WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.900 Good morning. You may be seated. This is time for our children to go to your Sunday school classes and learn about the Lord. 00:00:09.720 --> 00:00:13.419 May God bless you as you go to Sunday school. 00:00:24.199 --> 00:00:29.600 The last several weeks we have been looking at the question, can God use me? 00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:34.140 Is there really a place for me? Can I be used? 00:00:34.859 --> 00:00:39.719 And so we have looked at various people who are in some ways oddballs. 00:00:39.880 --> 00:00:45.820 They don't exactly fit a typical group of people. 00:00:46.359 --> 00:00:54.379 We saw that Ehud was a left-handed judge in a society dominated by right-handed people. 00:00:54.700 --> 00:00:59.219 Deborah was a woman in a society dominated by men. 00:00:59.219 --> 00:01:09.859 Again, Gideon is mostly a coward who needs constantly to be assured that he's okay, that God is going to be with him. 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:15.759 And he keeps requesting for signs that God would assure him. 00:01:15.760 --> 00:01:22.520 And today we look at Jephthah in Judges chapter 11 and 12. 00:01:23.320 --> 00:01:25.719 Jephthah is a very interesting judge. 00:01:25.719 --> 00:01:32.179 There are two judges that I think are extremely interesting. 00:01:33.099 --> 00:01:34.840 Jephthah happens to be one of them. 00:01:35.939 --> 00:01:39.480 The life of Jephthah is in chapters 11 and 12. 00:01:40.159 --> 00:01:42.920 And it is looking at two incidents. 00:01:43.079 --> 00:01:46.200 But the two incidents are connected with each other. 00:01:46.319 --> 00:01:49.340 So they're not just two separate, unrelated incidents. 00:01:49.340 --> 00:01:53.040 There is an overarching theme which we will see. 00:01:53.579 --> 00:01:56.240 So let's begin first by looking at Jephthah. 00:01:56.640 --> 00:02:01.400 And let's turn in your Bibles, please, to the book of Judges chapter 11. 00:02:03.140 --> 00:02:10.680 If you look at your bulletin, you will also see that on the back I try to help you follow what I'm trying to say. 00:02:10.680 --> 00:02:17.760 So Jephthah, in verse 1, Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. 00:02:18.719 --> 00:02:20.360 His father was Gilead. 00:02:20.860 --> 00:02:23.460 His mother was a prostitute. 00:02:25.560 --> 00:02:28.480 His mother was a prostitute. 00:02:29.920 --> 00:02:36.040 Gilead's wife, Gilead's legitimate wife, also bore him sons. 00:02:36.659 --> 00:02:39.819 And when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. 00:02:39.819 --> 00:02:47.079 You're not going to get any inheritance in our family, they said, because you are the son of another woman. 00:02:48.379 --> 00:02:52.359 So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tov, 00:02:53.379 --> 00:02:59.359 where a group of adventurers gathered around him and followed him. 00:03:01.280 --> 00:03:05.060 The problem with Jephthah is many. 00:03:05.879 --> 00:03:09.159 First of all, his mother is a prostitute. 00:03:09.159 --> 00:03:13.599 So he is clearly an outsider in Israel. 00:03:14.979 --> 00:03:22.280 He would never be treated with honor or dignity or respect or anything like that. 00:03:24.219 --> 00:03:26.460 Socially, he's an outcast. 00:03:26.460 --> 00:03:30.240 So he has no family. 00:03:30.240 --> 00:03:38.680 And his half-brothers, who have the same father but don't have the same mother, drove him away. 00:03:39.439 --> 00:03:42.879 You're not going to get any inheritance in our family. 00:03:42.879 --> 00:03:47.560 And so he left to the land of Tov. 00:03:48.340 --> 00:03:53.500 Jephthah has no family, no country, and no future. 00:03:54.859 --> 00:03:59.079 When we look at that incident, it echoes some things. 00:03:59.080 --> 00:04:11.980 When we think about brothers getting rid of their brother, perhaps you might recall Genesis and the story of Joseph. 00:04:11.979 --> 00:04:16.379 But in the case of Joseph, it's not because he was illegitimate. 00:04:16.879 --> 00:04:21.639 In the case of Joseph, it was because his brothers were jealous of him. 00:04:22.139 --> 00:04:25.860 They suspected he's going to be the leader in the family, and they didn't want him to be. 00:04:26.399 --> 00:04:27.539 And so they got rid of him. 00:04:27.540 --> 00:04:37.120 So Joseph is expelled by his family and sold as a slave to Egypt. 00:04:37.800 --> 00:04:45.100 And unless God had intervened, that would have been the end of Joseph, a slave unknown somewhere in Egypt with no record and nothing. 00:04:45.520 --> 00:04:46.600 But God intervened. 00:04:47.320 --> 00:04:52.700 So Joseph reminds us of that situation. 00:04:53.320 --> 00:04:55.080 But so does David. 00:04:57.540 --> 00:05:00.800 What we have in David is something similar to this. 00:05:01.800 --> 00:05:06.760 Saul is jealous of this young man who is becoming popular with the masses. 00:05:07.660 --> 00:05:15.379 And so David marries Saul's daughter. 00:05:15.379 --> 00:05:21.320 But as Saul's jealousy increases, David's life is in danger. 00:05:22.020 --> 00:05:23.520 He becomes a fugitive. 00:05:24.259 --> 00:05:27.439 And about 400 people join him in his fugitive. 00:05:27.540 --> 00:05:30.980 So this is starting to echo the life of David. 00:05:30.980 --> 00:05:38.000 But just as Joseph ended on a great note, and David ended on a great note, Jephthah does not. 00:05:38.819 --> 00:05:40.480 And we'll have to figure out why. 00:05:41.300 --> 00:05:47.700 When they seem to be on the same path, heading in the same direction, Jephthah is not. 00:05:47.699 --> 00:05:54.939 In any case, Jephthah is expelled from his country. 00:05:55.539 --> 00:05:58.620 And he is a vagabond. 00:05:58.860 --> 00:06:01.079 He is like Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest. 00:06:02.079 --> 00:06:05.819 And Israel is in danger. 00:06:05.819 --> 00:06:06.819 They want a leader. 00:06:06.819 --> 00:06:08.439 They want a leader to help them. 00:06:08.540 --> 00:06:15.000 So they come to him, not because they love him, not because they care about him, but because they need him as a warrior. 00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:17.099 And he doesn't trust them. 00:06:17.659 --> 00:06:19.899 And so he makes them take an oath. 00:06:20.759 --> 00:06:22.139 That is the first oath. 00:06:22.139 --> 00:06:25.659 That is a preview of other things to happen. 00:06:26.899 --> 00:06:32.919 And so, in any case, they said, you know, if you lead us, we'll make you the leader and the commander. 00:06:35.139 --> 00:06:41.060 And Jephthah doesn't believe them, doesn't trust them, but he decides to do it. 00:06:41.060 --> 00:06:48.180 Because Israel is at war, this brings us to the second issue. 00:06:48.660 --> 00:06:52.199 But before we go to the second issue, I want you to think about that. 00:06:52.860 --> 00:07:00.000 What happens to people who feel that their family doesn't love them, that they're not accepted? 00:07:02.019 --> 00:07:05.639 I hope none of you has experienced that. 00:07:06.459 --> 00:07:07.720 I really hope so. 00:07:07.720 --> 00:07:17.920 I hope you all come from healthy families where your parents love you, where they cherish you, where they esteem you, where they would do anything for you. 00:07:18.220 --> 00:07:21.220 I really hope that that is the case. 00:07:22.020 --> 00:07:26.400 And, of course, rejection goes in various degrees. 00:07:26.640 --> 00:07:28.140 Rejection is not just one event. 00:07:28.240 --> 00:07:28.880 It's a spectrum. 00:07:29.700 --> 00:07:31.580 I can speak from my own life. 00:07:31.579 --> 00:07:38.039 We grew up in an average family in Lebanon. 00:07:38.800 --> 00:07:42.379 We are not, by any stretch of the imagination, wealthy. 00:07:42.859 --> 00:07:44.659 We are actually fairly poor. 00:07:44.660 --> 00:07:52.680 And my father became convinced that the way to come out of poverty is through education. 