Judges 11:29-40
29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced toward the people of Ammon. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, 31 then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”
32 So Jephthah advanced toward the people of Ammon to fight against them, and the LORD delivered them into his hands. 33 And he defeated them from Aroer as far as Minnith—twenty cities—and to Abel Keramim, with a very great slaughter. Thus the people of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.
34 When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot go back on it.”
36 So she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to the LORD, do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon.” 37 Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and bewail my virginity, my friends and I.”
38 So he said, “Go.” And he sent her away for two months; and she went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains. 39 And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man. And it became a custom in Israel 40 that the daughters of Israel went four days each year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.
29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced toward the people of Ammon. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, 31 then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”
32 So Jephthah advanced toward the people of Ammon to fight against them, and the LORD delivered them into his hands. 33 And he defeated them from Aroer as far as Minnith—twenty cities—and to Abel Keramim, with a very great slaughter. Thus the people of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.
34 When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot go back on it.”
36 So she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to the LORD, do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon.” 37 Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and bewail my virginity, my friends and I.”
38 So he said, “Go.” And he sent her away for two months; and she went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains. 39 And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man. And it became a custom in Israel 40 that the daughters of Israel went four days each year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.
Be careful what you vow as Deuteronomy 23:21-23 demanded; if a vow is made, it is not to be broken (Numbers 30:2). This is why Jephthah should have not been rash in vowing in order to gain victory over the enemy. He could have just asked the LORD to honor and glorify Himself in the battle to keep His people safe and victorious instead. But we read here how he made that rash vow and was bound by the Law and his word to keep it. He vowed to offer “whatever comes out of the doors of my house to greet me,” which obviously had to be a person unless animals were in the house. That is a dangerous promise to offer up what could be a family member or even a servant; human sacrifices were what pagans offered, not God’s people. He clearly acted rashly in order to guarantee God’s hand of victory over Ammon. He paid dearly when his only daughter emerged from the house on his return, but kept his vow. This eve became a custom for young Israeli women to remember her for four days. Yes, the daughter understood that the vow was to the LORD and could not be disregarded, but a life was offered when trust in God’s hand of victory would have been much wiser. We see Jesus tell us in Matthew 5:33-37 that we are to do what we promise to Him, but that it was far better to count the cost and not take any oath, simply saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to taking any action. This is repeated in James 5:12 for our instruction, telling us not to swear, but give a yes to do something or a no not to. How that would have benefited Jephthah and his daughter! We are to count the cost of following Christ, and then simply commit to do what we say with forethought and not blind or rash vows in order to earn God’s blessings on our labors. If He calls is to do something, it should be done without trying to persuade or influence the Lord to our favor. Luke 17:10 makes it clear that what we do is what is required, not earned, and trying to move God’s hand for what He already has planned is foolish. Our Yes to obey or No to not is better than rash vows with such consequences. Our victory is in Christ, not a vow.
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