Slow down, Take a breath...and meditate before you make a promise!

It is interesting that following the last two Devos dealing with our emotional and mental health, that this Devo, which was planned to be posted but was moved due to the tragedy that led me to deal with those issues, should be on a passage that warns us about emotional decisions. Many times we make commitments in the heat of low or high emotions, this section of Scriptures exposes the folly of that. 
Judges Chapter 11:29-40 

Now the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, so that he passed through Gilead and Manasseh; then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he went on to the sons of Ammon. Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand, then it shall be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, it shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.” So Jephthah crossed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord gave them into his hand. He struck them with a very great slaughter from Aroer to the entrance of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim. So the sons of Ammon were subdued before the sons of Israel. When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, behold, his daughter was coming out to meet him with tambourines and with dancing. Now she was his one and only child; besides her he had no son or daughter. When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are among those who trouble me; for I have given my word to the Lord, and I cannot take it back.” So she said to him, 

“My father, you have given your word to the Lord; do to me as you have said, since the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the sons of Ammon.” She said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me; let me alone two months, that I may go to the mountains and weep because of my virginity, I and my companions.” Then he said, “Go.” So he sent her away for two months; and she left with her companions, and wept on the mountains because of her virginity. At the end of two months she returned to her father, who did to her according to the vow which he had made; and she had no relations with a man. Thus it became a custom in Israel, that the daughters of Israel went yearly to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year.

This section of Scripture is loaded with lessons. I want to view three. The Holy Spirit empowered Jephthah to be victorious, Jephthah made an unwise vow and the devotion of his daughter. Let’s look at the facts, then draw some applications.

First, time and time again we are reminded that the battle truly is the Lord’s.

Second, we need to heed the warning we see in Jephthah’s rash vow. Whenever we are being led by the Lord to do something, we need to be careful not to think we need to add more than our dedication into the mix. God had already led Jephthah and his army safely, why did he feel the need to make the vow? Does our vow make God more committed? In discussing how did Jephthah pay this vow, there are two options. He sacrificed his daughter as a burnt offering or she was dedicated to serve in the temple and remained a virgin until her death. Remember, we should not be afraid of the truth, no matter how ugly it is. If you read from commentators, you will find a clear split on what happened, and to spend a lot of energy trying to definitively prove one option is a waste.

Could Jephthah have actually offered a human sacrifice? The answer is yes, however, that does not mean God condoned it. Where Jephthah lived and in the age he was living in, it is very possible he did not understand all the mosaic code that forbid that kind of offering. We want our heroes spotless, but Scripture gives them to us with warts and all. If this is what happened it was a tragedy; and makes the lesson we will consider even stronger. I lean more for the other ending, which is Jephthah, gave his daughter to the temple, costing her a chance for marriage and leaving no heir for Jephthah. I believe this for several reasons. First, this one issue in the law is what separated the true God from all the false ones, which demanded it’s followers to offer their children. Jephthah quoted the history of his people to the King concerning the land. It is clear he knew the Lord. Second, if an unclean animal had come out first, would Jephthah have offered that? Doubtful, but it could be offered for service, he would do that. Third, I think the context of the sorrow is very focused.

“She said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me; let me alone two months, that I may go to the mountains that I may go to the mountains and weep because of my virginity, I and my companions.” Then he said, “Go.” So he sent her away for two months; and she left with her companions, and wept on the mountains because of her virginity. At the end of two months she returned to her father, who did to her according to the vow which he had made; and she had no relations with a man.

I would think she would be weeping over her short life and if he had put her to death, there would be no need to state that she had no relations. Lastly, and I find it curious that this is never mentioned – Scripture states that God’s Spirit came upon Jephthah, surely God would have warned him that human sacrifice was a sin. God warned Abimelech not to sleep with Sarah, isn’t this the same Lord? Rash as it may be Jephthah spoke from sincerity of heart towards the Lord, God honored Abimelech for that very reason. Either scenario, an important lesson should be learned.