00:07:54.240 --> 00:08:04.400 And so he wanted to make sure that all of us went to good schools, got a good education, and were able to improve our state in life. 00:08:04.399 --> 00:08:17.239 For that reason, and because in education I was extremely competitive and could compete very hard and do very, very well in college and in school, 00:08:17.639 --> 00:08:24.379 I was sent to America to get a Western education, which is a lot better than Middle Eastern education, 00:08:24.379 --> 00:08:28.000 and hopefully that would open doors. 00:08:29.519 --> 00:08:34.000 My father wanted me to be a medical doctor. 00:08:35.379 --> 00:08:39.379 There are 14 cousins of us. 00:08:40.220 --> 00:08:41.879 Eight are medical doctors. 00:08:43.960 --> 00:08:49.399 And my father thought that I was the smartest of them all, but that's, of course, only his opinion. 00:08:50.019 --> 00:08:51.399 My uncle wouldn't agree with him. 00:08:51.399 --> 00:08:57.399 So he wanted me to worship, to study medicine. 00:08:59.259 --> 00:09:07.639 His daily urging was, become a doctor, make a lot of money. 00:09:08.659 --> 00:09:10.879 Become a doctor, make a lot of money. 00:09:12.059 --> 00:09:15.600 In many ways, money was my father's God. 00:09:16.460 --> 00:09:19.419 In many ways, that was. 00:09:19.419 --> 00:09:25.579 And so he thought, if I come to America, I'd become a doctor, I'd make a lot of money. 00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:27.599 And I'm sure I would have. 00:09:27.979 --> 00:09:37.759 I have two cousins who are doctors, and both of them, either one of them, makes four times more than I make as a professor. 00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:39.099 Four times. 00:09:39.100 --> 00:09:43.860 Sometimes I think to myself, why didn't I listen to my father? 00:09:44.560 --> 00:09:48.720 You know, I wouldn't be driving Toyotas, I'd be driving Rose Voices. 00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:53.960 I wouldn't be living in Kenosha, I'd be living in Beverly Hills. 00:09:53.960 --> 00:10:10.639 So when my father found out that I'm interested in questions about truth and reality and wanted to major in philosophy, he was really, really disappointed in me. 00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:20.620 He thought I was wasting my time and wasting my life and wasting my talents, asking questions, what's ultimate reality? 00:10:20.759 --> 00:10:21.939 How do we know what we know? 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:26.319 And all these fascinating questions in epistemology. 00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:37.040 After I became a Christian and decided that God was calling me to be a professor, he was even more disappointed in me. 00:10:38.800 --> 00:10:48.660 His advice to me was, become a doctor, make as much money as you can, and then tithe to the church. 00:10:48.659 --> 00:10:52.600 And that's all your relationship with God. 00:10:53.360 --> 00:10:57.679 My relationship with God would have been reduced to tithing. 00:10:59.899 --> 00:11:05.399 You know, I write God a check and our account is fulfilled. 00:11:06.199 --> 00:11:11.379 He couldn't understand that I would desire God in a more deeper way than that. 00:11:11.379 --> 00:11:17.779 But God has his own sense of humor. 00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:23.379 When my father was 70 years old, he became very sick. 00:11:23.799 --> 00:11:28.100 For the first time in his life he had ever been sick. 00:11:28.899 --> 00:11:31.720 The nurse that took care of him was a Christian. 00:11:33.220 --> 00:11:37.440 And what I had failed for about 20 years to do, she succeeded. 00:11:37.620 --> 00:11:41.059 She led him to the Lord at the age of 70. 00:11:41.379 --> 00:11:47.279 I remember when he was on his deathbed, he said to me, 00:11:47.320 --> 00:11:51.700 Samir, I'm sorry, I never told you I loved you. 00:11:52.519 --> 00:11:53.460 And that was true. 00:11:54.059 --> 00:11:58.679 I don't remember ever once being told that he loved me. 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:07.600 So, I am not sold into slavery into Egypt, but I think I know a little bit about rejection. 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:15.700 And I think for that reason I esteem my heavenly father a lot more than if I had wonderful uncles and aunts. 00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:19.399 And then that maybe God's love wouldn't mean that much to me. 00:12:19.540 --> 00:12:21.159 But it means a lot to me. 00:12:21.720 --> 00:12:26.540 Because God loves me at a time that I didn't think anybody else in our family did. 00:12:26.539 --> 00:12:33.779 So, Jephthah is in a similar but far worse situation. 00:12:35.120 --> 00:12:39.039 He has no position of honor. 00:12:39.299 --> 00:12:40.799 His mother is a prostitute. 00:12:41.360 --> 00:12:43.039 He's in exile from his country. 00:12:43.439 --> 00:12:44.679 And he has no future. 00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:46.599 But he does have a daughter. 00:12:47.439 --> 00:12:48.539 He does have one daughter. 00:12:48.679 --> 00:12:49.120 No sons. 00:12:49.439 --> 00:12:50.179 Just one daughter. 00:12:50.179 --> 00:12:53.120 So, he wants to go to battle. 00:12:53.799 --> 00:12:55.959 And he takes a vow. 00:12:56.899 --> 00:13:02.359 And the vow is rather stupid. 00:13:03.239 --> 00:13:06.120 So, look at chapter 11, verse 29. 00:13:07.199 --> 00:13:09.579 Then the spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah. 00:13:10.099 --> 00:13:11.959 He crossed Gilead and Manasseh. 00:13:12.379 --> 00:13:15.299 Passed through Mizpah of Gilead. 00:13:15.639 --> 00:13:18.179 And from there he advanced against the Ammonites. 00:13:18.179 --> 00:13:20.859 Ammonites would be modern day Jordan. 00:13:22.079 --> 00:13:24.120 And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord. 00:13:24.739 --> 00:13:27.599 If you give the Ammonites into my hands. 00:13:27.759 --> 00:13:28.639 If I have victory. 00:13:29.379 --> 00:13:32.179 Whatever comes out of the door of my house. 00:13:32.439 --> 00:13:33.259 To meet me. 00:13:33.739 --> 00:13:35.359 When I return in triumph. 00:13:35.979 --> 00:13:37.059 From the Ammonites. 00:13:37.620 --> 00:13:38.919 Will be the Lord's. 00:13:39.639 --> 00:13:41.199 And I will sacrifice it. 00:13:41.500 --> 00:13:42.599 As a burn offering. 00:13:45.179 --> 00:13:46.799 Whoever first comes out. 00:13:46.799 --> 00:13:50.519 Do dogs know how to come out. 00:13:51.039 --> 00:13:53.159 And greet you when you've had victory. 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:55.319 Do dogs know that. 00:13:57.059 --> 00:13:57.979 I wonder. 00:13:58.299 --> 00:14:00.759 Whether he was thinking about a human being. 00:14:01.019 --> 00:14:02.259 Or whether he was just saying. 00:14:02.659 --> 00:14:04.099 You know, whoever comes out, comes out. 00:14:04.459 --> 00:14:06.539 But he makes this foolish vow. 00:14:06.659 --> 00:14:07.899 Whoever comes out first. 00:14:08.620 --> 00:14:10.399 Will be offered as a sacrifice. 00:14:11.439 --> 00:14:13.000 He does have the victory. 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:15.639 And his daughter comes out. 00:14:17.500 --> 00:14:19.919 So, he has no family. 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:21.500 He has no country. 00:14:21.820 --> 00:14:22.879 He has no future. 00:14:23.399 --> 00:14:24.700 He does have a daughter. 00:14:25.340 --> 00:14:27.019 And guess what he has just finished doing? 00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:30.980 Putting himself in a situation to lose his daughter. 00:14:30.980 --> 00:14:38.159 The problem here is that this is a vow. 00:14:38.259 --> 00:14:39.620 And it is a foolish vow. 00:14:39.700 --> 00:14:41.840 Nobody should make these kinds of vows. 00:14:42.100 --> 00:14:44.060 But there are vows in the scriptures. 00:14:45.259 --> 00:14:47.759 And maybe we should look at a couple of those vows. 00:14:47.759 --> 00:14:52.980 Just to figure out whether we as Christians should make vows. 00:14:53.100 --> 00:14:54.779 Or whether we should avoid it like a plague. 00:14:54.779 --> 00:14:58.259 Take a look at Genesis chapter 28. 00:14:58.959 --> 00:15:00.879 This is an interesting passage. 