Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Procla, the Wife of Pontius Pilate
Kellia: Judges 11:1-11, 29-40 Epistle: Colossians 3:17-4:1 Gospel: St. Luke 9:44-50
Judges 11:1-11, 29-40, especially vs. 35: "I have opened my mouth to the Lord,
and I cannot take back my vow." Let every Orthodox Christian remember the words of the Third
Antiphon of the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in meditating on this passage: "Set, O
Lord, a watch before my mouth, and a door of enclosure round about my lips. Incline not my
heart unto words of evil, to make excuse with excuses in sins" (Ps. 140:3,4 LXX). Today, sound
bytes, glib speech, and off-the-cuff remarks are prized, but let us ponder the seriousness of every
word we loose from our mouth and pray God to keep us from having to excuse ourselves with
excuses couched in greater sins. More so, may the Lord Who has so graciously sealed us with
"the gift of [His] holy, and almighty, and adorable Spirit...keep us in [His] sanctification."
Words and their power dominate the present passage: the words of Jephthah's half brothers who
"thrust him out," declaring that he would "not inherit in our father's house" (Jdg. 11:2), and there
were words exchanged between the elders of Gilead and Jephthah (vss. 6-10), and finally we
have the words of Jephthah's ill-conceived vow to offer as a holocaust offering "whoever comes
forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return victorious from the Ammonites" (vs.
31). Let us be attentive to words and their power!
As Jephthah and his brothers reached maturity in the household of Gilead their father, his half-brothers, taking advantage of their status as legitimate heirs, "thrust" Jephthah out of the home to
assure the inheritance to themselves exclusively. Thus, he was exiled into the land of Tob, an
area northeast of Gilead, a region of highlands bitterly disputed in modern Israel as the Golan
Heights (vss. 2,3). Being his father's son by a prostitute - and not even by a concubine such as
was Abimelech's status (Jdg. 8:31) - Jephthah accepted his exile and resorted to living by his
strength and wits as a bandit with a gang of "worthless fellows" (Jdg. 11:3).
However, "when the Ammonites made war against Israel" and conditions became bitter for the
people, "the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob" (vs. 5). They needed
leadership with military skill, daring, and strength. Jephthah was "their man" and his brothers
would have to "eat their words" and receive him back. Let us humble ourselves before the Lord
always "speaking the truth in love" (Eph. 4:15).
Observe the negotiations between Jephthah and the elders. Words were used carefully. The
elders asked him to return as "our leader," a word with military connotations (vs. 6). Hesitating,
Jephthah questioned why they wanted him, for they had driven him out earlier (vs. 7). They
admitted that they needed his skill to "fight with the Ammonites"and offered that he "be [their]
head over all the inhabitants of Gilead" (vs. 8). This word, "head," had wider connotations and
implied rulership. Jephthah held them to their words - that he become both "leader" and "head"
(vss. 9,10) - an agreement ratified "before the Lord at Mizpah" (vs. 11). Next we learn that "the
Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah" and "he passed on to the Ammonites" (vs. 29). The Holy
Spirit not being sufficient to him, Jephthah now resorted to a rash "vow to the Lord," exposing a
deep lack of trust in God for the coming battle (vs. 30). Nonetheless, he was victorious and
returned home to be greeted by his daughter (vss. 32-34). The rash words of his vow now
confronted him, and yet, in her love his daughter urged him to keep his vow, first allowing her a
time of mourning (vss. 35-39). As it is said, our "words have a way of coming home to haunt
us!" Let us be careful not to speak rashly, but to pray with David:
"The sayings of my mouth shall be unto Thy good pleasure, and the meditation of my heart shall
be before Thee for ever, O Lord, my helper and redeemer" (Ps. 18:14 LXX).