The Power of Words

Judges 11:35

"...For I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot take back my vow."

Jephthah told the Lord that if He would give the Ammonites into his hand, then whatever came out from the doors of his house to meet him would be the Lord's as a burnt offering. The Lord did as Jephthah requested giving him the victory over the Ammonites. As Jephthah approached his house, his daughter came running out to him. His grief was immediate. His only child was to be sacrificed because of his words. He saw firsthand the power of words and their consequences.

However, his daughter responded differently to the vow. Willingly and submissively, she told her father to do as he vowed, but to allow her a 2 month period to mourn her virginity. At the end of that time, she returned and her father completed his vow. Her life was over, but God had destroyed the enemy.

How powerful are words! Is making a vow like this an effort to coerce God or to get something from God? God is sovereign, and His power overrules all man's desires, thoughts, and plan. Since this is true, would the Ammonites have been destroyed without Jephthah's vow? Would his daughter have lived a longer life? Or was the vow the method that God chose to work? I do not know, but I can say wholeheartedly, words are powerful!

Father,

Keep me constantly resting in Your sovereign power and purpose, Help me to desire Your will above all my plans and desires. Teach me to be submissive and dependent.

In Jesus Name,

Amen