Today I read Judges 11, in which mighty man of valor Jephthah was chosen as captain to fight the children of Ammon. Jephthah grieved the vow concerning victory that he made to God, unknowingly involving his daughter. Today I considered we need to be careful of the promises we make to God and to people.
Jephthah’s Promise
Jephthah was chosen to fight and made a promise to God without considering the consequences (Judges 11:1-40). Gilead’s son Jephthah was a mighty man, kicked off the family land by his brothers, because he had a different mother. When the children of Ammon started a war against them, the elders asked Jephthah to come back and lead them to fight. Jephthah agreed to be their captain, but he would continue to be their leader. Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon explaining the history of the land, that God gave them the land, and they have now possessed it over 300 years. Their king did not listen. God’s spirit came upon Jephthah, and he traveled to the location to fight. Jephthah promised God he would offer to God the person who came to greet him after his victory to the lord and a burnt offering. Jephthah’s only child came to greet him after the victory with timbrels and dancing. Jephthah tore his clothes. Jephthah’s daughter was given two months to grieve her virginity and then obediently came back for her father to give her to the Lord.
Questions and Thoughts for Today
Christians need to be careful of the promises they make. Jephthah made a promise to God to give God the person who came to greet him when he came home in peace. Jephthah was probably happy when he made the promise, thinking about how he was accepted back into his family, God was going to give him the victory, and he would even be a leader of his people. In his excitement, Jephthah did not consider that his promise would impact one of the people he loved the most, his only child, his daughter. We also need to consider what our promises mean, how we are binding ourselves, how far does the promise goes, and the details of the promise.
When have you made a promise and wished you had thought about it more or had more details before making the promise?