Judges 11:29-31

Judges 11:29-31 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and … he passed over unto the children of Ammon. 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. Our verses tell of God’s deliverance from the Ammonites for the Children of Israel by Jephthah. But they also tell of Jephthah’s reckless vow. What is a vow? A vow is a solemn promise. “Cross my heart, hope to die; stick a needle in my eye.” is a childhood vow. But Jephthah was serious. If God would let him overcome the enemy, he would sacrifice whatever came out of his house first when he returned home victorious. And as he moaned, it happened to be his little daughter. The story is not clear. We don’t know if he actually sacrificed his daughter or not. It could be that he did. Or it could be that she was redeemed with an animal sacrifice, as baby Jesus was. We don’t know. But what we do know is that Jephthah made a hasty vow and lived to regret it. Hey, be careful what you say. Once you say something, you can’t take it back. Guard your words before they go out of your mouth. After your words are out, it’s too late.