As with all the judges, the story of Jephthah is a story of salvation. His story must be understood in the light of two verses in chapter 10: Verse 13 (“I will save you no more”) and v. 16 (“The LORD became impatient over the misery of Israel”). The Lord did not explicitly appoint Jephthah as Israel’s judge, and there is no indication that he spoke to Jephthah or spoke to anyone about Jephthah, but he did nevertheless, in his growing impatience over Israel’s misery, providentially use him to deliver his people.