00:15:02.579 --> 00:15:06.059 I'll keep you up thinking about it. 00:15:07.159 --> 00:15:08.639 Genesis 28. 00:15:14.919 --> 00:15:20.559 Look at Genesis 28 verses 20 through 22. 00:15:20.559 --> 00:15:24.819 So, chapter 28 verses 20 through 22. 00:15:25.899 --> 00:15:27.939 Then Jacob made a vow saying, 00:15:28.599 --> 00:15:33.439 If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey. 00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:39.159 And I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear. 00:15:39.399 --> 00:15:43.139 So that I may return safely to my father's house. 00:15:43.399 --> 00:15:45.719 Then the Lord will be my God. 00:15:45.720 --> 00:15:50.720 If God does these things for me, he will be my God. 00:15:52.879 --> 00:15:55.340 I want you to just to think for a minute. 00:15:55.500 --> 00:15:57.019 And I'm not going to give you the answer. 00:15:57.960 --> 00:16:01.779 Is he pledging or is he bargaining? 00:16:06.639 --> 00:16:07.600 Think about it. 00:16:08.899 --> 00:16:11.220 Is he making a deal with God? 00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:12.920 Or is he pledging? 00:16:12.919 --> 00:16:17.360 It depends on, I suppose, how you choose to interpret it. 00:16:18.479 --> 00:16:22.360 A much more nobler vow is in 1 Samuel chapter 9. 00:16:24.019 --> 00:16:26.099 That is the vow of Hannah. 00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:30.379 So, in 1 Samuel chapter 9. 00:16:30.379 --> 00:16:37.439 1 Samuel chapter 9. 00:16:37.439 --> 00:16:39.139 1 Samuel chapter 9. 00:16:39.679 --> 00:16:40.519 1, 9. 00:16:40.759 --> 00:16:43.320 Once they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, 00:16:43.740 --> 00:16:44.500 Hannah stood up. 00:16:45.019 --> 00:16:49.059 Now Eli the priest was sitting on the chair by the doorpost of the Lord's temple. 00:16:50.100 --> 00:16:54.919 In bitterness of soul, Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord. 00:16:54.919 --> 00:16:57.379 And she made a vow saying, 00:16:57.839 --> 00:17:03.139 O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me 00:17:03.139 --> 00:17:06.259 and not forget your servant but give her a son, 00:17:07.159 --> 00:17:10.899 then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life. 00:17:11.759 --> 00:17:14.639 And no razor will ever be used on his head. 00:17:14.640 --> 00:17:24.280 It's obvious that Jacob is asking God for things for himself. 00:17:25.400 --> 00:17:27.960 Here she is asking for things for herself. 00:17:28.280 --> 00:17:32.660 But she's not going to keep the child and benefit and enjoy him, etc. 00:17:33.040 --> 00:17:34.900 She's going to give him back to God. 00:17:36.060 --> 00:17:37.400 But it is a vow. 00:17:37.400 --> 00:17:41.180 We have another stupid vow. 00:17:41.960 --> 00:17:42.680 King Saul. 00:17:43.420 --> 00:17:44.960 1 Samuel 14. 00:17:52.280 --> 00:17:54.759 He is having victory. 00:17:55.420 --> 00:17:56.340 They are in a battle. 00:17:56.340 --> 00:17:59.580 And in 1 Samuel 14, 24. 00:17:59.579 --> 00:18:09.960 1 Samuel 14, 24. 00:18:10.199 --> 00:18:13.480 Now the men of Israel were in distress that day 00:18:13.480 --> 00:18:16.659 because Saul had bound the people under an oath, 00:18:16.779 --> 00:18:17.079 saying, 00:18:17.679 --> 00:18:19.740 Cursed be any man who eats food 00:18:19.740 --> 00:18:22.000 before evening comes, 00:18:22.819 --> 00:18:25.220 before I have avenged myself on my enemies. 00:18:25.960 --> 00:18:28.319 So none of the troops tasted food. 00:18:28.319 --> 00:18:32.399 So they are fighting hard 00:18:32.399 --> 00:18:35.319 and they're not eating 00:18:35.319 --> 00:18:39.019 because Saul made a vow 00:18:39.019 --> 00:18:42.679 that they wouldn't eat until the victory came. 00:18:43.740 --> 00:18:44.720 And so here they were, 00:18:44.939 --> 00:18:46.139 tired, exhausted, 00:18:47.899 --> 00:18:48.619 fatigued, 00:18:49.139 --> 00:18:50.000 fighting hard, 00:18:50.159 --> 00:18:51.419 but they can't eat. 00:18:52.519 --> 00:18:56.059 His own son had not heard about that. 00:18:56.059 --> 00:18:58.940 He wasn't aware that such a vow had been made 00:18:58.940 --> 00:19:01.740 and so he finds honey and he eats it. 00:19:02.220 --> 00:19:05.059 And his father wants to kill him. 00:19:06.779 --> 00:19:08.899 Even though he didn't know about the vow, 00:19:09.119 --> 00:19:11.960 but Saul was going to kill Jonathan. 00:19:11.960 --> 00:19:18.900 And then of course, 00:19:19.019 --> 00:19:22.220 another vow is in Mark chapter 6, 00:19:22.360 --> 00:19:23.460 verse 22. 00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:28.059 It is the vow of Herod Antipas. 00:19:30.039 --> 00:19:33.400 When Salome danced in front before him, 00:19:34.600 --> 00:19:36.819 he gave her that foolish vow, 00:19:36.819 --> 00:19:39.179 I'll give you anything you want to 00:19:39.179 --> 00:19:40.460 up to half of my kingdom. 00:19:41.079 --> 00:19:41.740 And she said, 00:19:41.839 --> 00:19:43.279 give me the head of John the Baptist. 00:19:45.839 --> 00:19:47.119 And he didn't want to, 00:19:47.240 --> 00:19:48.319 but he had made a vow 00:19:48.319 --> 00:19:50.000 in front of his officers 00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:53.079 and didn't want to embarrass himself. 00:19:53.079 --> 00:19:56.659 So there are vows, 00:19:57.899 --> 00:19:59.699 and some of them good 00:19:59.699 --> 00:20:01.299 and some of them awful. 00:20:01.879 --> 00:20:04.599 Some result in the better 00:20:04.599 --> 00:20:07.119 and some result in the worse. 00:20:08.279 --> 00:20:11.519 How are we to think of Japheth's vow? 00:20:13.000 --> 00:20:15.439 Let me suggest a couple options. 00:20:15.440 --> 00:20:20.380 Turn to Micah chapter 6, verse 6. 00:20:22.620 --> 00:20:27.039 Micah 6, 6 is a very important passage. 00:20:27.680 --> 00:20:30.539 It really is extremely important. 00:20:31.600 --> 00:20:34.120 In many, many Jewish circles, 00:20:34.299 --> 00:20:36.340 it is considered the summary 00:20:36.340 --> 00:20:38.240 of the ethical statements 00:20:38.240 --> 00:20:39.240 of the Old Testament. 00:20:40.120 --> 00:20:41.059 Jesus quotes it 00:20:41.059 --> 00:20:42.360 and calls two of the commandments 00:20:42.360 --> 00:20:43.340 the most important. 00:20:43.339 --> 00:20:46.879 You can see that in Matthew 23, 23. 00:20:47.399 --> 00:20:50.659 But in Micah chapter 6, verse 8, 00:20:51.339 --> 00:20:53.539 Micah knows that he has sinned against God 00:20:53.539 --> 00:20:54.740 and he's asking himself, 00:20:55.419 --> 00:20:58.579 what does God want me to do? 00:20:59.319 --> 00:21:01.000 How do I know 00:21:01.000 --> 00:21:05.319 that I have done enough? 00:21:07.419 --> 00:21:09.899 Let's say in an outburst of anger 00:21:09.899 --> 00:21:11.099 you insulted your wife 00:21:11.099 --> 00:21:13.279 and then you want to be reconciled 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:13.639 with her. 00:21:13.639 --> 00:21:14.619 What's enough? 00:21:14.980 --> 00:21:15.420 Chocolate? 00:21:16.859 --> 00:21:17.500 Flowers? 00:21:18.799 --> 00:21:20.379 Chocolate and flowers? 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:24.299 Chocolate, flowers, and eating out? 00:21:25.740 --> 00:21:26.920 How do you know 00:21:26.920 --> 00:21:29.160 that you've done enough? 00:21:30.200 --> 00:21:32.339 So Micah is thinking about 00:21:32.339 --> 00:21:33.299 something similar 00:21:33.299 --> 00:21:35.220 in Micah 6, 6. 00:21:35.220 --> 00:21:38.480 With what shall I come before the Lord 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:41.100 and bow down before the exalted God? 00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:42.860 Shall I come before him 00:21:42.860 --> 00:21:43.839 with burnt offerings? 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:46.720 With a calf one year old? 00:21:47.120 --> 00:21:48.120 A calf one year old 00:21:48.120 --> 00:21:49.039 would be more expensive 00:21:49.039 --> 00:21:50.039 than burnt offerings. 