Oaths and Vows

Jesus says not to vow or swear.

Matthew 5:33-35

KJV ³³ Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: ³⁴ But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: ³⁵ Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. NLT ³³ “You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ ³⁴ But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. ³⁵ And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King.

Not to sacrifice children

Leviticus 20:2

KJV ² Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones. NLT ² “Give the people of Israel these instructions, which apply both to native Israelites and to the foreigners living in Israel. “If any of them offer their children as a sacrifice to Molech, they must be put to death. The people of the community must stone them to death.
and Deuteronomy 18:10

KJV ¹⁰ There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. NLT ¹⁰ For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft,
specifically outlaw the giving of children to Moloch, making it punishable by stoning; the Tanakh subsequently denounces human sacrifice as barbaric customs of Moloch worshippers (e.g. Psalm 106:37ff

KJV ³⁷ Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, ³⁸ And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. ³⁹ Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions. ⁴⁰ Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance. ⁴¹ And he gave them into the hand of the heathen; and they that hated them ruled over them. ⁴² Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand. ⁴³ Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity. ⁴⁴ Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry: ⁴⁵ And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies. ⁴⁶ He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives. ⁴⁷ Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise. ⁴⁸ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the Lord. NLT ³⁷ They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons. ³⁸ They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters. By sacrificing them to the idols of Canaan, they polluted the land with murder. ³⁹ They defiled themselves by their evil deeds, and their love of idols was adultery in the Lord’s sight. ⁴⁰ That is why the Lord’s anger burned against his people, and he abhorred his own special possession. ⁴¹ He handed them over to pagan nations, and they were ruled by those who hated them. ⁴² Their enemies crushed them and brought them under their cruel power. ⁴³ Again and again he rescued them, but they chose to rebel against him, and they were finally destroyed by their sin. ⁴⁴ Even so, he pitied them in their distress and listened to their cries. ⁴⁵ He remembered his covenant with them and relented because of his unfailing love. ⁴⁶ He even caused their captors to treat them with kindness. ⁴⁷ Save us, O Lord our God! Gather us back from among the nations, so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you. ⁴⁸ Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting! Let all the people say, “Amen!”Praise the Lord!
).

Faith

Matthew 17:20

KJV ²⁰ And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. NLT ²⁰ “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

Importance of Bible study

Yes, human sacrifice is repugnant to God (Leviticus 18:21

KJV ²¹ And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord. NLT ²¹ “Do not permit any of your children to be offered as a sacrifice to Molech, for you must not bring shame on the name of your God. I am the Lord.
), but I’m afraid high-handed sin like Jephthah’s sacrifice is all too conceivable. Several astute commenters wondered why Jephthah didn’t take advantage of the niceties of Jewish law, the opportunity Leviticus provides to redeem his vow for money? That’s precisely the point: Israel’s leader was ignorant (or dismissive) of God’s law. a

But if only he had known Leviticus 5:4-11

KJV ⁴ Or if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty in one of these. ⁵ And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing: ⁶ And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the Lord for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin. ⁷ And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath committed, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the Lord; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. ⁸ And he shall bring them unto the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin offering first, and wring off his head from his neck, but shall not divide it asunder: ⁹ And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin offering upon the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be wrung out at the bottom of the altar: it is a sin offering. ¹⁰ And he shall offer the second for a burnt offering, according to the manner: and the priest shall make an atonement for him for his sin which he hath sinned, and it shall be forgiven him. ¹¹ But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon: for it is a sin offering. NLT ⁴ “Or suppose you make a foolish vow of any kind, whether its purpose is for good or for bad. When you realize its foolishness, you must admit your guilt. ⁵ “When you become aware of your guilt in any of these ways, you must confess your sin. ⁶ Then you must bring to the Lord as the penalty for your sin a female from the flock, either a sheep or a goat. This is a sin offering with which the priest will purify you from your sin, making you right with the Lord. ⁷ “But if you cannot afford to bring a sheep, you may bring to the Lord two turtledoves or two young pigeons as the penalty for your sin. One of the birds will be for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. ⁸ You must bring them to the priest, who will present the first bird as the sin offering. He will wring its neck but without severing its head from the body. ⁹ Then he will sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering against the sides of the altar, and the rest of the blood will be drained out at the base of the altar. This is an offering for sin. ¹⁰ The priest will then prepare the second bird as a burnt offering, following all the procedures that have been prescribed. Through this process the priest will purify you from your sin, making you right with the Lord, and you will be forgiven. ¹¹ “If you cannot afford to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, you may bring two quarts of choice flour for your sin offering. Since it is an offering for sin, you must not moisten it with olive oil or put any frankincense on it.
, which says, “if anyone utters with his lips . . . a rash oath to do evil or to do good, any sort of rash oath that people swear, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it, and he realises his guilt . . . he shall bring to the Lord . . . for the sin which he has committed . . . a lamb or a goat for a sin offering . . . and if he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring two turtle doves or two pigeons . . . but if he cannot afford two turtle doves or two pigeons, then he shall bring . . . a tenth of an ephah of flour.” A tenth of an ephah of flour in modern weight is about one kilogram. In my supermarket that costs about $NZ2.

Just think, if only Jephthah had known his Bible, he could have been forgiven his rash oath and his daughter become a free woman for the price of a kilogram of flour, worth a mere couple of dollars!

God understood Jephthah’s heart, knew he acted out of faith and love for God, and honoured him, but the terrible sacrifice of his only daughter was totally unnecessary. God had already made provision. A lamb, a pair of turtle doves or even a kilogram of flour, could have saved her. If only he had known his Bible. And, as he sacrificed his flour—flour that could have been made into a good, crusty loaf of bread—he would have known that it should have been a lamb, and maybe, just maybe, he might have understood the enormous sacrifice that God would make to ultimately save him (and me) from all his rash vows, and every other sin.

How much heartache and petty arguing could we avoid if only we studied our Bibles diligently, all of those 66 books, not just our favourite parts, our proof texts. How often we are ignorant of God’s righteousness, and strive to establish our own (Romans 10:3

KJV ³ For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. NLT ³ For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law.
) instead of accepting what God has already provided in the great sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus.

Even the books of Judges and Leviticus show us that God is a God of not only justice, but of great mercy. b