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Preacher: Rev. Dr. Stephen M. Fearing

Text: Judges 11

Scripture's darkest stories demand our attention, not our avoidance. The horrific tale of Jephthah and his daughter from Judges 11 forces us to confront how religion can be weaponized to justify violence against the vulnerable.

The sermon traces Jephthah's journey from outcast to military leader, examining his desperate quest for validation and power. After making an unprompted vow to sacrifice whoever first greets him upon returning from battle, his only daughter becomes the victim of his ambition. Rather than taking responsibility, Jephthah blames her: "You have become the cause of great trouble to me." This victim-blaming mirrors patterns we see in domestic violence today.

Following womanist scholar Wilda Gafney's lead, the sermon names this nameless biblical victim "Niqtelah," meaning "she was killed" in Hebrew. This act of naming restores dignity to someone erased by patriarchal violence. The sermon challenges us to consider our complicity when we remain silent witnesses to abuse. During Niqtelah's two-month mourning period before her death, an entire community knew what was coming yet failed to intervene.

Just because a story appears in Scripture doesn't mean God endorses the actions depicted. We must discern between what is merely recorded and what is divinely approved. God never requested Jephthah's violent vow. Today, we continue to see religion manipulated through Christian nationalism, fundamentalism, and misuse of biblical texts to maintain harmful power dynamics.

The sermon concludes with a powerful alternative vow: to never use religion as a tool for harm. By wrestling honestly with these difficult texts, we honor victims of violence and commit ourselves to creating communities where such abuses cannot flourish.

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