Third, Jephthah’s daughter is the picture of commitment, no matter the circumstances. She clearly believes God had rescued her people and protected her father, so she would not consider making her father sin against the Lord.

Lessons:

* When we do battle of any kind, we need to depend on the Lord. No matter our skills or strength if we are not filled with God’s Spirit, even if we win, we gain no fruit. Depending on God is what builds and grows our faith.

* There is nothing wrong with making a vow to the Lord, but it should be based on love and thoughtful meditation. Emotional highs and lows are dangerous. Our vow should reflect we are doing this because we love God, not to try and make Him do something.

I find the best approach is based from Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 5:4–6 When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Do not let your speech cause you to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hands?

* If Jephthah’s daughter loved her sinful father enough to commit to him that way, how much more should we be committed to our Lord, Who would never make rash or hurtful decisions. She is a great model for obedience!

Meditation questions: When you approach a trial, where do you turn to first? Do you try and handle the situation on your own? What do you do before you make a promise? Explain. Have you ever made a commitment when emotionally low or high? What did it cost you? What did it teach you? When God desires something from you is your obedience immediate or do you hesitate?

Two Thoughts: Who’s the Judge and Is Jesus enough?

In the last Devo, I felt the need to deal with the death of a very famous person to challenge all of us to consider how we deal with our emotions. The dialogue for the most part that ensued was beneficial and I believe is needed. I hope it continues, however, it also brought to the surface some real issues that I believe need to be addressed.

As I stated I have read quite a few articles about Robin Williams, his death, the cause and even where he is eternally. For many years I have listened and watched as many in the church make some pretty unbelievable statements…never considering, first, what truth do they have to support it and second, how much damage they may be doing.

Some have made statements about where Robin Williams is now that his spirit has left his body. This amazes me! If the Scripture has taught us anything, God and God alone is responsible for that and He is the only One that really knows where someone’s eternal destination is.

I am a very narrow person because Scriptures demands that – there is only one way to a relationship with our Maker.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

The Truth states that only through Christ can a person enter into an eternal relationship with God. However, nowhere do the Scriptures state that we are privy to the information of who is one of God’s or not. Yes, we see fruit in the life that leads to a conclusion, but that is all it is, our conclusion! If the fruit in their life is not clearly of a child of God we should pray for them to know Christ intimately. However, when we make a pronouncement of where anyone is eternally we need to pull out our ID and see if the name on it is spelled GOD. He alone knows the real heart, the real person and the end destination. Even Jesus taught on this:

Matthew 13:26–30 “But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. “The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ “And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ “But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. ‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

Every person, even the famous, was created in God’s image and they answer to Him alone. We are not that judge and should spend our time and energy caring for those that have suffered the loss and leave the judgment to the One that has that right.

James 4:12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?

Matthew 7:1–2 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2 “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

I have been astounded by how many are so sure where Robin Williams is! I am positive the family of the thief on the cross was sure he is separated from God for eternity. Most likely they were not at the cross, due to the shame they felt, and they did not know that an ever loving God rescued him at the last moment.

The other aspect that this whole tragedy has brought to the front is the issue of mental disorders. This is likely the most difficult issue the church has been facing for quite some time now. I will attempt no direct answer to any direct disorder. What I want to do is challenge the hurried judgment I see to label something so complicated as this. Also the “cliché” answers thrown to issues that cannot be dealt with through simplistic and I am sad to say flippant responses by the family of God. One of the greatest disservices the “health, wealth” folks have propagated is that God’s children have a bubble around themselves and none of this fallen world will touch them. It breaks my heart because I have had to sit and cry, hold hands, explain and guide with Scriptures those that have cancer, a still born, a deterioration of physical or mental health, that it is not a lack of faith, or that God is punishing them.

For far too long some in the church blamed all sickness on individual personal sin and if not healed it was because the person lacked faith. Even Jesus had to deal with this:

John 9:1–3 As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

Interesting, it was God that had this man born blind, for His purpose. The “health wealthers” can’t deal with this because they have yet to understand what it means when you say the word GOD! That’s why in their prayers they tell God what He is going to do and claim their will, not His will!  

