By

Shelby G. Floyd

We must be careful about making big or rash promises to the Lord without counting the costs of doing what we say we will do. If we do not we cannot be his disciples. Once a man made a big promise to Jesus:

“I will follow you wherever you go” (Luke 9:57).

Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Luke 9:58).

Jephthah’s Rash Promise
Jephthah was a mighty warrior. He was also a man of faith and courage. He was the son of a prostitute. Because of this his brothers drove him away from the family. However, when they needed a military man to save them from their enemy, the elders of Gilead invited Jephthah to be their leader. He was the man to get the job done. But without thinking things through he made a rash vow to God: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, 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). God gave him the victory, but when he returned home, his only daughter was the first person to come out of his door. He had to keep his promise and it seems she was devoted to the Lord as a living sacrifice for the rest of her life (Judges 11:35-40). Let us give our bodies as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1).

Saul’s Rash Promise
Saul, the first King of Israel made a rash vow: “Cursed be any man who eats food before evening comes, before I have avenged myself on my enemies!” (1 Samuel 14:24). His son Jonathan did not hear his father charge Israel and in the forest he dipped his staff in the honeycomb and when he put it to his mouth his eyes became bright. When he was told what he had done, he said their victory would have been greater had the people taken some nourishment for they were faint. Be careful about promises!

Copyright © 2019 Shelby G. Floyd, All Rights Reserved

Shelby G. Floyd
Heartland Church of Christ
1693 West Main Street
Greenwood, Indiana 46142