00:21:50.700 --> 00:21:52.180 Will the Lord be pleased 00:21:52.180 --> 00:21:54.660 with thousands of rams? 00:21:55.960 --> 00:21:57.720 Ten thousand rivers of oil? 00:21:57.720 --> 00:22:00.160 And then he's thinking, 00:22:00.299 --> 00:22:01.420 what's the most expensive thing 00:22:01.420 --> 00:22:01.940 I've got? 00:22:03.019 --> 00:22:03.900 My child. 00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:06.579 Shall I offer my firstborn 00:22:06.579 --> 00:22:08.339 for my transgression, 00:22:09.279 --> 00:22:10.720 the fruit of my body 00:22:10.720 --> 00:22:13.180 for the sin of my soul? 00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:14.440 He is contemplating, 00:22:14.960 --> 00:22:16.299 maybe I should sacrifice 00:22:16.299 --> 00:22:17.500 my own child. 00:22:17.500 --> 00:22:21.660 Of course, 00:22:21.720 --> 00:22:22.500 had he done that, 00:22:22.559 --> 00:22:23.660 he would have compounded 00:22:23.660 --> 00:22:25.019 the situation with murder 00:22:25.019 --> 00:22:26.400 on top of whatever else 00:22:26.400 --> 00:22:27.759 he had done. 00:22:28.559 --> 00:22:30.460 And then he receives the answer, 00:22:30.619 --> 00:22:31.519 he has showed you, 00:22:31.700 --> 00:22:31.920 O man, 00:22:31.980 --> 00:22:32.579 what is good. 00:22:33.059 --> 00:22:34.000 And what does the Lord 00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:34.880 require of you? 00:22:35.599 --> 00:22:36.599 To act justly, 00:22:36.740 --> 00:22:37.500 to love mercy, 00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:39.039 and to walk with your God. 00:22:39.799 --> 00:22:40.000 So, 00:22:41.539 --> 00:22:42.259 maybe, 00:22:42.460 --> 00:22:44.200 maybe Jephthah 00:22:44.200 --> 00:22:45.619 is the kind of person 00:22:45.619 --> 00:22:46.740 who is 00:22:46.740 --> 00:22:48.279 so sensitive 00:22:48.279 --> 00:22:50.519 that he is willing 00:22:50.519 --> 00:22:51.180 to admit 00:22:51.180 --> 00:22:52.920 to anything 00:22:52.920 --> 00:22:53.960 you accuse him of. 00:22:55.539 --> 00:22:57.000 That whether he did it 00:22:57.000 --> 00:22:57.640 or not, 00:22:58.680 --> 00:23:00.200 he's willing to admit it. 00:23:00.920 --> 00:23:01.960 Part of the plot 00:23:01.960 --> 00:23:03.059 of Brother Skarmazov. 00:23:04.460 --> 00:23:05.059 Or, 00:23:05.880 --> 00:23:06.400 maybe, 00:23:06.759 --> 00:23:08.019 he is thinking, 00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:09.319 my sin 00:23:09.319 --> 00:23:10.799 is so big, 00:23:11.460 --> 00:23:12.279 little sin, 00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:13.759 little punishment, 00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:15.680 medium-sized sin, 00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:17.320 medium-sized punishment, 00:23:18.220 --> 00:23:19.560 big sin, 00:23:20.060 --> 00:23:21.039 big punishment, 00:23:21.799 --> 00:23:23.180 humongous sin, 00:23:24.320 --> 00:23:25.480 humongous punishment, 00:23:26.220 --> 00:23:26.519 therefore, 00:23:26.700 --> 00:23:27.720 the life of my son. 00:23:27.720 --> 00:23:32.860 I don't know. 00:23:33.400 --> 00:23:34.160 We're not told 00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:35.160 what was going on 00:23:35.160 --> 00:23:36.620 in Jephthah's mind. 00:23:37.620 --> 00:23:38.519 And I don't know 00:23:38.519 --> 00:23:39.539 whether he was bargaining 00:23:39.539 --> 00:23:40.620 with God or not. 00:23:41.100 --> 00:23:42.299 But in any case, 00:23:42.539 --> 00:23:43.559 he makes the vow. 00:23:44.259 --> 00:23:45.480 You need to realize, 00:23:46.140 --> 00:23:47.019 first of all, 00:23:47.539 --> 00:23:49.200 that if he wanted 00:23:49.200 --> 00:23:50.559 to keep his vow, 00:23:51.500 --> 00:23:53.440 no priest in Israel 00:23:53.440 --> 00:23:54.420 would allow him. 00:23:54.420 --> 00:23:56.860 human sacrifices 00:23:56.860 --> 00:23:58.220 would not have been 00:23:58.220 --> 00:23:59.500 permitted in Israel. 00:24:00.140 --> 00:24:00.960 Maybe he would have 00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:02.080 to take her alone 00:24:02.080 --> 00:24:05.120 to his own altar 00:24:05.120 --> 00:24:06.120 and kill her there. 00:24:06.420 --> 00:24:07.340 But to take her 00:24:07.340 --> 00:24:08.120 to a priest 00:24:08.120 --> 00:24:09.519 and ask the priest 00:24:09.519 --> 00:24:10.519 to offer her 00:24:10.519 --> 00:24:11.320 as a sacrifice 00:24:11.320 --> 00:24:12.759 would be completely 00:24:12.759 --> 00:24:13.460 forbidden. 00:24:16.740 --> 00:24:17.759 The second thing 00:24:17.759 --> 00:24:18.779 I want you to know 00:24:18.779 --> 00:24:20.740 that the worst king 00:24:20.740 --> 00:24:22.220 in Israel 00:24:22.220 --> 00:24:23.639 is Ahaz. 00:24:24.579 --> 00:24:26.019 And Ahaz's sin 00:24:26.019 --> 00:24:28.379 is that he embraced 00:24:28.379 --> 00:24:29.539 the worship 00:24:29.539 --> 00:24:31.619 of Assyrian gods. 00:24:33.000 --> 00:24:34.539 And Assyrian gods 00:24:34.539 --> 00:24:35.799 is idolatry. 00:24:36.019 --> 00:24:36.240 I mean, 00:24:36.299 --> 00:24:37.160 it is bad enough 00:24:37.160 --> 00:24:38.440 because it's idolatry. 00:24:38.859 --> 00:24:40.259 But what is worse 00:24:40.259 --> 00:24:42.180 about Assyrian gods 00:24:42.180 --> 00:24:43.740 is that you offered 00:24:43.740 --> 00:24:44.500 humans. 00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:48.819 So the darkest moment 00:24:48.819 --> 00:24:50.099 in Israel's history 00:24:50.099 --> 00:24:53.380 was Ahaz sacrificing 00:24:53.380 --> 00:24:54.759 his own sons, 00:24:55.559 --> 00:24:57.140 as 2 Chronicles records, 00:24:57.819 --> 00:24:59.660 sacrificing his own sons 00:24:59.660 --> 00:25:01.799 to the Assyrian gods. 00:25:03.539 --> 00:25:05.720 So I don't think 00:25:05.720 --> 00:25:06.599 he would have been able 00:25:06.599 --> 00:25:07.779 to sacrifice her 00:25:07.779 --> 00:25:08.660 legitimately. 00:25:09.880 --> 00:25:11.299 Maybe illegitimately, 00:25:11.960 --> 00:25:12.180 yes, 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:13.599 but not legitimately. 00:25:14.500 --> 00:25:16.200 And the third thing 00:25:16.200 --> 00:25:17.180 is that there is something 00:25:17.180 --> 00:25:18.059 very interesting 00:25:18.059 --> 00:25:18.960 going on. 00:25:19.859 --> 00:25:20.599 She realizes 00:25:20.599 --> 00:25:22.119 that he took an oath 00:25:22.119 --> 00:25:25.940 and that he had taken 00:25:25.940 --> 00:25:27.200 an oath before God 00:25:27.200 --> 00:25:28.539 and so she says, 00:25:28.640 --> 00:25:28.960 in fact, 00:25:29.079 --> 00:25:30.240 give me some time 00:25:30.240 --> 00:25:31.819 so I can go 00:25:31.819 --> 00:25:32.619 to the mountains. 00:25:35.019 --> 00:25:38.640 And he does give her 00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:39.420 some time, 00:25:39.880 --> 00:25:41.299 but the interesting thing 00:25:41.299 --> 00:25:42.619 that that passage says 00:25:42.619 --> 00:25:44.739 is that she was 00:25:44.739 --> 00:25:48.319 mourning her virginity. 00:25:49.179 --> 00:25:50.299 She was sad 00:25:50.299 --> 00:25:52.039 because she wasn't 00:25:52.039 --> 00:25:53.099 going to have children. 