After asking for victory in battle this prayer was given. "Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
( Judges 11:31).
The background of this man was that he was born of a prostitute as a bastard son. This didn't change him from being a character who was a man of valor on the battlefield; however and the people in desperation after servitude and God's response to them that basically he had forsaken them earlier in this narrative allowed this man to rise in prominence. After this event which he won; he would rule for a relatively short time without much more being said about him. The issue; of course was that his daughter was the first one to exit his home after he won. It would certainly appear that the sacrifice with a human being would NOT be a burnt offering; but consecration to the Lord for the rest of her life which would mean perpetual virginity based on the 2 months of mourning she had afterwards.
A big point here is how people should keep their vows to God no matter what. Psalm 15:4 is a good cross reference in regard to keeping vows even when it hurts; with many other passages in Psalms and Ecclesiastes as well as other places reinforcing that concept. We see this with the Gibeonites as well; despite the foolishness of not seeking God these people were obligated to be protected after a covenant was made. I would also add that I see marriages in the same light as well; keeping vows "till death do us part" is scriptural and therefore the Lord expects us to keep them.
We should note that nothing is really wrong with this man's intentions here except perhaps for the fact that scripture doesn't mandate in this situation that such a vow occurs in this situation. God answered his prayer with victory. We can learn to be careful what we promise God in this
After asking for victory in battle this prayer was given. "Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
( Judges 11:31).
The background of this man was that he was born of a prostitute as a bastard son. This didn't change him from being a character who was a man of valor on the battlefield; however and the people in desperation after servitude and God's response to them that basically he had forsaken them earlier in this narrative allowed this man to rise in prominence. After this event which he won; he would rule for a relatively short time without much more being said about him. The issue; of course was that his daughter was the first one to exit his home after he won. It would certainly appear that the sacrifice with a human being would NOT be a burnt offering; but consecration to the Lord for the rest of her life which would mean perpetual virginity based on the 2 months of mourning she had afterwards.
A big point here is how people should keep their vows to God no matter what. Psalm 15:4 is a good cross reference in regard to keeping vows even when it hurts; with many other passages in Psalms and Ecclesiastes as well as other places reinforcing that concept. We see this with the Gibeonites as well; despite the foolishness of not seeking God these people were obligated to be protected after a covenant was made. I would also add that I see marriages in the same light as well; keeping vows "till death do us part" is scriptural and therefore the Lord expects us to keep them.
We should note that nothing is really wrong with this man's intentions here except perhaps for the fact that scripture doesn't mandate in this situation that such a vow occurs in this situation. God answered his prayer with victory. We can learn to be careful what we promise God in this
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