Empty words?

Seeing I feel in a blogging kind of mood, if such a mood exists, I intend to make the most of it!

Recently God seems to be really be revealing to me the power of our words.

I'm trying to read my way though the old testament at the moment, and I keep seeing people who put so much importance on what they spoke.

For example there's quite  a well known story in Genesis where Jacob dresses up like his brother Esau and tricks his father Isaac into blessing him over Esau. 

And when Issac finds out he says the following:

Genesis 27:33 Then Isaac trembled greatly and said, "Then who was it that hunted the animals and brought me food before you came? I ate it, and I blessed him, and it is too late now to take back my blessing."

Now I think  of myself in Isaacs' position, my son has decieved me in an attempt to rob what is rightfully his brothers. Surely I'd tell him off and just go and bless the real brother.

Yet Isaac seemed to put so much value on what he'd said that he couldn't take it back, even though he deeply regretted it. Is there something that these people believed that maybe I have put less importance on in the past?

There's an even more extreme case of this later on.

A guy called Jephthah makes probally the most stupid promise to God ever:

Judges 11:30 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, ³¹ then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.” 

Maybe he expected a sheep or bull to walk through his door, he certainlu didn't consider that his only daughter might just walk through that door to greet him!

Judges 11:34 When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. ³⁵ And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot go back on it.” 

³⁶ So she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to the LORD, do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon.”

A man having such importance on his words that he sacrifices his only child to keep his promise! And his daughter even seems to agree, she was certainly a lot more understanding than I would have been!

Now i don't fully understand that, but I cetainly see that these were people that believed their words would come to pass.

So then I flip over to the new testament and see verses like this:

Mathew 12:36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. ³⁷For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

And James 3 a whole chapter talking about the tongue and the words we speak. It even goes as far as to say that that it's like a ships rudder and the words we speak direct our lives.

Then there's Job who was called a rightouse man, a man who seemed to do nothing wrong. Yet later on Job says 'For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, And what I dreaded has happened to me'.

Isn't it strange that the very thing he feared came to pass in his life?

All this seems so foreign in a culture where words are thrown about so easily. Where the media seems to only ever tear down others with their words, and we seem to be encouraged to judge and critisise everyone and everything.

If our words contain the power to change things, then gossip no longer becomes harmless.

Could it be that the very things we speak about ourselves and others are the very things we will get?

Jesus said 'all things are possible for those that believe', but the condition on that promise is belief.

Could it be that the only time we fail in what God has planned for us is when we say 'I can't!'

Moses said he couldn't but God showed him where his strength ended, Gods strength began.

I always try to stay positive, I try to never say I can't, because I know in God I can!

But there are times I find myself slipping back into old habbits, I'm learning though...

I just desire to bring life with my words and never death, I want to build up and encourage others, not ever tear them down.

I want my words to be Gods words in my mouth, I want them to bring fruit and life into situations and peoples lives.

Jesus could say that He only did that what he saw His father do, how I long to be in that place one day where I can say the same :)