Avoid Presumption...
Judges 11:29 – “Then the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah…”
This is a truly interesting story. This story tells of Jephthah in Judges 11:29 - 40 and how he makes a very un-thoughtful vow unto the Lord. As he prepares to go to war, he tells God that if He will give him victory, he will sacrifice unto the Lord, the very first thing that comes out of his home to greet him when he returns from war. So Jephthah goes to war and the Lord gives him victory. Upon returning from war, his only daughter runs out to great him. Understandably, Jephthah regrets the vow he made to the Lord, yet because of his commitment, within the next 4 months, he keeps his word and sacrifices his daughter as a burnt offering to the Lord.
What a thought: the Sprit of the Lord was UPON Jephthah, and yet he made a foolish vow that to some degree ended in tragedy. How often does that happen to us? Maybe we read an awesome passage in scripture during a quiet time or in the midst of a worship service we get goose bumps from the presence of God. Upon these experiences in our excitement and zeal we begin to make commitments and promises to God that later we don’t follow through with because they were to hard, or we later realize that the promises we made were kind of foolish and we realize they weren’t from God, but because of our vows we feel obligated to walk them out and end up wasting time doing things God never intended us to do.
Jephthah’s passion and zeal to serve God were right. The Spirit of God was upon him stirring him to service! However, maybe the story would have had a differed ending if Jephthah would have “inquired of the Lord” on how to give Him worship? What if he would have waited on God to hear his voice and asked – how can I give you honor upon a victorious battle?
This is where we error so often. We just presume thoughts, ideas, and all opportunities are of God. We get excited in a moment of God’s presence and make commitments God may have never intended us to fulfill. What if we were more intentional to wait upon God and inquire of Him and listen to His voice? Maybe we would have less screw ups and calamities in our lives. If we were more intentional about being "presumptuous," maybe we would spend our time un-waisted and more fulfilled in doing things that the Lord truly intended us to do.
This is a truly interesting story. This story tells of Jephthah in Judges 11:29 - 40 and how he makes a very un-thoughtful vow unto the Lord. As he prepares to go to war, he tells God that if He will give him victory, he will sacrifice unto the Lord, the very first thing that comes out of his home to greet him when he returns from war. So Jephthah goes to war and the Lord gives him victory. Upon returning from war, his only daughter runs out to great him. Understandably, Jephthah regrets the vow he made to the Lord, yet because of his commitment, within the next 4 months, he keeps his word and sacrifices his daughter as a burnt offering to the Lord.
What a thought: the Sprit of the Lord was UPON Jephthah, and yet he made a foolish vow that to some degree ended in tragedy. How often does that happen to us? Maybe we read an awesome passage in scripture during a quiet time or in the midst of a worship service we get goose bumps from the presence of God. Upon these experiences in our excitement and zeal we begin to make commitments and promises to God that later we don’t follow through with because they were to hard, or we later realize that the promises we made were kind of foolish and we realize they weren’t from God, but because of our vows we feel obligated to walk them out and end up wasting time doing things God never intended us to do.
Jephthah’s passion and zeal to serve God were right. The Spirit of God was upon him stirring him to service! However, maybe the story would have had a differed ending if Jephthah would have “inquired of the Lord” on how to give Him worship? What if he would have waited on God to hear his voice and asked – how can I give you honor upon a victorious battle?
This is where we error so often. We just presume thoughts, ideas, and all opportunities are of God. We get excited in a moment of God’s presence and make commitments God may have never intended us to fulfill. What if we were more intentional to wait upon God and inquire of Him and listen to His voice? Maybe we would have less screw ups and calamities in our lives. If we were more intentional about being "presumptuous," maybe we would spend our time un-waisted and more fulfilled in doing things that the Lord truly intended us to do.
posted by A. Miller at
3:57 PM
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