One of the saddest of stories

Day 93

OT Reading: Judges 10-11

NT Reading: Luke 9:1-36

The story of Jephthah is, to me, one of the most sad stories in all the Bible. In my mind I'm sure he certainly thought that the first thing to come from his tent would be a pet or a sheep or something of the like. But in perhaps the most disturbing of all turns, the first thing to exit the tent was his one and only daughter.

Lots of questions run through my mind. Was this really God's will (I have trouble believing it was)? Did he really have to go through with it? Or don't you think God would have let this oath slide? Especially now that I have a child of my own, the thought of such a horrible turn of events is almost unbearable to me. But if I may, please allow me to offer a lesson we may learn from the passage.

In Matthew 5:33-37 Jesus speaks about making oaths. To paraphrase, Jesus states that we should be individuals of such integrity that simply our 'yes' or our 'no' is sufficient. Others should not require us to swear or promise or pledge or whatever in an effort to believe we'll follow through. While I can in no way condone Jephthah's action, it is apparent that his vow meant a great deal to him. In fact he saw it as a vow that could not be broken...which is why he kept it.

So in the midst of this terribly sad story, I suppose I'd like you to consider how much value you see in your own word. When you make a statement, or a promise or even say, 'yes'...how important is it for you to follow through? Where in the past have you fallen short in this (be it a relationship, work, an agreement, etc)? What steps may you need to take to validate or repair your integrity?