventh chapter of Hebrews, most believers today
identify you as the
brutal soldier who callously sacrificed his own
daughter rather than
break some foolish vow. How would you like to be
remembered?
Jephthah I've often wondered how my name got into the Hebrew Hall of
Fame.
I certainly do not feel that I deserve to be
mentioned in the same
breath with Abraham or Moses or David!
CS Yet the prophet Samuel, who compiled the book of
Judges,
Characterized you as "a mighty man of valor." (Judges 11:1) Tell us
about your life and times.
Jephthah I lived during the "dark ages" of the nation of Israel . .
. the two
centuries of anarchy between the death of the great
leader, Joshua,
and the appearance of Samuel, who anointed Israel's
first kings. It
was a violent period in history, when "everyone did
what was right in
his own eyes." (Judges 21:25)
CS You were from the Tribe of Gad, I think.
Jephthah Yes. My father was named Gilead, and he and his wife had
several
sons. But my mother was a harlot. My half-brother
made my life a
living hell, because I was father's illegitimate
son.
CS You ran away from home at an early age?
Jephthah My brothers kicked me out of the house, and I journeyed
into the land
of Tob. There I joined a band of outlaws, and over
a period of years, I
became their leader. I was feared and respected in
that territory.
CS Tell us about the Ammonite invasion of your tribal
home.
Jephthah The first I heard of it was when my half-brothers came
asking for my
assistance. By this time, they had become leaders
of the tribe of Gad.
They begged me to become their commander to fight
against the army
of Ammon. They promised to make me the chief of the
tribe if I
would lead them to victory.
CS What happened?
Jephthah Like a fool, I believed them and accepted their offer. My
first act was
to try to settle the dispute with the Ammonites
through diplomatic
negotiations, When that failed, war was the only
remaining option.
CS Usually, the judges or leaders of this period received
a divine call, but
you seem to be the exception. Leaders of the tribe
of Gad enlisted you
into service.
Jephthah Initially, that was true. But after talks with the
Ammonites broke
down, I had a spiritual encounter with Almighty God.
CS Sort of a "holy ground" experience?
Jephthah Not quite that dramatic. But the Spirit of the Lord did
come upon
me, and I went out in the power of the Lord to raise
an army. In spite
of my dicey background, warriors flocked to enlist
and follow me into
battle against the invaders.
CS That's when you made the biggest mistake of your life.
Jephthah In my exuberance of being Spirit-filled, I made a rash vow.
Of course,
making the vow wasn't my biggest mistake . . .
fulfilling it was!
CS You vowed before God and your troops that, if you
returned from the
battlefield victorious, you would sacrifice as an
offering whatever first
came out of your house. What were you thinking?
Jephthah Frankly, I guess I wasn't thinking! I expected it to be a
goat or some
other animal that I'd sacrifice in thanksgiving to
the Lord God in
celebration of the victory He provided.
CS But the first thing you saw when you returned to your
home in
Mizpah was your daughter.
Jephthah She was the light of my life! She burst out of the house
when she
heard us approaching, and ran toward me with open
arms. I was
absolutely stunned! I'd made a solemn promise
before God . . . but
not to sacrifice my own child!
CS Couldn't you just renege on that promise?
Jephthah God's law says: "If a man makes a vow to the Lord . . . he
shall not
break his word; he shall do according to all that
proceeds out of his
mouth." (Numbers 30:2)
CS But surely, not to kill you own little girl!
Jephthah Moses commanded: "When you make a vow to the Lord your
God, you
shall not delay to pay it; for the Lord your God
will surely require it of
you, and it would be a sin to you." (Deuteronomy
23:21)
CS And, of course, your troops had witnessed your rash
promise. You
couldn't back out, or you'd lose your influence as a
macho leader.
Jephthah The price I paid for being their king wasn't worth it. I
only lasted
another six years before my death.
CS So, you actually sacrificed your own daughter?
Jephthah I stalled awhile, but eventually I carried out the bloody
act I had
promised before God.
CS Yet, I seem to recall that God also specifically
prohibited human
sacrifice. (Deuteronomy 12:31; 18:10) Wasn't the
keeping of your vow
(killing your daughter) a far greater sin than
breaking a vow?
Jephthah I foolishly made the wrong decision. Looking back, I know
I should
have chosen the "lesser of two evils." God is
merciful, and He would
have forgiven me the sin of breaking my vow . . .
just as He forgave my
sin of murdering my own daughter when I repented of
that vile act.
CS Jephthah, do you have any words of advice to pass
along to us?
Jephthah Avoid making any vows at all, if that's possible. One
mistake I made
was thinking my pledge was a bribe to get God to do
what I wanted.
CS Solomon gave some good advice on that subject in
Ecclesiastes 5:4-5.
Jephthah Yes! Finally, make promises carefully, after thoughtful
and prayerful
consideration. Most importantly, never fulfill any
vow or dare which
could cause injury or death to another person or to
yourself.
Accreditation of Pillsbury College & Seminary
Pillsbury College & Seminary represents a personal and practical
distance-learning alternative approach to Christian education. By its very
nature, Pillsbury is too innovative and experimental to fit into the
traditional mold established by most official accrediting agencies in the
United States. At its founding, however, the College & Seminary did adopt
and meet all the structural, financial, and academic guidelines established
by an officially recognized accrediting agency.
Pillsbury, furthermore, does uphold the highest standards of
academic excellence, ethical conduct, and moral integrity to assure that all
the degrees awarded are absolutely legitimate and totally honorable. The
College & Seminary is owned, controlled, and operated by Freeway Foundation
. . . formerly Christian Civic Foundation . . . a widely respected, legally
recognized Christian educational institution chartered by the State of
Missouri in 1890.
As a Christian school, Pillsbury College & Seminary was granted
an "exemption" by the Coordinating Board for Higher Education of the State
of Missouri on August 19, 1992.
In January, 2003, Pillsbury College & Seminary was granted
"Accredited" status by the Accrediting Commission International for Schools,
Colleges, and Theological Seminaries. ACI is an independent non-profit
corporation chartered as an accrediting agency for small Bible colleges and
specialized Christian schools, institutes, and seminaries.
ACI is dedicated to assisting those institutions of Christian
higher education to gain a quality, non-regional accreditation,
characterized by academic excellence and ethical practices. It has a
current membership of over 250 schools in 39 states. Because of the
convictions of its member schools in support of religious freedom and the
separation of church and state, ACI has elected not to request official
recognition as an accrediting agency from the U.S. Department of Education.
Persons whose professional or career goals require certification
by a state or federal government agency should check to determine whether a
degree from Pillsbury College & Seminary would be acceptable. Individuals
needing to earn a regionally accredited degree in one of the disciplines
offered by Pillsbury may wish to investigate comparable programs offered at
more traditional on-campus institutions currently accredited by a regional
association recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
____________________________________________________________________________
___
For more information contact Dr. Scarborough at 314-739-1121 or e-mail
info@freewayfoundation.org
When I discovered my first gray hair I immediately wrote to my parents:
"Dear Dad & Mom, You say my first steps. You might want to experience
this with me too." I taped the offending hair to the paper and mailed
it. My father's response came in the form of a poem: "It's a trustworthy
observation-That nothing can compare-In the process of aging-With finding
the first gray hair." He signed off with this observation: "Believe me,
that gray hair is not the first one you have given us!"
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