PREFACE
THE WORD
Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD? Who may enter your
presence on your holy hill?
Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking
the truth from sincere hearts.
Those who refuse to slander others or harm their neighbours
or speak evil of their friends.
Those who despise persistent sinners, and honour the faithful
followers of the LORD and keep their
promises even when it hurts.
Those who do not charge interest on the money they lend, and
refuse to accept bribes to testify against the innocent.
SUCH PEOPLE SHALL STAND
FIRM FOREVER (NLT) Ps 15
Who may climb the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in His
holy place?
Only those whose hands and hearts are
pure who do not worship idols and never tell lies.
They will receive the LORD’s blessing and have right standing
with God their Saviour. (NLT) Ps 24:3-5
“A man who makes a vow to
the LORD or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly
what he said he would do.” (NLT) Numbers 30:2
So when you make a promise to God, don’t
delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the
promises you make to Him.
It is better to say nothing than to promise
something that you don’t follow through on.
In such cases, your mouth is making you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the
Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God
angry, and He might wipe out everything you have achieved. (NLT) Eccl 5:4-6
But don’t begin until you count the cost. For
who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and
then checking to see if there is enough money to pay the bills?
Otherwise, you might complete only the
foundation before running out of funds. And then how everyone would laugh at
you!
They would say, ‘There’s the person who
started that building and ran out of money before it was finished!’ (NLT) Luke
14:28-30
“Again, you have heard that it was said to the
people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to
the LORD.’
But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by
heaven, for it is God’s throne;
Or by earth, for it is His footstool; or by
Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.
And do not swear by your head, for you cannot
make even one hair white or black.
Simply let your ‘Yes’ be
‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (NIV)
Matt. 5:33-37
“But I tell you that every
careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the
day of judgement.” (NASB) Matt 12:36
“For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone
does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole
body as well.” (NASB) James 3:2
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father
in heaven is perfect.” (KJV) Matt. 5:48
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation
of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my strength, and my
redeemer.” (KJV) Psalm 19:14
The LORD God that we serve is
awesome. Let us emulate Him when He declared in the book of Isaiah 55:10 &
11, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it
without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields
seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my
mouth: It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
(NIV)
God required His people to keep their
promises to Him and to others. Through these laws He impressed on us the
serious nature of any vow or pledge made, and He emphasized that insincerity,
lying, and hypocrisy have no place among God’s people.
DEFINITIONS:
Covenant:
o
A pact, agreement or treaty between persons or nations or in
the Bible also between God and man. (Gen. 21:27)
o
A mutual agreement entered into between God and a person.
Oath:
o
This is an appeal to God to be a witness of the truth of
some statement or of the binding character of some promise or agreement. (Gen.
21:24; 42:51; 2 Chron. 15:12-14)
o
A solemn appeal to a god or something holy or reverenced as
witness or sanction of the truth of a statement.
Vow:
o
Voluntary promises to God to do certain things, usually but
not exclusively in return for some desired favour. Illustrations of both are
clear (Gen. 28:20-22; Ps 132:1-5).
o
Voluntary promise made to God. A binding undertaking; a
solemn or formal promise of fidelity.
Pledge:
o
Something given as a security, as a token of love or binding
obligation.
Promise:
o
An engagement to do; a ground for hope of future excellence.
The words, Covenant, Oath, Vow,
Pledge, and or Promise have the same intention and could be categorise as one
family with the intent built on
assurance.
KEY TEXT:
“IF A MAN VOW A VOW UNTO THE LORD, OR
SWEAR AN OATH TO BIND HIS SOUL WITH A BOND; HE SHALL NOT BREAK HIS WORD, HE
SHALL DO ACCORDING TO ALL THAT PROCEEDETH OUT OF HIS MOUTH.” (NUMBERS 30:2)
The whole of Numbers chapter 30 deals
in detail with the topic of vows. A vow is a commitment made to God to engage
or not to engage in some activity. The fundamental principle laid out in this
chapter is that God takes vows very seriously, so that, as Ecclesiastes says,
“it is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfil it” (Eccl. 5:5). God
insists that 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
(Num. 30:1-2)
Often when the Scripture speaks of
‘man’ it is using this term in a general way that refers to everyone, including
women. But in Num. 30:2 God is speaking specifically of males. In the ancient world,
women were subject to man’s authority. This made the situation more complex
when a woman made the vow.
