The Weight of Vows
4 min read
1 Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: “This is what the LORD commands: 2 When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.”
Numbers 30:1-2
We are condemned by the vows we take. Jesus said to not make vows before God, but simply say “Yes” or “No.” He said that everything beyond that comes from the evil one (Matthew 5:33-37). The author of Ecclesiastes basically said the same thing, because if we make vows to God, sooner or later, we might break a vow (Ecclesiastes 5:4-6).
It’s better to be like the tax collector who beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13).
But the Law of Moses shows us how important it is to keep our vows and pledges, especially for men. For the ancient Israelites, the integrity of men was the foundation of a prospering society. And we could say that even today.
Later on in the passage, we find that the men have authority over the vows and pledges of their daughters and wives, too. What a heavy responsibility that was for them. I’m not sure that we can make those commands into a spiritual principle that is binding on the church today. And yet, maybe if men had more of an attitude to accept that responsibility, we’d live in a better world.
However, Jesus has given that authority to the church. He said, “19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).
But the church is filled with such flawed people, like the tax collector (and the Pharisee condemning him and justifying himself). The Old Testament law about man’s authority over the vows and pledges of the daughter are a prophecy, then. Because no one is worthy to have authority of the vows of others, except for Christ. And He has final authority of the vows and pledges made by His people, the church. And so the breach of our vows have been paid for on the cross through faith.
Father, Have mercy on me, a sinner. We sin against You, but You are merciful. Cleanse me with Your blood and Your word, and I will be cleansed. For our lives are in Your hands. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
