Janelle Hernandez asks: Good evening. I'm a newer Christian. I was talking to a friend about visiting my church and she showed me a video of an Atheist guy giving verses about a woman being offered as a burnt sacrifice to God. Can you please explain this?

Hey there.

Yes. First off, it is important to understand that Atheists have tendencies to isolate verses in order to push an incorrect narrative of what the Bible actually teaches. In reality, a burnt sacrifice if not what took place, and the only way to reach this conclusion is literally to not read the entire chapter.

The Atheist is more than likely referring to the book of Judges, and speaking about Jephthah's daughter. In Judges 11:30-31, we are told that a judge of Israel, made a foolish vow that if God gave him victory in the upcoming battle, he would sacrifice whatever first came out of his door when he came home. Jephthah was victorious in the battle against the Ammonites, and when he arrived home his daughter came out to greet him.

In Judges 11:36-38, what we actually find is that the sacrifice deals with the daughter having to perpetually remain a virgin and not marry. We are not told that she had to be a burnt offering. This is a simple case of Atheists purposely adding to scripture.

Instead of a burnt offering, his daughter tells him that he needs to do what he promised the Lord, and that she wanted two months "to weep for my virginity". If dying from being burnt was the issue, she would not have needed two months to mourn her virginity, since two months was plenty of time to loose her virginity before death.

Lastly, it is important to understand that burnt human sacrifices is an abomination to God.

Leviticus 20:3 "I myself will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech, to make my sanctuary unclean and to profane my holy name."

Jeremiah 32:35 "They built the high places of Baal in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech, though I did not command them, nor did it enter into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin."

Hope this helps.

Comments:

Janelle Hernandez: Thank you guys for answering my question. It was really bothering me. That is something I will start doing. I will start reading entire chapters when I run into things like this. God bless you all

Hosts Joey and Chris: God bless you as well. It really is the best thing to do. Atheists do this on nearly all their arguments. Therefore, if we are going to put our faith on the Bible, knowing what it says is most important.

Janelle Hernandez: I definitely agree. Thanks again.

Judges 11:37

So she said to her father, "Let this thing be done for me: leave me alone two months, that I may go up and down on the mountains and weep for my virginity, I and my companions."