And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, 31 whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.” - Judges 11: 30, 31
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 of God (much like Abraham and Isaac) 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 until her death.
Today, there are many people who in the heat of emotion or personal challenges have made a hasty promise to God, which they later find difficult to fulfil. However, once they get what they want, they forget and pile up excuses why they won’t be able to keep their vows.
It is instructive to note that tough the vow was difficult for Jephthah, but as a man of integrity, he fulfills his vow. God is not pleased with us when we make promises and do not keep them. We must make vows we find difficult to keep (Deuteronomy 23: 21; Ecclesiastes 5: 4).
Joshua 24:15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
At 16, Environmental activist Jadav “Molai” Payeng saw hundreds of snakes dead (much as believers not alive). Jadav left his formal education to give all his attention to the forest. His consecration to reviving the snake forest made him vow that he will plant till his last breadth” saw it all.
This kind of exemplary consecration to a worthy cause, which will always make a difference in life and ministry is what we find in the life of Joshua. In this passage, the children of Israel were excited at the time, having defeated all their enemies and settled in the Promise Land.
But it was also a tempting time for them, given the possibility of forgetting God and adopting the idolatrous lifestyles of their Canaan Neighbours. Hence, Joshua called them to ponder on God’s faithfulness right from the Patriarch’s time and confronted them to choose to serve God exclusively or the gods of the Amorites while declaring his own personal resolve to serve the Lord with his household. Their promise to cleave unto the Lord made Joshua to make a covenant with the people that day.
It is often very easy for people to make promises to serve God, not money; only to renege and return to their old ways due to challenges. Are you fully persuaded about your decision to follow the lord to the end? (and we are told men don’t persuade women, but God persuades us, hence why his mercy is unlimited to persuade us he loves us). Our commitment to serve God should be for our lifetime, with no strings attached.
A wholesome consecration is one that can stand the test of time.
By W.F Kumuyi.
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