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Our discussion is about sacrifice.
Now, from our convention this year,
we’ve realized that worshipping Jehovah
involves giving him things
and giving up things for Jehovah.
And in our congregations and at Bethel here,
we’re surrounded by beautiful examples
—aren’t we?—
of ones who have given up much
to serve Jehovah.
But our discussion
is less about what we give to Jehovah
or how much we give to Jehovah
and more about why we give to Jehovah
—why we make sacrifices.
And so we’ll see what we can learn
about motivation behind sacrifice
by examining a heartwarming Bible account,
that of Jephthah’s daughter.
Now, it’s an account
that we’re very familiar with.
Before going to battle,
Jephthah makes a vow to Jehovah
that if Jehovah gives him the victory,
the first person who’d come out to meet him
would be devoted to Jehovah,
devoted to serving Jehovah at the sanctuary.
We know how that turned out.
The first person to come meet Jephthah
was his only daughter.
And she had to give the rest of her life
serving Jehovah at the tabernacle
as a single woman.
Now, there’s so much
that we can discuss about this account.
It’s a fascinating one.
But we’ll focus simply on her response,
her response when she heard about that vow,
if you’d like to open your Bibles
to Judges chapter 11.
How did she respond
when she first heard
about what her father had done
—made this vow
that would affect the rest of her life?
So Judges chapter 11,
we see her father (verse 35)
tell her what just happened
(end of verse 35):
“Now I have opened my mouth to Jehovah,
and I am unable to turn back.”
How does she respond?
Now, often our minds go straight to verse 37:
“Let me be alone for two months,
and let me go away into the mountains.”
‘I’ve got to think about this.
I’ve got to pray.’
But that’s not her immediate response,
is it?
What is her response?
It’s in verse 36:
“But she said to him: ‘My father,
“‘if you have opened your mouth to Jehovah,
do to me as you have promised’”
—“do to me as you have promised.”
She expresses her support
for her father’s vow immediately.
She doesn’t flinch.
She doesn’t hesitate: ‘I’ll do it.’
That’s amazing!
Isn’t it?
Why?
Did she not really realize
what she was saying yes to?
Was she doing it just because she realized
she probably didn’t have a choice?
Was she doing it
just to make her father happy?
We don’t have to guess.
She tells us why she says yes so quickly.
Notice in the rest of the verse.
So she says:
“Do to me as you have promised
“[why?
Notice her next words],
“since Jehovah
has executed vengeance for you
upon your enemies, the Ammonites”
—“since Jehovah
has executed vengeance for you.”
We might not know Jephthah’s daughter’s name,
but these few words
tell us what was in her heart
—a deep love and appreciation for Jehovah.
That’s why she was willing
to support her father’s vow
—appreciation for what Jehovah
had done for Israel,
for her father,
and no doubt for her too.
Consider what this victory over the Ammonites
meant for her.
Chapter 10 gives us the context
that we need to analyze this.
The Ammonites had been oppressing Israel
for 18 years.
For this young woman,
that’s all she knew
—life under oppression, fear, bullying,
and worrying about when
the next attack would come.
Jephthah’s daughter lived
on the east side of the Jordan,
not only as a close neighbor to the Ammonites
but in a territory
that was especially targeted.
The Bible says that they especially “crushed
and . . . oppressed” that area.
The Israelites were so distressed,
they were begging Jehovah:
‘Save us from the Ammonites.’
Do you think she might have said
some of those prayers too?
Now picture when her father is summoned
to battle for Gilead
against the Ammonites.
The account only tells us
how happy she was when he returned,
but can you imagine the scene
when he left?
How was she feeling?
No doubt she was proud
of her father’s willingness
to fight for Jehovah’s name,
but was she also a little scared?
Did it dawn on her that
that might be the last time
she sees her father alive?
Can you picture her praying,
asking Jehovah to give her father the victory
and to protect him in battle?
No wonder, then,
when she hears the good news of the victory
and she sees her father coming back,
she runs out to him,
dancing to the beat of her tambourine,
as if saying, ‘Thank you, Jehovah.’
Was that appreciation?
She was so happy, so full of gratitude.
That’s what motivated her
to support her father’s vow
no matter what sacrifice it meant for her.
Appreciation
was the backbone of her sacrifice.
Wouldn’t you agree,
our deep love for Jehovah
and our appreciation
is the backbone of the sacrifices
that we make also?
We all feel that way:
Where would we be without Jehovah?
Jehovah has given us life.
He’s drawn us to him.
He’s given us a beautiful spiritual family.
And then we can think
of personally, individually,
the blessings
that Jehovah has given us,
the prayers
that he’s answered for us personally.
While we continue
to cultivate that appreciation,
not only does it make it easier
to make sacrifices
but it brings joy when we make sacrifices.
We start making sacrifices
—would you agree?—
as if we don’t even know
it’s a sacrifice as we do it.
But Jehovah notices it.
We may not realize the sacrifices
that we’re making sometimes,
but Jehovah notices our sacrifice.
Where do we see that in this account?
Well, if you go to verse 39:
“At the end of two months,
she returned to her father,
“after which he carried out the vow
he had made regarding her.
She never had relations with a man.”
Now, that’s a simple statement
that means a lot.
It tells us
that she remained faithful to her vow.
It also shows that Jehovah
wanted us to know that she was faithful.
He must have been so proud of her.
He noticed her sacrifice,
and he noticed her endurance throughout.
Beautiful!
Now, those words tell us something else too.
If you think of who penned those words,
who else noticed her sacrifice?
Well, we attribute the book of Judges
to Samuel.
Now, our publications often tell us
that Samuel and Jephthah’s daughter
likely served at the same time in Shiloh.
If that’s the case,
these words don’t just tell us
that Samuel knew that she stayed faithful.
He saw her example day in and day out,
even the difficult times
that were happening at the tabernacle.
Likely, he would have related to her
because they were both there
in Shiloh for the same reason:
One of their parents had made a vow.
Did her example motivate him
to fulfill his vow?
Whatever the case,
she set a beautiful example for him.
That makes me think
of our young ones around us,
the young ones who started to pioneer
when they finished school.
Or maybe you’ve come to Bethel,
or came to Bethel, when you were 18 or 19.
Do you have a younger sibling back home
or maybe friends?
Now, they may not admit it.
They may not tell you this,
but they look up to you.
They see the sacrifices that you’ve made.
And even more important,
they see the smiles, the enthusiasm,
on your faces as you tell them, as you talk,
about your assignments.
They even likely see your spiritual progress.
You’re setting a beautiful example for them.
They notice your example,
and it will help them to make good decisions.
So how can we summarize
what we’ve learned today
or what we’ve talked about?
What motivates us
to make sacrifices to Jehovah?
It’s not obligation; it’s not recognition.
It’s this deep love and appreciation
for everything Jehovah has done for us.
Our choices not only honor Jehovah,
but they can encourage and help others.
So may we continue
to serve Jehovah wholeheartedly,
knowing that he notices
and appreciates
every sacrifice we make for him.

D’Arcy MacEwan: Offering Sacrifices Out of Love and Appreciation (Judg. 11:36)