00:25:57.299 --> 00:25:58.599 I would have thought 00:25:58.599 --> 00:26:00.119 she would have been sad 00:26:00.119 --> 00:26:01.500 for the loss of her life. 00:26:01.500 --> 00:26:08.559 I would have thought 00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:10.059 that she would be mourning 00:26:10.059 --> 00:26:12.240 that she is going to die 00:26:12.240 --> 00:26:13.619 in a month from now 00:26:13.619 --> 00:26:14.960 rather than 00:26:14.960 --> 00:26:16.339 to say sad, 00:26:16.460 --> 00:26:17.480 I'll never have children 00:26:17.480 --> 00:26:18.220 in my life. 00:26:20.920 --> 00:26:21.940 I suspect, 00:26:22.259 --> 00:26:23.819 although we do not have 00:26:23.819 --> 00:26:24.339 any evidence, 00:26:24.440 --> 00:26:25.619 the text is very ambiguous, 00:26:25.619 --> 00:26:27.639 I suspect 00:26:27.639 --> 00:26:28.899 what happened 00:26:28.899 --> 00:26:29.479 is that, 00:26:30.159 --> 00:26:30.819 like Hannah, 00:26:31.459 --> 00:26:32.699 he had to dedicate her 00:26:32.699 --> 00:26:33.759 to the service of God 00:26:33.759 --> 00:26:34.619 in the tabernacle 00:26:34.619 --> 00:26:36.239 and what's so bad 00:26:36.239 --> 00:26:36.779 about that 00:26:36.779 --> 00:26:37.459 is that you could 00:26:37.459 --> 00:26:38.139 never marry 00:26:38.139 --> 00:26:39.919 and since he is 00:26:39.919 --> 00:26:41.279 the son of a prostitute 00:26:41.279 --> 00:26:42.699 and he doesn't have 00:26:42.699 --> 00:26:43.599 any sons, 00:26:44.379 --> 00:26:45.059 what has happened 00:26:45.059 --> 00:26:46.119 to his family line? 00:26:47.139 --> 00:26:47.839 That's the end. 00:26:47.839 --> 00:26:51.899 But in any case, 00:26:52.240 --> 00:26:53.119 what we have here 00:26:53.119 --> 00:26:54.179 is a man 00:26:54.179 --> 00:26:55.299 who makes 00:26:55.299 --> 00:26:57.359 a very foolish vow 00:26:57.359 --> 00:26:59.480 who should know better 00:26:59.480 --> 00:27:00.720 than to make vows 00:27:00.720 --> 00:27:01.279 like that. 00:27:02.319 --> 00:27:03.159 But there is 00:27:03.159 --> 00:27:04.299 another problem 00:27:04.299 --> 00:27:05.859 and the problem 00:27:05.859 --> 00:27:07.240 is in 00:27:07.240 --> 00:27:10.839 Judges chapter 12, 00:27:11.459 --> 00:27:12.619 his other problem. 00:27:14.240 --> 00:27:15.439 Look at chapter 12. 00:27:17.839 --> 00:27:24.919 Perhaps the first 00:27:24.919 --> 00:27:25.539 three verses. 00:27:26.299 --> 00:27:27.159 The men of Ephraim 00:27:27.159 --> 00:27:27.899 called out 00:27:27.899 --> 00:27:29.000 their forces, 00:27:29.500 --> 00:27:30.720 crossed over to Zaphon 00:27:30.720 --> 00:27:31.919 and said to Jephthah, 00:27:32.459 --> 00:27:33.079 why did you go 00:27:33.079 --> 00:27:34.379 to fight the Ammonites 00:27:34.379 --> 00:27:35.359 without calling us 00:27:35.359 --> 00:27:36.519 to go with you? 00:27:38.659 --> 00:27:39.899 We're going to burn 00:27:39.899 --> 00:27:40.839 down your house 00:27:40.839 --> 00:27:41.899 over your head. 00:27:44.099 --> 00:27:45.139 What is happening 00:27:45.139 --> 00:27:46.480 is that he went to war 00:27:46.480 --> 00:27:47.839 without asking them 00:27:47.839 --> 00:27:48.680 to come with him? 00:27:49.480 --> 00:27:50.539 The dictum of war 00:27:50.539 --> 00:27:51.079 is what? 00:27:51.519 --> 00:27:52.259 To the victor 00:27:52.259 --> 00:27:53.640 belongs the spoils. 00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:54.920 Those who fight 00:27:54.920 --> 00:27:55.440 in battle 00:27:55.440 --> 00:27:56.120 get to take 00:27:56.120 --> 00:27:57.079 the spoils of war. 00:27:57.400 --> 00:27:58.240 So if you didn't 00:27:58.240 --> 00:27:59.120 fight in the battle, 00:27:59.299 --> 00:28:00.000 guess what you don't 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:00.620 get to get? 00:28:01.299 --> 00:28:02.259 The spoils of war. 00:28:02.660 --> 00:28:03.779 So they're asking him, 00:28:03.839 --> 00:28:04.680 they're upset with him, 00:28:04.839 --> 00:28:05.519 why didn't you 00:28:05.519 --> 00:28:06.240 take us with you? 00:28:06.339 --> 00:28:07.019 This way we would 00:28:07.019 --> 00:28:08.420 get something as well. 00:28:08.559 --> 00:28:09.640 You deprived us 00:28:09.640 --> 00:28:11.059 of an opportunity 00:28:11.059 --> 00:28:13.799 to make some wealth 00:28:13.799 --> 00:28:14.480 here. 00:28:14.480 --> 00:28:17.039 and he answers 00:28:17.039 --> 00:28:18.240 them by saying, 00:28:18.420 --> 00:28:18.539 well, 00:28:19.079 --> 00:28:20.360 you didn't help me, 00:28:20.559 --> 00:28:21.400 et cetera, et cetera. 00:28:22.099 --> 00:28:23.339 And then take a look 00:28:23.339 --> 00:28:24.440 at the end 00:28:24.440 --> 00:28:25.839 of verse 6, 00:28:26.759 --> 00:28:27.440 toward the end 00:28:27.440 --> 00:28:28.680 of the 6. 00:28:30.039 --> 00:28:32.480 42,000 Ephraimites 00:28:32.480 --> 00:28:33.839 were killed 00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:35.400 at that time. 00:28:36.660 --> 00:28:37.819 Because of his 00:28:37.819 --> 00:28:38.900 harsh answer, 00:28:40.059 --> 00:28:41.120 Israel went 00:28:41.120 --> 00:28:42.480 into a civil war. 00:28:42.480 --> 00:28:44.599 and in that 00:28:44.599 --> 00:28:45.299 civil war, 00:28:46.360 --> 00:28:47.440 between him 00:28:47.440 --> 00:28:49.259 and his allies 00:28:49.259 --> 00:28:50.360 and them, 00:28:51.559 --> 00:28:52.299 because of that 00:28:52.299 --> 00:28:52.920 civil war, 00:28:53.460 --> 00:28:55.759 42,000 people 00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:56.440 were killed. 00:28:58.099 --> 00:28:59.099 That many 00:28:59.099 --> 00:29:01.000 were hurt 00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:02.200 because 00:29:02.200 --> 00:29:05.160 of the way 00:29:05.160 --> 00:29:05.759 he handled 00:29:05.759 --> 00:29:06.579 that situation. 00:29:06.579 --> 00:29:08.639 the irony 00:29:08.639 --> 00:29:09.139 of it 00:29:09.139 --> 00:29:10.559 is chapter 8. 00:29:11.259 --> 00:29:11.899 So take a look 00:29:11.899 --> 00:29:12.839 at chapter 8. 00:29:13.779 --> 00:29:14.659 The same 00:29:14.659 --> 00:29:15.399 situation, 00:29:16.539 --> 00:29:17.079 the same 00:29:17.079 --> 00:29:18.240 exact situation, 00:29:19.079 --> 00:29:20.119 but with a 00:29:20.119 --> 00:29:20.799 different judge. 00:29:24.960 --> 00:29:25.519 Now, 00:29:25.659 --> 00:29:26.339 the Ephraimites 00:29:26.339 --> 00:29:27.460 asked Gideon, 00:29:28.179 --> 00:29:29.039 why have you 00:29:29.039 --> 00:29:29.559 treated us 00:29:29.559 --> 00:29:30.159 like this? 00:29:30.779 --> 00:29:31.599 Why didn't you 00:29:31.599 --> 00:29:32.159 call us 00:29:32.159 --> 00:29:33.079 when you went 00:29:33.079 --> 00:29:34.019 to fight Midian? 00:29:34.220 --> 00:29:34.419 You know, 00:29:34.480 --> 00:29:35.139 you didn't take us 00:29:35.140 --> 00:29:35.860 with you to war, 00:29:35.980 --> 00:29:37.120 we didn't make 00:29:37.120 --> 00:29:37.660 any profit. 00:29:39.400 --> 00:29:39.880 So, 00:29:40.200 --> 00:29:40.840 just as they 00:29:40.840 --> 00:29:41.740 were challenging 00:29:41.740 --> 00:29:43.060 Jephthah 00:29:43.060 --> 00:29:43.860 later on, 00:29:44.140 --> 00:29:44.920 they're challenging 00:29:44.920 --> 00:29:46.920 Gideon 00:29:46.920 --> 00:29:47.780 right now. 00:29:48.840 --> 00:29:49.600 Why didn't 00:29:49.600 --> 00:29:50.240 you call us 00:29:50.240 --> 00:29:50.860 when we went 00:29:50.860 --> 00:29:51.580 to fight Midian? 00:29:51.960 --> 00:29:52.580 And they 00:29:52.580 --> 00:29:53.420 criticized him 00:29:53.420 --> 00:29:53.860 sharply. 00:29:54.520 --> 00:29:55.320 But he 00:29:55.320 --> 00:29:56.060 answered them, 00:29:56.580 --> 00:29:57.200 what have I 00:29:57.200 --> 00:29:57.759 accomplished 00:29:57.759 --> 00:29:58.780 compared to you? 00:30:00.020 --> 00:30:00.620 Aren't the 00:30:00.620 --> 00:30:01.180 gleanings 00:30:01.180 --> 00:30:02.080 of Ephraim's 00:30:02.080 --> 00:30:02.420 grapes 00:30:02.420 --> 00:30:03.480 better than 00:30:03.480 --> 00:30:03.860 the full 00:30:03.860 --> 00:30:04.599 grape harvest 00:30:04.599 --> 00:30:05.539 of Abiezar? 00:30:05.940 --> 00:30:06.440 I'd have 00:30:06.440 --> 00:30:06.799 to explain 00:30:06.799 --> 00:30:07.059 that. 00:30:07.740 --> 00:30:08.299 God 00:30:08.299 --> 00:30:08.700 gave 00:30:08.700 --> 00:30:09.680 Ghorab 00:30:09.680 --> 00:30:10.299 and Ziv, 00:30:10.640 --> 00:30:11.220 the Midianite 00:30:11.220 --> 00:30:11.599 leaders, 00:30:11.740 --> 00:30:12.120 into your 00:30:12.120 --> 00:30:12.460 hands? 00:30:13.779 --> 00:30:14.420 What was 00:30:14.420 --> 00:30:14.819 I able 00:30:14.819 --> 00:30:15.420 to do 00:30:15.420 --> 00:30:16.039 compared 00:30:16.039 --> 00:30:16.579 to you? 00:30:17.779 --> 00:30:18.420 At this, 00:30:18.860 --> 00:30:19.500 their resentment 00:30:19.500 --> 00:30:20.579 against him 00:30:20.579 --> 00:30:21.900 subsided. 00:30:21.900 --> 00:30:24.840 to put it 00:30:24.840 --> 00:30:25.560 in simple 00:30:25.560 --> 00:30:26.019 English, 00:30:26.480 --> 00:30:26.820 they said, 00:30:26.900 --> 00:30:27.259 why didn't 00:30:27.259 --> 00:30:27.600 you take 00:30:27.600 --> 00:30:27.980 us to 00:30:27.980 --> 00:30:28.280 war? 00:30:28.460 --> 00:30:28.660 Don't 00:30:28.660 --> 00:30:30.440 you realize 00:30:30.440 --> 00:30:30.800 that we 00:30:30.800 --> 00:30:31.140 lost 00:30:31.140 --> 00:30:32.640 benefits, 00:30:32.800 --> 00:30:32.960 et cetera, 00:30:33.060 --> 00:30:33.259 et cetera? 