The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 30:10-11,
"If a woman living with her husband makes a vow or obligates herself by a pledge under oath and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her and does not forbid her, then all her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand."
Vows are important. Merriam-Webster's online dictionary defines "vow" as "a solemn promise or assertion; one by which a person is bound to an act, service, or condition." It lists as synonyms, "oath, pledge, promise, troth, word."
As the Lord gave Moses the law his covenanted people were to live by, he included statues that underscored the importance of vows. It also illustrated the patriarchal nature of the society Israel and her neighbors lived in. A father or husband could negate a daughter's or a wife's vows.
In Asaph's psalm, the Lord says to Israel, "Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me." Psalm 50:14-15. Asaph also encouraged the people of Israel to both make and to keep vows to the Lord, "Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them; let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the One to be feared." Psalm 76:11. In another psalm, the psalmist, in the midst of rejoicing in the Lord's providential and protective care for him exclaimed, "I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people." Psalm 116:13-14.
In Scripture, vows are regarded as that which is important, not to be taken lightly and to be followed through on, "It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider one's vows." Proverbs 20:25. In Ecclesiastes 5:4-5, Solomon says, "When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it." The caution he provides in not fulfilling a vow is put this way, "Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?" Verse 6.
Is vow making and keeping important today? In the early church we read that Paul had made a Nazarite vow in Acts 18:18. We also read of four Jewish Christians who had made the same, Acts 21:17-26. These men did so as Jews in fulfilling a special type of vow according to the law God gave Moses. We read of the Nazarite Vow in Numbers 6:1-20.
The vow that is of the utmost importance for us today is that which is found in Romans 10:9-10, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." The vow of making Jesus Christ the Lord of our life brings us the incredible inheritance of eternal life! Eternal pleasures and joy at his right hand (Psalm 16:11)!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"If a woman living with her husband makes a vow or obligates herself by a pledge under oath and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her and does not forbid her, then all her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand."
Vows are important. Merriam-Webster's online dictionary defines "vow" as "a solemn promise or assertion; one by which a person is bound to an act, service, or condition." It lists as synonyms, "oath, pledge, promise, troth, word."
As the Lord gave Moses the law his covenanted people were to live by, he included statues that underscored the importance of vows. It also illustrated the patriarchal nature of the society Israel and her neighbors lived in. A father or husband could negate a daughter's or a wife's vows.
In Asaph's psalm, the Lord says to Israel, "Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me." Psalm 50:14-15. Asaph also encouraged the people of Israel to both make and to keep vows to the Lord, "Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them; let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the One to be feared." Psalm 76:11. In another psalm, the psalmist, in the midst of rejoicing in the Lord's providential and protective care for him exclaimed, "I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people." Psalm 116:13-14.
In Scripture, vows are regarded as that which is important, not to be taken lightly and to be followed through on, "It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider one's vows." Proverbs 20:25. In Ecclesiastes 5:4-5, Solomon says, "When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it." The caution he provides in not fulfilling a vow is put this way, "Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?" Verse 6.
Is vow making and keeping important today? In the early church we read that Paul had made a Nazarite vow in Acts 18:18. We also read of four Jewish Christians who had made the same, Acts 21:17-26. These men did so as Jews in fulfilling a special type of vow according to the law God gave Moses. We read of the Nazarite Vow in Numbers 6:1-20.
The vow that is of the utmost importance for us today is that which is found in Romans 10:9-10, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." The vow of making Jesus Christ the Lord of our life brings us the incredible inheritance of eternal life! Eternal pleasures and joy at his right hand (Psalm 16:11)!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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