Although all women were free to make
vows, married women, who were subject to their husbands’ authority, and young
girls, who were subject to their fathers’ authority, were not under any
obligation to keep a vow if the male authority figure refused them permission
to do so (Num. 30:3-8). But men were not allowed to use this power to repudiate
a vow as a threat to hold over a woman. The man had to decide whether to permit
the vow when he first learned of it. Once he has accepted his wife or
daughter’s vow, whether verbally or by simply remaining silent on the topic, he
could not subsequently force her to break it. If he tried to do this, he, and
not she, would be held responsible for failing to fulfil the vow. (Num.
30:10-15).
Widows and divorced women were not
bound to a man’s authority. Although such women often suffer because they
lacked status and property, when it came to vows, they were recognised as
having the same authority as men and any vow they made was binding (Num. 30:9).
They had to bear the responsibilities and consequences of their vows, whether
good or bad.
SOME EXAMPLES
OF COVENANTS AND VOWS:
God to man: The LORD said to Abram,
“Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to
the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will
bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will
bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the
families on earth will be blessed through you. (Gen. 12:1-3)
God to a
Nation:
.....”If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do
what is right in His sight, obeying His commands and keeping all His decrees,
then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians;
for I am the LORD who heals you.” (Ex 15:26)
God and His
People:
“Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant
between God and His people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins
of many.” (Matt.26:28)
Man to God: Then Jacob made this vow:
“If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if He will
provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home,
then the LORD will certainly be my God. And this memorial pillar I have set up
will become a place for worshipping God, and I will present to God a tenth of
everything He gives me. (Gen. 28:20-22)
Nation to
God: Then
the people of Israel made this vow to the LORD: “If you will hand these people
over to us, we will completely destroy all their towns.” (Num. 21:2)
David vow: “I will not go home, I
will not let myself rest. I will not let my eyes sleep nor close my eyelids in
slumber until I find a place to build a house for the LORD, a sanctuary for the
Mighty One of Israel.” (Ps. 132:3-5)
Man to Man: (the spies to Rahab) “We
offer our own lives as a guarantee for your safety,” the men agreed. “If you
don’t betray us, we will keep our promise and be kind to you when the LORD
gives us the land.” (Josh. 2:14)
Rash vows: And Jephthah made a vow
to the LORD. He said, “If you give me victory over the Ammonites, I will give
to the LORD whatever comes out of my house to meet me when I return in triumph.
I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”
·
(The plan to kill Paul) The next morning, a group of Jews got
together and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they have
killed Paul. There were more than forty of them in the conspiracy. They went to
the leading priests and elders and told them, “We have bound ourselves with an
oath to eat nothing until we have killed Paul. So you and the high council
should ask the commander to bring Paul back to the council again. Pretend you
want to examine his case more fully. WE will kill him on the way.” (Acts
23:12-15)
·
Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will
never desert you.” (Matt. 26:33)
Many rash vows have been made which
men have regretted. The better policy is not to vow but to believe God will
answer prayer on the right basis of faith and absolute confidence in Him. We
never merit anything; and we must learn that He answers regardless of vows, not
because of them. God would still have heard without this kind of vow. (Read
Judges 21). When vows are made, however, they must be kept unless they are so
ridiculous and unjust that they have to be repented of. One characteristic of a
righteous man is that he swears to his own hurt and will not change or go back
on his own word (Ps. 15:4). We can see the seriousness of this in the actions
of those who made the vows. God cannot be mocked.
UNKEPT VOWS:
§ Judah to Tamar (Gen.
38:11) Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Go back to your parents’
home and remain a widow until my son Shelah is old enough to marry you.” Judah
didn’t really intend to do this because he was afraid Shelah would die, like
his two brothers. So Tamar went back to live in her father’s home. Read about
his act of shame in the rest of that chapter.