00:30:33.800 --> 00:30:34.160 And he 00:30:34.160 --> 00:30:34.320 says, 00:30:34.400 --> 00:30:34.720 what did 00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:34.960 I 00:30:34.960 --> 00:30:35.400 accomplish? 00:30:36.400 --> 00:30:36.720 So, 00:30:36.840 --> 00:30:37.340 I defeated 00:30:37.340 --> 00:30:37.680 them. 00:30:38.040 --> 00:30:38.560 But look 00:30:38.560 --> 00:30:39.040 at my 00:30:39.040 --> 00:30:39.640 accomplishments. 00:30:40.180 --> 00:30:40.600 My 00:30:40.600 --> 00:30:41.300 accomplishments 00:30:41.300 --> 00:30:42.259 compared to 00:30:42.259 --> 00:30:42.640 you 00:30:42.640 --> 00:30:44.820 is like 00:30:44.820 --> 00:30:45.240 nothing. 00:30:47.320 --> 00:30:47.900 You could 00:30:47.900 --> 00:30:48.360 accomplish 00:30:48.360 --> 00:30:49.019 more 00:30:49.019 --> 00:30:51.299 in coma 00:30:51.299 --> 00:30:52.160 than I 00:30:52.160 --> 00:30:52.339 could 00:30:52.339 --> 00:30:52.940 accomplish 00:30:52.940 --> 00:30:54.200 in 10 00:30:54.200 --> 00:30:54.700 years. 00:30:55.240 --> 00:30:55.980 I can't 00:30:55.980 --> 00:30:56.779 even begin 00:30:56.779 --> 00:30:57.440 to compare 00:30:57.440 --> 00:30:57.920 to you. 00:30:58.440 --> 00:30:59.079 I can't 00:30:59.079 --> 00:31:00.039 even start 00:31:00.039 --> 00:31:02.420 to look 00:31:02.420 --> 00:31:03.160 at myself 00:31:03.160 --> 00:31:03.859 and yours. 00:31:04.319 --> 00:31:04.819 You are 00:31:04.819 --> 00:31:05.440 that much 00:31:05.440 --> 00:31:05.799 better. 00:31:06.579 --> 00:31:07.059 You're 00:31:07.059 --> 00:31:07.660 that much 00:31:07.660 --> 00:31:08.160 skilled. 00:31:08.379 --> 00:31:08.740 You're 00:31:08.740 --> 00:31:09.220 that much 00:31:09.220 --> 00:31:09.759 everything. 00:31:11.680 --> 00:31:12.160 And so, 00:31:13.740 --> 00:31:14.000 they 00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:14.460 relented. 00:31:15.980 --> 00:31:16.900 And the 00:31:16.900 --> 00:31:17.299 resentment 00:31:17.299 --> 00:31:18.019 was gone. 00:31:19.019 --> 00:31:19.400 So, 00:31:19.940 --> 00:31:20.339 one 00:31:20.339 --> 00:31:21.000 answer 00:31:21.000 --> 00:31:22.200 resulted 00:31:22.200 --> 00:31:23.079 in resentment 00:31:23.079 --> 00:31:24.000 but it 00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:24.700 was averted. 00:31:25.420 --> 00:31:25.839 Another 00:31:25.839 --> 00:31:26.400 answer 00:31:26.400 --> 00:31:28.460 resulted 00:31:28.460 --> 00:31:29.740 in a 00:31:29.740 --> 00:31:30.319 civil war 00:31:30.319 --> 00:31:30.799 that took 00:31:30.799 --> 00:31:31.799 42,000 00:31:31.799 --> 00:31:33.859 voices. 00:31:35.740 --> 00:31:36.339 Maybe 00:31:36.339 --> 00:31:36.879 the point 00:31:36.879 --> 00:31:37.579 is Proverbs 00:31:37.579 --> 00:31:38.259 15, 00:31:38.379 --> 00:31:38.879 verse 1. 00:31:41.980 --> 00:31:42.599 Please 00:31:42.599 --> 00:31:42.940 take a 00:31:42.940 --> 00:31:43.359 look at 00:31:43.359 --> 00:31:43.839 Proverbs 00:31:43.839 --> 00:31:44.539 15, 00:31:44.799 --> 00:31:45.500 verse 1. 00:31:49.019 --> 00:32:00.680 A gentle 00:32:00.680 --> 00:32:01.400 answer 00:32:01.400 --> 00:32:02.839 turns away 00:32:02.839 --> 00:32:03.339 wrath 00:32:03.339 --> 00:32:05.000 but a 00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:05.740 harsh word 00:32:05.740 --> 00:32:07.460 stirs up 00:32:07.460 --> 00:32:08.119 anger. 00:32:11.619 --> 00:32:12.960 Verse 18, 00:32:12.960 --> 00:32:14.480 a hot 00:32:14.480 --> 00:32:15.019 tempered 00:32:15.019 --> 00:32:15.420 man 00:32:15.420 --> 00:32:16.720 stirs up 00:32:16.720 --> 00:32:17.460 dissension 00:32:17.460 --> 00:32:18.779 but a 00:32:18.779 --> 00:32:19.180 patient 00:32:19.180 --> 00:32:19.720 man 00:32:19.720 --> 00:32:20.840 calms 00:32:20.840 --> 00:32:21.140 a 00:32:21.140 --> 00:32:21.640 quarrel. 00:32:25.380 --> 00:32:25.819 Jephthah 00:32:25.819 --> 00:32:26.180 never 00:32:26.180 --> 00:32:27.100 became a 00:32:27.100 --> 00:32:27.559 second 00:32:27.559 --> 00:32:28.019 David 00:32:28.019 --> 00:32:28.559 or a 00:32:28.559 --> 00:32:28.799 first 00:32:28.799 --> 00:32:29.240 David 00:32:29.240 --> 00:32:30.360 because 00:32:30.360 --> 00:32:31.039 of the 00:32:31.039 --> 00:32:31.799 ways he 00:32:31.799 --> 00:32:32.279 used 00:32:32.279 --> 00:32:32.880 words. 00:32:33.980 --> 00:32:34.240 In 00:32:34.240 --> 00:32:34.640 one 00:32:34.640 --> 00:32:35.140 case, 00:32:35.960 --> 00:32:36.120 he 00:32:36.120 --> 00:32:37.400 takes a 00:32:37.400 --> 00:32:37.819 foolish 00:32:37.819 --> 00:32:38.279 vow. 00:32:38.279 --> 00:32:39.279 in 00:32:39.279 --> 00:32:39.680 another 00:32:39.680 --> 00:32:40.200 case, 00:32:40.960 --> 00:32:41.180 he 00:32:41.180 --> 00:32:41.920 stirs 00:32:41.920 --> 00:32:42.240 up 00:32:42.240 --> 00:32:43.059 wrath 00:32:43.059 --> 00:32:43.319 and 00:32:43.319 --> 00:32:43.700 anger 00:32:43.700 --> 00:32:43.960 and 00:32:43.960 --> 00:32:44.240 civil 00:32:44.240 --> 00:32:44.639 war. 00:32:46.139 --> 00:32:46.420 We 00:32:46.420 --> 00:32:46.960 all, 00:32:47.119 --> 00:32:47.779 all of 00:32:47.779 --> 00:32:48.139 us, 00:32:50.220 --> 00:32:50.559 should 00:32:50.559 --> 00:32:51.420 listen 00:32:51.420 --> 00:32:52.220 seriously 00:32:52.220 --> 00:32:53.240 to 00:32:53.240 --> 00:32:53.799 Proverbs 00:32:53.799 --> 00:32:54.399 15, 00:32:54.480 --> 00:32:54.720 1. 00:32:55.259 --> 00:32:55.519 A 00:32:55.519 --> 00:32:56.019 gentle 00:32:56.019 --> 00:32:56.619 answer 00:32:56.619 --> 00:32:57.099 turns 00:32:57.099 --> 00:32:57.440 away 00:32:57.440 --> 00:32:57.899 wrath 00:32:57.899 --> 00:32:58.819 but a 00:32:58.819 --> 00:32:59.200 harsh 00:32:59.200 --> 00:32:59.599 word 00:32:59.599 --> 00:33:00.639 stirs 00:33:00.639 --> 00:33:00.920 up 00:33:00.920 --> 00:33:01.440 anger. 00:33:01.440 --> 00:33:05.000 I 00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:05.180 am 00:33:05.180 --> 00:33:05.559 sure 00:33:05.559 --> 00:33:06.460 that 00:33:06.460 --> 00:33:06.700 in 00:33:06.700 --> 00:33:06.940 this 00:33:06.940 --> 00:33:07.299 church 00:33:07.299 --> 00:33:07.860 some 00:33:07.860 --> 00:33:08.080 will 00:33:08.080 --> 00:33:08.380 agree 00:33:08.380 --> 00:33:08.600 with 00:33:08.600 --> 00:33:08.720 the 00:33:08.720 --> 00:33:09.019 elders, 00:33:09.200 --> 00:33:09.360 some 00:33:09.360 --> 00:33:09.580 will 00:33:09.580 --> 00:33:09.980 disagree 00:33:09.980 --> 00:33:10.299 with 00:33:10.299 --> 00:33:10.740 elders, 00:33:10.900 --> 00:33:11.180 et cetera, 00:33:11.299 --> 00:33:11.559 et cetera. 00:33:12.200 --> 00:33:12.740 It 00:33:12.740 --> 00:33:13.180 doesn't 00:33:13.180 --> 00:33:13.460 matter 00:33:13.460 --> 00:33:13.840 what 00:33:13.840 --> 00:33:14.019 you 00:33:14.019 --> 00:33:14.420 think. 00:33:15.080 --> 00:33:15.160 I 00:33:15.160 --> 00:33:15.279 mean, 00:33:15.340 --> 00:33:15.440 it 00:33:15.440 --> 00:33:15.640 does 00:33:15.640 --> 00:33:15.900 matter, 00:33:15.980 --> 00:33:16.120 of 00:33:16.120 --> 00:33:16.259 course 00:33:16.259 --> 00:33:16.440 it 00:33:16.440 --> 00:33:16.759 matters, 00:33:17.140 --> 00:33:17.259 but 00:33:17.259 --> 00:33:17.440 what 00:33:17.440 --> 00:33:17.580 I 00:33:17.580 --> 00:33:17.740 mean, 00:33:17.840 --> 00:33:18.000 it 00:33:18.000 --> 00:33:18.360 doesn't 00:33:18.360 --> 00:33:18.640 matter 00:33:18.640 --> 00:33:18.900 in 00:33:18.900 --> 00:33:19.420 relationship 00:33:19.420 --> 00:33:19.700 to 00:33:19.700 --> 00:33:20.039 this. 00:33:21.080 --> 00:33:21.380 We 00:33:21.380 --> 00:33:21.720 need 00:33:21.720 --> 00:33:21.880 to 00:33:21.880 --> 00:33:22.080 be 00:33:22.080 --> 00:33:22.680 gentle 00:33:22.680 --> 00:33:23.160 and 00:33:23.160 --> 00:33:23.580 kind 00:33:23.580 --> 00:33:23.840 with 00:33:23.840 --> 00:33:24.059 each 00:33:24.059 --> 00:33:24.320 other. 