Judges 11:29-31 –  ^“The Lord’s Spirit empowered Jephthah.  He passed through Gilead and Manasseh and went to Mizpah in Gilead.  From there he approached the Ammonites.  ³⁰ Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, saying, “If you really do hand the Ammonites over to me, ³¹ then whoever is the first to come through the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from fighting the Ammonites—he will belong to the Lord and I will offer him up as a burnt sacrifice.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, I was drawn to something I knew but had not connected.   The account of Jephthah in Judges 11 arrested me and led me to realize something spiritually valuable.

Jephthah, in his desire to deliver Israel, made a vow to God.  My first thought was, “Is making a vow or a promise to God wrong?”  Of course not, if it is a surrender of heart.  However, Jephthah’s vow could, and I believe it should, be considered an attempted bribe.  It was the classic, “God, if you will, I will.”

It was unnecessary!  He could have asked for God’s help and guidance.  His vow was an attempt to make himself equal to God.  “God, if you do Your part, I will complete the work with my part.”   Rather than saying, “LORD, I surrender to You, give us help, he attempted to entice God with his bribe.”

Many things come to mind here.   He vowed to offer the first thing that came out of his house as a sacrifice.  That is intended to show his complete surrender and willingness to give God anything.   However, it was an attempted bribe that was neither needed nor required.   What did he think would come out of his house?  A dog, a sheep, a slave?  His daughter came out.

He said to her, “You are the one bringing me trouble.”  NO!  Sir, your bribe caused you sorrow of heart.  God helped him win the battle, but his rash vow cost him his daughter.

What I’m attempting to point out is that we get ourselves in trouble with our mouths.  We try to demonstrate our total surrender through rash promises.  The Bible says, “Ask, not negotiate with God.” We have nothing we did not receive from Him, so we have nothing to negotiate with; it’s all His.

If we are His, we need to trust Him, surrender ourselves to Him, and ask for His help.   Never try to bribe God.  It is both foolish and costly.  God wants to help, and as we simply obey, He will be God to us and through us.  Do not let your mouth cause you to sin.  You have nothing to bribe God with, but if you make a vow, He expects you to keep it.  Therefore, we need to think carefully before we open our mouths!

Lord help us not be foolish and attempt to negotiate or bribe You!