Page 23 - June 2025 - Truth & Tidings

Consecratory Vow pires for greater devotion to God, and lays
Thirty verses into Judges 11, and we hold on the greatness of God to carry out
find Jephthah has been anything but what he himself is unable to do. It is not
bribing God but a believing apprehension
rash and flawed. His vow comes in the of God. It is a godly “putting your money
middle of a section where he is moving where your mouth is.” It is stepping out in
in fellowship with the Spirit of God; note faith, where the vower says he is “all in”
that the phrase “he passed over unto the on God and proves by his actions that his
children of Ammon” (vv29,32) bookends prayer is not mere words. A vow is an act
his vow (vv30-31). His vow is not made of commitment to God. It arises out of a
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in the heat of a battle, when his back is sense of one’s impotence, but knowing
against the wall, but rather it is made in that God is abundantly able to do what he
the preparation stage. He is busy rallying cannot. The vower legally binds himself to
the troops, thus fulfilling the obligations the character of God, and in faith expects
of a dutiful judge. To date, Jephthah has Him to perform what He alone can accom-
been very careful with his words, a point plish. Vows also have the happy habit of
that the author has stressed repeatedly getting more than they bargain for. Jacob
(vv11,28). In private, therefore, he calls vowed for bread (Gen 28:20) but got the
on the name of the Lord by way of a vow, Abrahamic blessing. Hannah asked for
because he knows that it is the Lord who one child but ended up with a family
grants victory (vv23-24). (1Sa 2:21). Vows immortalised common
In our day, in which the idol of safety men as Nazarites (Num 6:2; Amo 2:11;
and risk-aversion smothers godly initia- Lam 4:7). God is no man’s debtor; it surely
tive and casting our all on God, vows are brings Him pleasure when His people,
either misunderstood or outright frowned aware of their own need, cast themselves
upon. However, vows in the Bible are a wholeheartedly and unreservedly upon
mark of godliness and fidelity. Far from Him, not just in words of prayer but in
being prohibited, they are expected and a legally binding vow. Like a wedding
commended, although regulated (Num vow, it is an act of great commitment and
30). The only censure on vows is failure supreme trust. Since God is intrinsically
to keep them, not the act of making them good, Jephthah was entering into contract
(Deu 23:21; Ecc 5:4-5). Jephthah joins the with the best of all partners.
likes of the Nazarites (Num 6:2), Hannah Jephthah’s vow says, “If Thou dost at
(1Sa 1:11) and David (Psa 56:12) in making all give the Bene-Ammon into my hand,
vows. In fact, Jephthah is following recent then it hath been, that which at all cometh
precedent before going into battle: “Israel out from the doors of my house to meet
vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, me in my turning back in peace from the
If thou wilt indeed deliver [Arad the Ca- Bene-Ammon – it hath been to Jehovah, or
naanite] into my hand, then I will utterly I have offered up for it – a burnt-offering”
destroy their cities” (Num 21:2). (11:30-31 YLT).
Vows are often made in the Bible when
a person acknowledges his own need, as- The vow is deliberately general and
slightly ambiguous; it is “whatever”
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV comes out of the house, not “whoever.”
unless otherwise noted. The thing that comes out, “it” will be of-
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