00:33:24.880 --> 00:33:25.100 We 00:33:25.100 --> 00:33:25.360 need 00:33:25.360 --> 00:33:25.539 to 00:33:25.539 --> 00:33:25.840 use 00:33:25.840 --> 00:33:26.340 gentle 00:33:26.340 --> 00:33:26.860 words 00:33:26.860 --> 00:33:27.660 and 00:33:27.660 --> 00:33:28.180 kindness 00:33:28.180 --> 00:33:29.220 rather 00:33:29.220 --> 00:33:29.519 than 00:33:29.519 --> 00:33:29.940 harsh 00:33:29.940 --> 00:33:30.360 words. 00:33:31.440 --> 00:33:31.880 James 00:33:31.880 --> 00:33:32.279 talks 00:33:32.279 --> 00:33:32.539 about 00:33:32.539 --> 00:33:32.759 the 00:33:32.759 --> 00:33:33.080 power 00:33:33.080 --> 00:33:33.320 of 00:33:33.320 --> 00:33:33.460 the 00:33:33.460 --> 00:33:33.799 tongue. 00:33:34.320 --> 00:33:34.680 He 00:33:34.680 --> 00:33:35.200 compares 00:33:35.200 --> 00:33:35.480 it 00:33:35.480 --> 00:33:35.660 to 00:33:35.660 --> 00:33:35.860 the 00:33:35.860 --> 00:33:36.299 rudder 00:33:36.299 --> 00:33:36.580 of 00:33:36.580 --> 00:33:36.740 a 00:33:36.740 --> 00:33:37.000 ship. 00:33:37.140 --> 00:33:37.279 The 00:33:37.279 --> 00:33:37.500 ship 00:33:37.500 --> 00:33:37.720 is 00:33:37.720 --> 00:33:38.220 huge 00:33:38.220 --> 00:33:39.140 and 00:33:39.140 --> 00:33:39.500 it 00:33:39.500 --> 00:33:39.799 takes 00:33:39.799 --> 00:33:40.019 the 00:33:40.019 --> 00:33:40.360 winds 00:33:40.360 --> 00:33:40.640 to 00:33:40.640 --> 00:33:41.019 move 00:33:41.019 --> 00:33:41.240 it, 00:33:41.660 --> 00:33:41.799 but 00:33:41.799 --> 00:33:42.080 it's 00:33:42.080 --> 00:33:42.360 the 00:33:42.360 --> 00:33:42.720 rudder 00:33:42.720 --> 00:33:43.039 that 00:33:43.039 --> 00:33:43.500 directs 00:33:43.500 --> 00:33:43.680 its 00:33:43.680 --> 00:33:44.080 direction. 00:33:44.240 --> 00:33:44.320 You 00:33:44.320 --> 00:33:44.660 push 00:33:44.660 --> 00:33:44.799 it 00:33:44.799 --> 00:33:44.980 this 00:33:44.980 --> 00:33:45.220 way, 00:33:45.600 --> 00:33:45.700 the 00:33:45.700 --> 00:33:45.860 ship 00:33:45.860 --> 00:33:46.120 turns 00:33:46.120 --> 00:33:46.340 like 00:33:46.340 --> 00:33:46.539 this, 00:33:46.600 --> 00:33:46.700 you 00:33:46.700 --> 00:33:46.860 push 00:33:46.860 --> 00:33:46.980 it 00:33:46.980 --> 00:33:47.160 that 00:33:47.160 --> 00:33:47.340 way, 00:33:47.420 --> 00:33:47.660 the 00:33:47.660 --> 00:33:47.880 ship 00:33:47.880 --> 00:33:48.539 takes 00:33:48.539 --> 00:33:48.759 like 00:33:48.759 --> 00:33:49.000 that. 00:33:49.360 --> 00:33:49.660 It's 00:33:49.660 --> 00:33:49.900 a 00:33:49.900 --> 00:33:50.299 simple 00:33:50.299 --> 00:33:50.660 rudder 00:33:50.660 --> 00:33:51.440 that 00:33:51.440 --> 00:33:51.820 directs 00:33:51.820 --> 00:33:51.980 the 00:33:51.980 --> 00:33:52.279 whole 00:33:52.279 --> 00:33:52.759 ship. 00:33:54.580 --> 00:33:54.779 The 00:33:54.779 --> 00:33:55.019 tongue 00:33:55.019 --> 00:33:55.220 is 00:33:55.220 --> 00:33:55.539 also 00:33:55.539 --> 00:33:56.039 compared 00:33:56.039 --> 00:33:56.440 to 00:33:56.440 --> 00:33:57.099 matches. 00:33:57.660 --> 00:33:57.779 They 00:33:57.779 --> 00:33:58.119 start 00:33:58.119 --> 00:33:58.900 fire and 00:33:58.900 --> 00:33:59.059 they 00:33:59.059 --> 00:33:59.220 can 00:33:59.220 --> 00:33:59.480 burn 00:33:59.480 --> 00:33:59.839 down 00:33:59.839 --> 00:34:00.599 whole 00:34:00.599 --> 00:34:01.579 forests. 00:34:02.119 --> 00:34:02.379 Those 00:34:02.379 --> 00:34:02.660 of us 00:34:02.660 --> 00:34:02.799 who 00:34:02.799 --> 00:34:03.000 lived 00:34:03.000 --> 00:34:03.180 in 00:34:03.180 --> 00:34:03.639 California 00:34:03.639 --> 00:34:04.059 or 00:34:04.059 --> 00:34:04.240 are 00:34:04.240 --> 00:34:04.500 keeping 00:34:04.500 --> 00:34:04.859 up 00:34:04.859 --> 00:34:05.420 with 00:34:05.420 --> 00:34:05.579 the 00:34:05.579 --> 00:34:05.839 news 00:34:05.839 --> 00:34:06.059 in 00:34:06.059 --> 00:34:06.500 California 00:34:06.500 --> 00:34:06.900 know 00:34:06.900 --> 00:34:07.379 of 00:34:07.379 --> 00:34:07.519 the 00:34:07.519 --> 00:34:07.859 fires 00:34:07.859 --> 00:34:08.199 taking 00:34:08.199 --> 00:34:08.659 place 00:34:08.659 --> 00:34:09.219 in 00:34:09.219 --> 00:34:09.739 California. 00:34:11.400 --> 00:34:11.880 Tongues 00:34:11.880 --> 00:34:12.759 can 00:34:12.759 --> 00:34:13.199 change 00:34:13.199 --> 00:34:13.739 direction 00:34:13.739 --> 00:34:14.000 of 00:34:14.000 --> 00:34:14.420 things. 00:34:15.440 --> 00:34:15.880 Tongues 00:34:15.880 --> 00:34:16.519 can 00:34:16.519 --> 00:34:16.960 burn 00:34:16.960 --> 00:34:17.820 whole 00:34:17.820 --> 00:34:18.360 forests. 00:34:19.920 --> 00:34:20.699 So 00:34:20.699 --> 00:34:21.000 I 00:34:21.000 --> 00:34:21.219 would 00:34:21.219 --> 00:34:21.880 encourage 00:34:21.880 --> 00:34:22.340 all 00:34:22.340 --> 00:34:22.480 of 00:34:22.480 --> 00:34:22.800 us 00:34:22.800 --> 00:34:24.360 to 00:34:24.360 --> 00:34:24.820 opt 00:34:24.820 --> 00:34:25.140 for 00:34:25.140 --> 00:34:25.380 a 00:34:25.380 --> 00:34:25.720 gentle 00:34:25.720 --> 00:34:26.420 answer 00:34:26.420 --> 00:34:27.740 rather 00:34:27.740 --> 00:34:28.019 than 00:34:28.019 --> 00:34:28.220 a 00:34:28.220 --> 00:34:28.539 harsh 00:34:28.539 --> 00:34:28.940 word. 00:34:30.059 --> 00:34:30.400 Let's 00:34:30.400 --> 00:34:30.880 try not 00:34:30.880 --> 00:34:31.079 to 00:34:31.079 --> 00:34:31.360 start 00:34:31.360 --> 00:34:31.519 a 00:34:31.519 --> 00:34:31.800 fire. 00:34:33.039 --> 00:34:33.360 Let's 00:34:33.360 --> 00:34:33.680 try 00:34:33.680 --> 00:34:35.500 to be 00:34:35.500 --> 00:34:35.880 kind 00:34:35.880 --> 00:34:36.160 and 00:34:36.160 --> 00:34:36.519 gracious. 00:34:37.340 --> 00:34:37.740 Not 00:34:37.740 --> 00:34:37.960 to 00:34:37.960 --> 00:34:38.140 end 00:34:38.140 --> 00:34:38.380 up 00:34:38.380 --> 00:34:38.820 with 00:34:38.820 --> 00:34:39.660 a 00:34:39.660 --> 00:34:39.880 civil 00:34:39.880 --> 00:34:40.280 war 00:34:40.280 --> 00:34:42.280 but 00:34:42.280 --> 00:34:42.519 to 00:34:42.519 --> 00:34:42.880 deal 00:34:42.880 --> 00:34:44.019 in 00:34:44.019 --> 00:34:44.160 a 00:34:44.160 --> 00:34:44.440 kind 00:34:44.440 --> 00:34:44.760 way 00:34:44.760 --> 00:34:45.180 that 00:34:45.180 --> 00:34:45.320 you 00:34:45.320 --> 00:34:45.519 can 00:34:45.519 --> 00:34:45.840 move 00:34:45.840 --> 00:34:46.340 resentment. 00:34:52.019 --> 00:34:52.660 One 00:34:52.660 --> 00:34:53.039 last 00:34:53.039 --> 00:34:53.320 thing 00:34:53.320 --> 00:34:53.519 you 00:34:53.519 --> 00:34:53.760 should 00:34:53.760 --> 00:34:54.360 look 00:34:54.360 --> 00:34:54.740 at 00:34:54.740 --> 00:34:55.160 you 00:34:55.160 --> 00:34:55.360 should 00:34:55.360 --> 00:34:55.760 notice 00:34:55.760 --> 00:34:56.080 in 00:34:56.080 --> 00:34:56.700 Jephthah's 00:34:56.700 --> 00:34:57.600 narrative 00:34:57.600 --> 00:34:58.800 is this 00:34:58.800 --> 00:35:00.240 with 00:35:00.240 --> 00:35:00.680 every 00:35:00.680 --> 00:35:01.140 judge 00:35:01.140 --> 00:35:01.840 it 00:35:01.840 --> 00:35:02.220 says 00:35:02.220 --> 00:35:02.880 the 00:35:02.880 --> 00:35:03.540 land 00:35:03.540 --> 00:35:04.180 had 00:35:04.180 --> 00:35:04.840 rest 00:35:04.840 --> 00:35:06.500 after 00:35:06.500 --> 00:35:06.720 his 00:35:06.720 --> 00:35:07.080 victory. 00:35:07.940 --> 00:35:08.220 No 00:35:08.220 --> 00:35:08.780 rest 00:35:08.780 --> 00:35:09.040 is 00:35:09.040 --> 00:35:09.400 mentioned 00:35:09.400 --> 00:35:09.840 here. 00:35:10.800 --> 00:35:10.960 No 00:35:10.960 --> 00:35:11.400 rest. 00:35:15.520 --> 00:35:15.800 A 00:35:15.800 --> 00:35:17.380 civil 00:35:17.380 --> 00:35:17.780 war 00:35:17.780 --> 00:35:19.020 it's 00:35:19.020 --> 00:35:19.240 one 00:35:19.240 --> 00:35:19.400 thing 00:35:19.400 --> 00:35:19.740 if you 00:35:19.740 --> 00:35:20.360 attack 00:35:20.360 --> 00:35:20.840 Egyptians 00:35:20.840 --> 00:35:21.200 it's 00:35:21.200 --> 00:35:21.360 one 00:35:21.360 --> 00:35:21.500 thing 00:35:21.500 --> 00:35:21.760 if you 00:35:21.760 --> 00:35:22.140 attack 00:35:22.139 --> 00:35:24.960 the 00:35:24.960 --> 00:35:25.359 Greeks 00:35:25.359 --> 00:35:25.579 or 00:35:25.579 --> 00:35:25.699 the 00:35:25.699 --> 00:35:26.099 Phoenicians 00:35:26.099 --> 00:35:26.319 or 00:35:26.319 --> 00:35:26.460 the 00:35:26.460 --> 00:35:26.940 Amorites 00:35:26.940 --> 00:35:27.559 but 00:35:27.559 --> 00:35:27.739 when 00:35:27.739 --> 00:35:27.879 you 00:35:27.879 --> 00:35:28.219 attack 00:35:28.219 --> 00:35:28.400 your 00:35:28.400 --> 00:35:28.639 own 00:35:28.639 --> 00:35:29.059 family 00:35:29.059 --> 00:35:29.420 and 00:35:29.420 --> 00:35:29.539 you 00:35:29.539 --> 00:35:29.759 cause 00:35:29.759 --> 00:35:29.900 a 00:35:29.900 --> 00:35:30.099 civil 00:35:30.099 --> 00:35:30.420 war 00:35:30.420 --> 00:35:31.759 that's 00:35:31.759 --> 00:35:32.059 another 00:35:32.059 --> 00:35:32.500 story. 