It's your decision

"You have made me miserable... 

because I have made a vow...."

Judges 11:35

I saw an interesting story on the news today, which just happened to coincide with something I read in Scripture recently.  Amazing how often that happens... that something we've read or seen, coincides with what we've just read in the Bible.  So amazing, in fact, that I felt compelled to start a blog on the subject... as you probably know...   :)

The news story was about state governments trying to fix their budget problems, by increasing their fines for traffic violations.  Several states have raised them lately, the economy being what it is.  The reporter was in Los Angeles, interviewing people who had committed such infractions.  These were folks who were opting to do community service, because they couldn't afford the fines.  They, and even the reporter, seemed to be of the opinion that it was unfair of states to be hiking the fees.

But you know what?  It just didn't seem all that ridiculous to me.  I mean, they weren't charging thousands of dollars for these crimes.  It was something like, $200 for speeding.  In one case, the charge was $40 for a parking violation.  But because the fine used to be $20, they are incensed.   Yet all I kept thinking was, "You shouldn't have done it in the first place!"   They might be right; the fees might be unfair ~ it's a matter of opinion ~ but they had a choice in the matter.  Being fined was preventable.  Being fined was the consequence of their decision.

In chapter 11 of Judges, we read of Jephthah the Gileadite.  He was a mighty warrior, verse 1 tells us, and as he advanced against the Ammonites, he made a vow to the Lord.  Verse 30:  "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, will be the Lord's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."

Oh, man..... what are you thinking?  I appreciate how much you want this, and that you want to honor the Lord afterwards, but you are setting yourself up for disaster!

And sure enough, when he returned to his home, who should come out to meet him, but his daughter!  His only child.  When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, "Oh!  My daughter!   You have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break."

Now, this man has just given his daughter a death sentence, because of his hasty and irrational vow, and his response is:  "Woe is me!"?  Woe is you?!  Where does he get the nerve to complain about the terrible consequences of his words?

The decisions we make have consequences.  If you decide to speed, even if you have a "good" reason, you risk getting caught, and paying a fine; and you risk getting in an accident, which could result in someone else's death.   Jephthah wanted to defeat his enemy, and he wanted it enough to risk whatever, so he decided to make a vow to ensure it.

Every day requires choices.  We make dozens of decisions ~ some good; some bad.   But all of them should require some thought and some prayer before we make them.  I'll bet if Jephthah had talked to God before making that vow, God would have advised him against it.   The more prayer goes into a decision, the less inclined we'll be to blame someone else for the consequences.

There are plenty of difficulties in life that are unavoidable, why set ourselves up for negative consequences we can avoid?  God doesn't want us to greet Him when we get out of bed, then ignore Him until we say "good-night".  He wants to be a part of our daily lives.  He wants to offer us His wisdom in our decisions.  Accepting that wisdom is the best decision we can make.

~ "Happy are these Your servants, 

who stand continually before You

and hear Your wisdom." ~

1 Kings 10:8