Lesson 209 - Senior
Memory Verse
"When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed" (Ecclesiastes 5:4).
Cross References
I Instructions Concerning Vows
1. It is sin not to keep a vow, [DEU:23:21], [DEU:23:23]; [NUM:30:2]; [JOB:22:27]; [PS:50:14-15]; [PS:66:13-14].
2. It is not sin to refrain from making a vow, [DEU:23:22].
3. Be careful not to make rash vows, [ECC:5:1-7].
II Jephthah's Vow
1. Jephthah took his problem to the Lord, [JUG:11:11].
2. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, [JUG:11:29].
3. Jephthah made a vow, [JUG:11:30-31].
4. The Lord gave him victory over his enemies, [JUG:11:32-33].
5. Jephthah is determined to keep his vow, [JUG:11:34-35].
Notes
Solemn Vows
A vow is a specific, solemn promise made to God. For example, when Hannah asked for a son, she vowed, "I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head" (I Samuel 1:11). This was a specific promise made to the Lord, and not just a consecration to be willing to give Samuel to the Lord if He required it. When we consecrate to God our all, we must give Him our time, talent, or service when He desires them. When we vow a vow we must meet the conditions of that vow. Some have vowed to spend an hour a day in prayer, testify at certain times, to do or not to do some particular thing. That is specific promise, a vow, and must be met by the one who made it. Before making a vow one should count the cost to see if he is able to keep that vow. It is very foolish to vow to give more than one has or can reasonably be expected to have, for it is sin not to pay a vow.
In the age in which we live men regard promises very lightly. By many people, a promise is kept, if it is convenient. Businessmen often make promises, and then, after the transaction is closed, go back on their word. Sometimes a man will break his promise if he sees he will lose money on the deal. A true Christian's word is good. When he makes a promise God demands that he keep it, whether it be to God or to his fellow man. Especially binding is a promise made to God. "When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee" (Deuteronomy 23:21).
When a sinner comes seeking salvation, he makes a consecration to God to give the Lord his life in service. That consecration may not be uttered aloud, but it is a consecration, nevertheless. God requires that he keep it. Oftentimes, restitution is involved. God will take a man at his word that he will straighten out any crooked dealings he has had with his fellow man. Sometimes a man is saved and then weakness and backs down, refuses to keep his promise when confronted with hard confessions, and loses the victory. He has made a promise to God and is not willing to pay it. When God reveals the price, it must be paid -" there is no way around it.
"But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth" (Deuteronomy 23:22, 23). If we promise God a freewill offering, we must give Him that freewill offering. It is no longer ours to give or not to give as we see fit, but is an obligation unto the Lord. If, on the other hand, we do not make a vow to give an offering unto the Lord, we do not sin. "Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay" (Ecclesiastes 5:5).
Hasty Promises
We are cautioned not to be rash or hasty with our words. "A fool's voice is known by multitude of words." God help us not to be fools, but let us weigh our words and utter them wisely! "When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed." God ha no pleasure in fools. He expects a vow to be kept, be it uttered foolishly or otherwise.
In time of sickness or distress we are driven to search our hearts and renew our vows and consecrations. We, may be permitted to be tried that our consecrations might go deeper. God calls us to keep consecrations in such a time, but when victory is won we must be like David of old who said: "I will pay thee my vows, which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble" (Psalm 66:13, 14).
Jephthah's Petition
Jephthah was a man who was greatly burdened in heart. He had been asked to lead the inhabitants of Gilead to battle against the Ammonites. He knew that it would require a power greater than his own to lead these people who had once thrust him out, and to win a successful campaign against Ammon. "Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh" (Judges 11:11). He took his problems to the Lord in prayer.
"Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon" (Judges 11:29). He evidently was recruiting his forces as he passed through the territory. It is remarkable how the Spirit of the Lord came upon these mighty men of God in olden times, preparing them for battle. Without the they were not prepared to go forth to fight. It seems to have been a type of the baptism of the Holy Ghost, only in our dispensation the Spirit of God comes to abide forever. Here it was just a special enduement for their particular service. That is the way it was with Samson. The Spirit of the Lord came upon the judges who ruled, and gave them wisdom to lead the Israelites.
A Crucial Time
When Jephthah saw that war was inevitable he made a vow unto the Lord. The interest of Israel was at state; the nation was facing peril. Jephthah had been called to a place of responsibility, and he wanted to see success at all costs.
When one sees the need of having the help of God in whatever he does, then that need begins to take precedence over everything else. If he is earnestly sincere he is going to go very deep in the consecrations and promises he makes unto the Lord. That is the position in which Jephthah was. It was a crucial time. Is there any place where we can draw the line when it comes to seeking an experience from God -" say, for example, the baptism of the Holy Ghost? All lines and limitations are thrown down. We must get to the place where we will say, "I will pay the price; I will go through at any cost." It is necessary to get to that point in order to receive the Holy Ghost. It takes a deep consecration. Jephthah reached very much that place when he made a specific vow unto the Lord.
The Real Test
God honoured Jephthaph's vow and gave him the victory. It was then that the real test came. That is often the case with us: the consecrations are made; the victory is won; then God lays His finger upon our lives. He says, "You promised this; did you meant it?" Sometimes people begin to twist and squirm at this point. Sometimes they begin to pull back on their consecrations. But this was not so with Jephthah. His words were, "I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back." These words reveal the character and show what a great man Jephthah was. Great men have won places of valour upon the field of battle, but here was a man whom God could use and trust. "I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back."
No Retreat
What determination this speaks! Retreat? Never! "I cannot go back." That is the real fighting spirit. God saw something in this fighting man that all Heaven could approve. It is not just upon the field of battle that men display their valour. Sometimes the true test comes during prosperity and honour.
Jesus was looking for men with a firm decision to remain true to the end, when He said, "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62). Are you fit for the kingdom? Have you paid your vows, or are you looking back? Elisha had that will to go all the way with Elijah. When asked to "tarry here," he replied, "As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee" (II Kings 2:2). Elisha received the mantle of Elijah. The power was his! What is your goal? Is your purpose just as firm?
Ruth, the Moabitees, was steadfastly minded when she pleaded: "Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me" (Ruth 1:16, 17). Are you steadfastly minded? Can you, with these, and like Jephthah, say, "I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back"?
Questions
1. What is a vow?
2. What prompts people to make vows?
3. To whom is one likened who does not pay his vows?
4. What is meant by a rash vow?
5. Of whom do we read in the New Testament who made a vow?
6. What was Jephthah's attitude toward keeping his vow?
7. In what connection is Jephthah mentioned in the New Testament?
8. In what way did God honour Jephthah's vow?