Be Careful What You Vow

Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over [unto] the children of Ammon. And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. Judges 11:29-31  

God’s Holy Spirit was again poured out on another Judge over Israel. God humbles people that He uses… the shepherds Moses and David for example. Here was the son of a harlot—Jephthah, who was sent away from his father’s home by his half-brothers. They didn’t want anything to do with him and didn’t want him to share in their inheritance. God chose him to save the Israelites. The Ammonites tried to pick a fight saying that the Israelites had taken their land—but not so. Jephthah led the Israelites into battle and the Lord gave the Ammonites into Jephthah hands. He won the battle—but in his vow to the Lord may have lost his only child, his daughter. It is not clear in the scripture if he does sacrifice her. We have to hope that he followed the Commandment—Thou shalt not kill—and that God allowed his daughter to live a life separated from all others—like a nun. Jephthah was obedient to the Lord. He is an example to us to be careful what you vow.  

Prayer ~ Lord God, help me be obedient like Jephthah—but careful in the words I choose. Give me wisdom and understanding of this scripture as I apply it to my life.

Today’s Bible reading – Matthew 6:1-15, Acts 8:26-40, Psalms 14, Genesis 32-33.

© 2015 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.