Don't Make Promises You'd Rather Not Keep

Bottom line: We don't need an "if...then..." bargain with God. We need an "if not" clause in our statement of faith.

Jephthah sought to bargain with God to get a guaranteed victory over the Ammonites. He had faith that God had the power to deliver the Ammonites, but he didn't have confidence in what he and his army could do, so he rashly made a vow that in the end he wished he didn't have to keep, but he did. Instead of bargaining with God, Jephthah needed to expand his faith in God. He needed a faith that went beyond believing in the power of God, to a faith that believed in the purpose of God, i.e. trusting not only in what God could do but what God would do through him and his army.

We can learn some important lessons from Jephthah's vow.

1) Don't bargain with God.

2) If we make a promise or commitment to God, fulfill it.

3) Expand our faith to believe in God's power, purpose, and promise. When we do, we sense God's peace and presence with us in the "foxhole" moments of life.