Ecclesiastes 5:2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. 7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.
This passage of scripture teaches us the valuable and practical lesson of deliberate and careful thought before saying, doing, or committing ourselves to anything, anyone, or to any responsibility. The principle does not only apply to our relationship with God, but it also applies to our interactions with our fellowmen. Before signing off on that loan, before committing oneself to an office at church, before hurrying into marriage, before standing security for in-laws and outlaws, we should take the necessary time to think things through in a calm and sober manner, asking God to direct us in all the ways of His choosing, and being patient and humble enough to wait on Him for answers.
When these principles of patience and prudence are applied across the spectrum of our daily experiences, they serve the practical purpose of saving us from making many serious mistakes, and from taking on responsibilities that we cannot handle in an efficient manner. Satan is often successful in tempting the Christian to make hasty, ill-advised moves, or to commit oneself to that which has not been properly investigated or researched.
This is what occurred when Jephtah made a rash vow to God, in return for victory over the foes of Israel. Being provoked by the king of Ammon, Jephtah was faced with the prospect of imminent war, and so he did the right thing by asking God for help in this time of dire need. However in his urgent request to the Lord for help, he included a hasty vow, without thoroughly thinking through what the vow could possibly entail. He promised God that if victory was granted him, he would offer as a sacrifice anything that first came out of his doors when he returned from war. Now anything means anything, which could include sheep, goats, chickens, puppies, cats, his children, his wife, or the family's favorite pet. Anything means anything. Let's read:
Judges 11:30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, 31 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. 32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord delivered them into his hands.
What happened after the victory was given, is what Jephtah least expected, for on his return home, his daughter was the first to emerge from his front door, and so he found himself in a dire predicament, in that he had already vowed to God, and yet his only child came out to meet him. Let's read:
Judges 11:34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back.
In our day we are often faced with situations where we are in desperate need of healing or deliverance, and in the heat of the moment we might pledge or promise to do such and such if deliverance is granted. In other instances we might be hurried on to sign contracts and mortgage notes because of deadlines, or in order to lock in certain interest rates, and it is often the case that pledges are thus made without calmly reasoning from cause to effect, the implications of our actions.
The Bible is very practical in its instructions, and when they are espoused and applied evenly across our daily actions and decision-making processes, can save us much unnecessary heartache and perplexity. We therefore end with a passage which teaches us to wait upon God, presenting our peculiar cases to Him and trusting Him to guide us with wisdom and discretion in all the affairs of life. Let's read:
Psalms 27:14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
We sincerely hope and pray that this brief presentation will be of benefit to all of us as we learn the valuable lesson of avoiding hasty moves. "Good night" and God bless!