BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT YOU PROMISE GOD

PROCLAMATION

“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 … I will offer it up for a burnt offering.”  Judges 11:30-31 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Prophet Samuel.  After Israel had sinned again and again and again, The Lord God let them be punished and then sent Tola the son of Puah, (Judges 10:1-2) then Jair of Gilead, (Judges 10:3-5) then Jephthah, the son of Gilead and a prostitute, to judge and lead them.  Jephthah was a mighty warrior but his half brothers forced him out of the house and the city because they did not want the son of a prostitute to share in their father’s inheritance. (Judges 11:1-3)  Some time later the Ammonites attacked the Israelites and the elders of Gilead went to Jephthah and asked him to be their captain and commander.  He reminded them that they drove him out of his father’s house, but they made it clear that they wanted him now and that they would follow him. (Judges 11:4-10)  Jephthah agreed to lead them and sent messengers to the Ammonite King asking why he had attacked Israel.  He replied that the Israelites had taken his land and he wanted it back.  He sent a message back to the king saying that The Lord their God had given them the land.  The king ignored his message.  Then Jephthah made a vow unto The Lord saying that if He allowed him to be victorious over the Ammonites, then he would offer the first to come out of his house to meet him when he returns as an offering to The Lord. (Judges 11:30-31)  Jephthah defeated the Ammonites and when he returned home his daughter and only child was the first to come out to meet him and he kept his promise. (Judges 11:32-40)

 

APPLICATION

In hard times when we are desperate, we will barter with God and make promises to Him stating what we will do if He does what we want.  All too often He does what we asked but we fail to keep our end of the deal.  I am not sure what our punishment will be for doing that, but I am sure that we will have to answer to Him for it.  We need to be very careful what we say when we are talking to God in prayer asking for something.  Some of the time that which we ask for may not be in our best interest.