Making Promises To God

The Ammonites were determined to destroy Israel, and their claims had been just an excuse.  They ignored Jephthah’s overtures for peace, and attacked.  Judges 11:29-31 describes Jephthah’s response.  “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.”

In the excitement of the moment and hoping to secure God’s blessing, Jephthah promised to sacrifice whatever came out of his house to meet him when he returned if they were successful.  Judges 11:32-33 describes the victory.  “So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.  And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.”

When Jephthah returned home, he was horrified by what his vow was going to cost, as Judges 11:34-35 tells us.  “And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.  And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.”

Jephthah had made the vow with no thought of what it might entail.   God was already committed to giving the victory and there was no need to bribe him to help them.   The vow indicates an underlying doubt that God would keep his promise, and as Romans 14:23 tells us, “…whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”  Jephthah regretted having made such a commitment, but realized he was obligated to keep it.  Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 warns, “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.  Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.  Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?”  Once he had made the promise he dared not break it even though he had made it rashly. 

Jephthah’s daughter understood, and encouraged him to fulfil the vow, just asking for two months to mourn the things she would never get to experience before she was sacrificed, in Judges 11:36-40.  “And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.  And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.

And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.  And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.”

Facing the death of a loved one, or during an emotionally charged religious service it is easy to make commitments to God that he did not want.  The only time God asked a person to sacrifice a child was when he asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, and even then he prevented him from carrying it out, and he had not wanted Jephthah to sacrifice his daughter.  Many times in emotionally charged situations, people commit to things God does not want, but once they have made the commitment, as Ecclesiastes 5:5 says, saying I made a mistake doesn’t let us off the hook.  I wonder how many people are going to be judged for not having fulfilled the promises they made to perform a certain ministry during some emotionally charged revival or youth rally, or how many pastors will be judged for having encouraged such promises when God was not calling the person to such a ministry?  It is always better not to make a promise than to break one, and especially a promise to God.