00:35:32.500 --> 00:35:33.679 Let's have a word of 00:35:33.679 --> 00:35:33.879 prayer. 00:35:41.559 --> 00:35:42.480 Thank you 00:35:42.480 --> 00:35:43.339 father that you 00:35:43.339 --> 00:35:44.159 use people 00:35:44.159 --> 00:35:44.839 who are 00:35:44.839 --> 00:35:45.940 not 00:35:45.940 --> 00:35:46.940 accepted 00:35:46.940 --> 00:35:47.940 in society 00:35:47.940 --> 00:35:49.359 people 00:35:49.359 --> 00:35:50.219 who are 00:35:50.219 --> 00:35:50.940 seen as 00:35:50.940 --> 00:35:51.859 illegitimate 00:35:51.859 --> 00:35:52.239 as 00:35:52.239 --> 00:35:53.019 inferior 00:35:53.019 --> 00:35:53.759 as 00:35:53.759 --> 00:35:55.019 having no 00:35:55.019 --> 00:35:55.440 position 00:35:55.440 --> 00:35:56.079 or no 00:35:56.079 --> 00:35:56.559 right to 00:35:56.559 --> 00:35:57.000 anything 00:35:57.000 --> 00:35:58.539 thank you 00:35:58.539 --> 00:35:59.039 that that's 00:35:59.039 --> 00:35:59.539 not how 00:35:59.539 --> 00:35:59.940 you deal 00:35:59.940 --> 00:36:00.539 with us. 00:36:00.539 --> 00:36:02.199 none 00:36:02.199 --> 00:36:02.500 of us 00:36:02.500 --> 00:36:03.079 was saved 00:36:03.079 --> 00:36:03.400 because 00:36:03.400 --> 00:36:03.659 we're 00:36:03.659 --> 00:36:04.019 good. 00:36:05.179 --> 00:36:05.380 None 00:36:05.380 --> 00:36:05.659 of us 00:36:05.659 --> 00:36:06.179 was saved 00:36:06.179 --> 00:36:06.519 because 00:36:06.519 --> 00:36:06.820 we're 00:36:06.820 --> 00:36:07.199 noble. 00:36:08.380 --> 00:36:08.579 None 00:36:08.579 --> 00:36:08.880 of us 00:36:08.880 --> 00:36:09.400 was saved 00:36:09.400 --> 00:36:09.739 because 00:36:09.739 --> 00:36:10.380 we deserved 00:36:10.380 --> 00:36:10.639 it. 00:36:11.559 --> 00:36:11.779 We 00:36:11.779 --> 00:36:12.400 were all 00:36:12.400 --> 00:36:12.840 saved 00:36:12.840 --> 00:36:13.820 because 00:36:13.820 --> 00:36:14.239 your 00:36:14.239 --> 00:36:14.739 grace 00:36:14.739 --> 00:36:15.440 extended 00:36:15.440 --> 00:36:16.019 to us 00:36:16.019 --> 00:36:16.679 and reached 00:36:16.679 --> 00:36:17.019 us. 00:36:17.980 --> 00:36:18.480 We 00:36:18.480 --> 00:36:18.940 have no 00:36:18.940 --> 00:36:19.380 business 00:36:19.380 --> 00:36:19.860 boasting 00:36:19.860 --> 00:36:20.259 about 00:36:20.259 --> 00:36:20.699 anything 00:36:20.699 --> 00:36:21.099 we have 00:36:21.099 --> 00:36:21.539 accomplished. 00:36:21.779 --> 00:36:21.900 We 00:36:21.900 --> 00:36:22.059 have 00:36:22.059 --> 00:36:22.500 accomplished 00:36:22.500 --> 00:36:22.920 nothing. 00:36:23.920 --> 00:36:24.159 It 00:36:24.159 --> 00:36:24.340 is 00:36:24.340 --> 00:36:24.559 your 00:36:24.559 --> 00:36:24.940 grace 00:36:24.940 --> 00:36:25.119 and 00:36:25.119 --> 00:36:25.300 your 00:36:25.300 --> 00:36:25.539 Holy 00:36:25.539 --> 00:36:25.980 Spirit 00:36:25.980 --> 00:36:27.639 that 00:36:27.639 --> 00:36:29.039 works 00:36:29.039 --> 00:36:29.360 in our 00:36:29.360 --> 00:36:29.739 lives. 00:36:30.539 --> 00:36:30.900 And so 00:36:30.900 --> 00:36:31.239 we are 00:36:31.239 --> 00:36:31.679 grateful 00:36:31.679 --> 00:36:32.259 for that. 00:36:33.300 --> 00:36:33.539 We 00:36:33.539 --> 00:36:34.099 thank you 00:36:34.099 --> 00:36:34.440 that it 00:36:34.440 --> 00:36:34.980 is not 00:36:34.980 --> 00:36:35.360 on the 00:36:35.360 --> 00:36:35.599 basis 00:36:35.599 --> 00:36:36.420 of 00:36:36.420 --> 00:36:36.880 merits 00:36:36.880 --> 00:36:38.579 but 00:36:38.579 --> 00:36:38.739 it 00:36:38.739 --> 00:36:38.960 is 00:36:38.960 --> 00:36:39.759 on the 00:36:39.759 --> 00:36:40.000 basis 00:36:40.000 --> 00:36:40.259 of 00:36:40.259 --> 00:36:40.500 your 00:36:40.500 --> 00:36:41.099 enormous 00:36:41.099 --> 00:36:41.960 generosity 00:36:41.960 --> 00:36:43.400 and 00:36:43.400 --> 00:36:43.699 love. 00:36:45.139 --> 00:36:45.659 So 00:36:45.659 --> 00:36:45.880 we 00:36:45.880 --> 00:36:46.059 are 00:36:46.059 --> 00:36:46.400 filled 00:36:46.400 --> 00:36:46.619 with 00:36:46.619 --> 00:36:47.059 gratitude 00:36:47.059 --> 00:36:47.639 for 00:36:47.639 --> 00:36:47.840 your 00:36:47.840 --> 00:36:48.279 salvation. 00:36:49.639 --> 00:36:49.920 I 00:36:49.920 --> 00:36:50.139 pray 00:36:50.139 --> 00:36:50.440 Father 00:36:50.440 --> 00:36:50.679 for 00:36:50.679 --> 00:36:50.900 this 00:36:50.900 --> 00:36:51.460 congregation 00:36:51.460 --> 00:36:52.480 that 00:36:52.480 --> 00:36:52.779 even 00:36:52.779 --> 00:36:53.079 as 00:36:53.079 --> 00:36:53.360 we 00:36:53.360 --> 00:36:54.779 learn 00:36:54.779 --> 00:36:55.000 to 00:36:55.000 --> 00:36:55.199 love 00:36:55.199 --> 00:36:55.360 you 00:36:55.360 --> 00:36:55.559 and 00:36:55.559 --> 00:36:55.719 to 00:36:55.719 --> 00:36:56.099 continue 00:36:56.099 --> 00:36:56.360 to 00:36:56.360 --> 00:36:56.639 grow 00:36:56.639 --> 00:36:56.860 in 00:36:56.860 --> 00:36:57.079 loving 00:36:57.079 --> 00:36:57.320 you 00:36:57.320 --> 00:36:57.980 we 00:36:57.980 --> 00:36:58.119 would 00:36:58.119 --> 00:36:58.380 also 00:36:58.380 --> 00:36:58.579 be 00:36:58.579 --> 00:36:58.820 able 00:36:58.820 --> 00:36:59.019 to 00:36:59.019 --> 00:36:59.400 continue 00:36:59.400 --> 00:36:59.719 to 00:36:59.719 --> 00:37:00.079 grow 00:37:00.079 --> 00:37:01.159 and 00:37:01.159 --> 00:37:01.420 loving 00:37:01.420 --> 00:37:01.759 and 00:37:01.759 --> 00:37:02.019 caring 00:37:02.019 --> 00:37:02.319 about 00:37:02.319 --> 00:37:02.579 each 00:37:02.579 --> 00:37:02.880 other 00:37:02.880 --> 00:37:03.559 whether 00:37:03.559 --> 00:37:03.799 we 00:37:03.799 --> 00:37:04.179 agree 00:37:04.179 --> 00:37:04.480 or 00:37:04.480 --> 00:37:04.779 don't 00:37:04.779 --> 00:37:05.139 agree 00:37:05.139 --> 00:37:06.679 whether 00:37:06.679 --> 00:37:06.880 we 00:37:06.880 --> 00:37:07.079 see 00:37:07.079 --> 00:37:07.360 things 00:37:07.360 --> 00:37:07.559 the 00:37:07.559 --> 00:37:07.779 same 00:37:07.779 --> 00:37:08.079 way 00:37:08.079 --> 00:37:08.380 or 00:37:08.380 --> 00:37:08.739 not 00:37:08.739 --> 00:37:09.739 whether 00:37:09.739 --> 00:37:09.980 we 00:37:09.980 --> 00:37:10.139 are 00:37:10.139 --> 00:37:10.699 Republicans 00:37:10.699 --> 00:37:11.179 or 00:37:11.179 --> 00:37:11.860 Democrats 00:37:11.860 --> 00:37:13.659 whether 00:37:13.659 --> 00:37:13.920 we 00:37:13.920 --> 00:37:14.079 are 00:37:14.079 --> 00:37:14.699 Europeans 00:37:14.699 --> 00:37:15.099 or 00:37:15.099 --> 00:37:15.559 Asians 00:37:15.559 --> 00:37:16.779 or 00:37:16.779 --> 00:37:17.699 Arabs 00:37:17.699 --> 00:37:19.939 I 00:37:19.939 --> 00:37:20.199 pray 00:37:20.199 --> 00:37:20.439 I 00:37:20.439 --> 00:37:20.939 pray 00:37:20.939 --> 00:37:22.759 rather 00:37:22.759 --> 00:37:23.119 than 00:37:23.119 --> 00:37:25.099 the 00:37:25.099 --> 00:37:26.159 example 00:37:26.159 --> 00:37:26.679 of 00:37:26.679 --> 00:37:27.639 Jephthah 00:37:27.639 --> 00:37:28.799 we 00:37:28.799 --> 00:37:29.000 would 00:37:29.000 --> 00:37:29.419 follow 00:37:29.419 --> 00:37:29.659 the 00:37:29.659 --> 00:37:30.139 example 00:37:30.139 --> 00:37:30.399 of 00:37:30.399 --> 00:37:30.919 Gideon 00:37:30.919 --> 00:37:33.759 and 00:37:33.759 --> 00:37:33.960 so 00:37:33.960 --> 00:37:34.159 we 00:37:34.159 --> 00:37:34.460 commit 00:37:34.460 --> 00:37:34.899 ourselves 00:37:34.899 --> 00:37:35.139 to 00:37:35.139 --> 00:37:35.279 you 00:37:35.279 --> 00:37:35.500 Lord 00:37:35.500 --> 00:37:35.879 Father 00:37:35.879 --> 00:37:36.980 in 00:37:36.980 --> 00:37:37.299 Jesus 00:37:37.299 --> 00:37:37.739 name 00:37:37.739 --> 00:37:38.859 Amen 00:37:38.859 --> 00:37:40.299 Amen 00:37:40.300 --> 00:37:41.039 Amen 00:37:41.039 --> 00:38:11.019 Thank you.