Jephthah, judge of Israel: When you make a promise to God, don't delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Ecclesiastes 5:4

The life of Jephthah, a judge of Israel, as recounted in the Book of Judges in the Bible is a reminder of a wise teaching of the Bible:
"Do not be quick with your mouth,
do not be hasty in your heart
to utter anything before God" Ecclesiastes 5:2.
The institution of judges was created by Moses during the journey to the land of Canaan to resolve disputes between the Israelites, and the judges became the first aristocracy to govern Israel after the conquests initiated by Joshua, Moses' successor. And among his most distinguished judges was Jephthah, a man who was blessed by God in his actions; the judges were essentially the saviors of Israel, when the Israelites were oppressed for their sins by the neighboring nations who saw them as a threat.
The book of Judges gives a very brief account of Jephthah's life, stating that he had an unfortunate birth and childhood: "Now Jephthah of Gilead was a great warrior. He was the son of Gilead, but his mother was a prostitute. Gilead's wife also had several sons, and when these half brothers grew up, they chased Jephthah off the land" Judges 11:1-2.
When the Ammonites started war on Israel, the Bible tells that Jephthah was called by the leaders of Gilead to fight and thus Jephthah became chief and judge of his tribe. Jephthah achieved great victories and thus saved Israel from Ammonite oppression, but Jephthah did not have much wisdom and made a very risky promise to God: "If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering" Judges 11:30-31.
The Bible tells that the first person who came out of his house after his victory was his daughter, and when Jephthah saw this he tore his clothes. The book of Judges relates that Jephthah kept his promise and an ancient precept: "When you make a promise to God, don't delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools" Ecclesiastes 5:4. This story leaves a profound spiritual lesson, men must be careful when they make a promise or an oath to God, or give their word for a particular situation, because the tongue is dangerous and can bring much suffering.

For more information visit my profile follow the link and download for free my ebook.