And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and said: “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering ... for I have given my word to the Lord, and I cannot go back on it.”
— Judges 11:30-31, 35
JEPHTHAH had made a terrible vow.
Sometimes when we are in trouble we do that. “God, if You will just get me out of this, I’ll do such and such.” When a person has made a foolish vow, it is really better to confess the sin of the foolish vow than to carry the vow through. In Jephthah’s case, to carry the vow through was a greater sin than breaking the vow.
SOME VOWS SIMPLY SHOULD NOT BE KEPT. BUT, THERE ARE OTHER VOWS YOU CANNOT GO BACK ON.
I have opened my mouth before the Lord and confessed that Jesus Christ is my Savior, that I am depending solely upon Him for my salvation, and that He is the Lord of my life.
Because of this, there are certain things I cannot do. Number one: I cannot go back into that old life of sin and self-centeredness. With the apostles, I must declare, “Lord, only You have the words of eternal life. To whom can I go?” Number two: I cannot deny the love and the peace that Jesus has brought into my life.
Lord, if we have strayed from that first love, help us listen to Your Holy Spirit and return again, until we love You with all we have.
Amen.