§ Joshua made a peace treaty
with them (the Gibeonites) and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the
community ratified their agreement with a binding oath. (Josh. 9:14 & 15)
Many many years later, there was famine in the land during David’s reign that
lasted three years, so David asked the LORD about it. And the LORD said, “The
famine has come because Saul and his family are guilty of murdering the
Gibeonites.” (2 Sam. 21:1)
§ Peter’s denied Jesus the
third time when suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before
the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” Peter went
away, weeping bitterly. (Matt. 26:75)
Un-honoured vow or swearing
put Nations in great problem. It escalates from the individuals or groups to
become a national problem. We read about the Gibeonites in the time of King
Saul. Here is confirmation from the Book of Jeremiah 23:10: - “For the land is
full of adulterers; for because of swearing
the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and
their course is evil, and their force is not right.” (KJV) This simply put, is
hardship to the nation. We need to change and manage the words of our mouths
with caution. Please read the Book of James for more on the use of tongue.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
As we go into questions
and answers, you must keep in mind that it is written, “whatever we agree on earth shall be agreed in heaven”. In whatever
oath or vow or pledge or promise made in agreement, God is involved; whether it
is between you and another mortal or between you and God. In the later
agreement, you can be rest assured that God will always honour His own part of
the deal. That being so, DO YOU OR SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY EXCUSE NOT TO PAY YOUR
VOW?
QUES: What is a pledge?
ANS: A pledge is a security or collateral for a
commitment. (Ex. 22:26)
"If you take your neighbour’s coat as security, give it back
before nightfall;
ANS: A pledge strengthens the vow. Vow is
word spoken. Pledge is a tangible asset offered or demanded to back up
the vow.
QUES: Why is there a need to
vow or enter into a covenant?
ANS: Usually because of a gap
or need which necessitated seeking for help.
QUES: Is it compulsory to
pledge or vow?
ANS: It is not compulsory but
situation might warrant it.
QUES: If so, what should I
pledge?
ANS: Something commensurate
to the help you seek
QUES: What is the implication
of not fulfilling my vow or covenant?
ANS: You lose your
credibility. You lose your pledge (security or collateral). You lose God’s
presence.
QUES: What is the gain if I
did?
ANS: Your integrity is intact
and you enjoy the presence and blessings of God.
QUES: Can I pay my vow before
the manifestation of my expectation?
ANS: Yes, especially if you
believe. In addition, you are free of the debt.
QUES: What happens if I
redeemed my vow and the expectation did not manifest?
ANS: Delay is not denial.
More so, it is still an investment.
QUES: What are the things to
consider before I make a pledge or vow?
ANS: Your need. Is there an
alternative? Think of the reason(s) for the pledge or vow. Will it be worth the sacrifice? The choice is
absolutely yours but it needs thinking it through.
QUES: I do not remember that I
made a vow or promise. What effect would this have on my life?
ANS: Jeremiah 23:10.
QUES: Who can relief or redeem
me of my vow or promise?
ANS: If you are under aged;
your father. If a married woman; your husband. Otherwise you better seek Jesus
Christ.
QUES: When the going was good
I made a vow and later, the relationship went sour and I could not fulfil my
vow. What is the implication?
ANS: Jeremiah 23:10
QUES: Marriage vows – what are
the implications?
ANS: God hates divorce.
QUES: What are the
consequences of a rash vow?
ANS: Read Judges 21, Matthew
26:33; Acts 23:12-15
QUES: Is there anything like
idle promise?
ANS: No
QUES: Does that means that any
promise I made either jokingly, seriously or rashly stands?
ANS: Yes. Matt. 12:36
QUES: Whenever I make a
pledge, I base it on how good I will be at the time of its manifestation. Often
times, I do not have enough thereafter to honour my vow. Going forward, how do
I manage this?
ANS: Make a pledge within
your means.
QUES: How powerful is spoken
word?
ANS: Word spoken has life in
it. Read Genesis chapter 1
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