It seems now though, we have challenged that with Scriptures enough, that those that are honest about the Word of God see that because we live in a fallen world, all of us are open to the ills that sin brought. 

Sadly, we still seem to be very behind when dealing with mental illnesses. Bipolar, Manic Depressive, Clinical Depression, Schizophrenia and others are spoken of as problems of the will, or faith. We meet someone that is not emotionally down, but drowning in the confusion of Depression and we tell them to “take 2 verses and call me in the morning!”

If someone came to you with Strep throat would you tell them to trust Jesus only, or would you also recommend they get some medicine. Is not God the One that allowed the discovery of medicine?

Believe me, as a Pastor I know the stress here, and I have not found the answer, yet I do know it is not as simple as “all you need is Jesus.” WAIT a minute Nate…are you saying that Jesus is not enough?

NO! I am not saying that. Let me repeat for those that do not read carefully, NO I am not saying that.

Jesus is enough, if that is all He requires. No cancer, no broken family, no mental disorder can stop Jesus from making everything perfect in a millisecond, if that is what He wants. However, Scripture and history shows that God more often then not desires us to take the road of grace and growth. There is so much proof now that our complex bodies can be affected in so many ways, including mental issues that cannot be cured by a heart to heart or prayer unless Christ makes it so. If we can understand that Paul did not tell Timothy to only pray but get some help for his condition:

1 Timothy 5:23 No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

Then why do we not see, that when it comes to conditions of the mind that may be medically caused, that we should be careful and loving to take the same approach. There are good men and women, brothers and sisters in Christ that have taken the time and given the discipline needed to study and learn about these conditions. There are no easy answers, but there are answers.

I have studied these issues for years, informally and in formal settings in my post grad work. The man that led the classes has a Th.M. in Theology, a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and is a Licensed Clinical Professional. When he states that so much is not known and that anyone trying to help should move slowly and carefully, it should make all pause before they throw out their diagnosis of these issues based on ignorance. 

We owe it to anyone that suffers from complicated conditions of the mind the love that Jesus would extend. We need to understand that it is not our job to have all the answers, so we should not take guesses! Those guesses do a lot of harm to Christians that are trying so hard to “feel” normal but are told they are not because, “they really don’t want to be” or “they have poor faith” or “they are in deep sin.”

Each time I was in the USA I taught classes in a Bible College and Seminary. One young man I had as a freshman, senior and then in Seminary. He was one of the best students I had ever experienced; his spirit made me feel like a gross sinner and his love for Jesus was phenomenal. In his 20’s he had memorized the first 40 chapters of Genesis. He also was bipolar. As we sat at lunch he was considering stopping his meds, because he felt it showed a lack of faith. I challenged him to consider that Christ was taking him on a path that I did not understand, but his doctors had clearly helped him. He agreed, but questioned why did he need the help. I told him only God could illuminate him on that, but that the journey he was on was glorifying Christ and causing him to grow. 

I told him I would pray for him. I then left to be at my father’s side as he died. While I was there I got news that this lovely young man, went off his meds, became paranoid and jumped into a coal train to escape what he thought was chasing him. He was found lifeless under tons of coal when the train was emptied.

Some in this world will cast out words quickly to state what they think was the REAL problem. Most times the words will not be measured, will be shallow and would harm individuals that walk this same path.

I have been led by the Lord, to not jump to any conclusion when I know so very little. I will help anyone I can with heart to hearts, but when I see the problem is deeper, I will refer to good professionals that can help at a level I cannot. I will also always beseech my Lord to intervene personally and miraculously heal, but I refuse to judge that person faithless or my Lord callous if He chooses to have His child walk a difficult path. I know neither His plans nor His ways. My goal is to only minister to the one that is suffering.

The wisdom found in Scripture is very helpful. None of us should rush to claim understanding of issues that only He can understand!

1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.