Today's Reading: Numbers 30

 

Don't Break Your Vow

A vow was a pledge that a person made, whether to God or to a fellow human being, to carry out some specifically stated action. The vow usually involved swearing an oath in the name of God. When a man made a vow, he could not...

change his vow once he had sworn it.

When you make a promise unto God, God takes it seriously and God expects you to keep your vow.  In Ecclesiastes it says, "it's better not to vow at all than to vow and to break it." (Ecclesiastes5:5)

Making a vow to God is something that people often do, "I promise that I'm gonna give to God this, that, or the other.” “I promise I'm gonna do this for God.” “Lord, I make a vow with you and I'm gonna do this and all.” But God doesn't require it. And it's better not to do it than to do it and break it. If you make a vow unto the Lord it is very important that you keep that vow.

God doesn't require you to make vows. Vows are something that a person does voluntarily. Quite often, a vow is based upon a person’s “determination” to do or not do some action.  “God, I promise I won’t ever drink again.”  “I promise I’m going to give You one-tenth of all of my income.”  These are fine promises, but they presuppose that you have the internal fortitude and power to keep.  You don’t.  As a human being infected by sin, your spirit is willing, but your flesh is weak.  And even with the greatest intentions, we often find ourselves in a place of failure to keep our vow.

Better to trust in God and let Him bring about the action.  If we realize that in our “that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out” (Romans 7:18),  then we can turn to God and his power and rely fully upon Him to make it happen.  Try something like this, “God, I want to honor you with my income and I’d like to be faithful to give You one-tenth of all that I receive.  But, God, I am so weak. And I don’t have the power to do it.  So, if it’s going to happen, I must rely solely upon you and the power of your Holy Spirit. You bring it to pass. Amen.”