DCLM Daily Manna 11 April 2024 

TOPIC:  The Rash Vow

TEXT: JUDGES 11:29-40 
²⁹ 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.

³⁰ And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,

³¹ 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.

³² So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord delivered them into his hands.

³³ 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.

³⁴ 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.

³⁵ 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.

³⁶ 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.

³⁷ 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.

³⁸ 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.

³⁹ 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,

⁴⁰ That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

KEY VERSE
“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”
(Judges 11:30,31).

DCLM Daily Manna 11 April 2024 MESSAGE

As the wealthy oil tycoon lay on his deathbed, his pastor talked of God’s healing power. “Pastor,” he gasped, “if God heals me, I’ll give the church a million dollars.” Miraculously, the man revived and within few weeks was out of the hospital. One day, several months later, he and the pastor chatted on the sidewalk in front of a hardware store. “You know,” the pastor said, “when you were in the hospital dying, you promised to give the church a million dollars if you got well. We haven’t got it yet.” “Did I say that?” the tycoon asked. “I guess that goes to show how sick I really was!”

In our passage, we are confronted with the story of Jephthah, who vowed that if he defeated the Ammonites, he would sacrifice the first thing that came out of his house to God when he returned home. His daughter, who was his only child, was the one who greeted him on his return. This was highly regrettable to Jephthah, as his only daughter remained unmarried and knew no man till her death.

READ DCLM Daily Manna Wednesday 10 April 2024 – A Nearer Kinsman

Today, there are many people who in the heat of emotion or personal challenges have made hasty promises to God, which they later found difficult to fulfil. However, once they get what they want, they forget or pile up excuses why they would not be able to keep their vows.

It is instructive to note that though the vow was difficult for Jephthah, but as a man of integrity, he fulfilled his vow. God is not pleased with us when we make promises and do not keep them. We must not make vows we find difficult to keep (Deuteronomy 23:21; Ecclesiastics 5:4). Always be thoughtful and patient before you open your mouth before the Lord. Avoid making rash vows based on emotions.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Avoid making vows you cannot fulfil.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: PSALMS 68-7