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Rash Vows |
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Ecclesiastes 5:2 says: "And don’t make rash promises to God, for he is in heaven, and you are only here on earth. So let your words be few." Scripture records the vows of many men and women. Some of these vows proved to be rash and unwise, and others, though extreme, were kept to the letter by those who made them. Let us learn from the examples in God’s Word not to make rash vows. |
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Person |
Vow |
Result |
Reference |
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Jacob |
To "choose" the true God and to give back a tenth to him if he kept him safe |
God protected Jacob, who kept his vow to follow God |
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Jephthah |
To offer to the Lord whoever came out to meet him after battle (it turned out to be his daughter) |
He lost his daughter |
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Hannah |
To give her son back to God if God would give her a son |
When Samuel was born, she dedicated him to God |
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Saul |
To kill anyone who ate before evening (Jonathan, his son, had not heard the command and broke it) |
Saul would have killed Jonathan if soldiers had not intervened |
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David |
To be kind to Jonathan's family |
Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son, was treated royally by David |
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Ittai |
To remain loyal to David |
He became one of the great men in David's army |
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Micaiah |
To say only what God told him to say |
He was put in prison |
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Job |
That he was not rebelling against God |
His fortunes were restored |
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Herod Antipas |
To give Herodias's daughter anything she requested |
Herod was forced to order John the Baptist's death |
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Paul |
To offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving in Jerusalem |
He made the sacrifice despite the danger |
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