No details are offered concerning the leadership of Tola son of Puah son of Dodo (what a fine name!) and Jair (Judges 10:1-5). Yet that may be significant. Between the two of them they oversaw 45 years without scandal or war: not a bad legacy. Yet after that, once again “the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (10:6), leading to eighteen years of raiding by the Ammonites (10:8-9, 17).

The people of Gilead needed a hero, and they had none. So they recruited Jephthah, who had been cast out by his brothers because he was the son of a prostitute. Yet he had become a mighty warrior, and the leader of a band of raiders (11:1-3). After some negotiation, he became leader of Gilead (11:6-11); he then attempted to negotiate with the Ammonites, but they were determined to fight (11:12-28). The Lord gave Israel a decisive victory over the Ammonites (11:32-33).

But Jephthah had made a vow: if God would grant him the victory, then he would offer a sacrifice: whatever first came out his door to greet him when he got back to his home (11:30-31). This was a terribly stupid vow, and we can all foresee the tragic consequences. When he got home, it was his daughter who came dancing out the door to greet him. And so he fulfilled his vow to the Lord.

What should you do, when you have blurted out a promise that you should never have made? Do you go on to fulfill that promise, even though doing so causes great harm? Or do you break your vow, and accept whatever cost there is for doing so? The Bible gives us the example of Jephthah, but does not comment on whether it’s a good or bad example. It does not say, “Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and he fulfilled it, although the cost was very high: be like Jephthah.” It also does not say, “Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, but it was a stupid and dangerous vow, and even when he realized what a bad vow it was, he didn’t relent, but went ahead and made a bad situation far worse by fulfilling his vow. Don’t be like Jephthah.”

* * * * *

You call us to be faithful to our vows, Lord, yet sometimes we make promises that we should not have made. Sometimes we must stand by our promise, despite the cost; and sometimes we must see that making the vow was wrong, and fulfilling it will be even worse. Grant us the discernment and the courage to do what is right.

If you find these studies helpful, please Like, Subscribe, Comment, and Share. Thanks!