Vows

Numbers 30-31; Mark 9

“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 30:2

Our speech reflects the nature of our heart. Vows are statements of intention and are usually connected to prayers or claimed promises implying a two-way exchange. Hannah vowed to give God her first born if he would open her womb to have children. When her baby Samuel was weaned, she brought him to the temple for Eli to teach in the presence of the Lord.

Does God still enter into this kind of exchange with his people today?

Jesus clarified the question of oaths by commanding us to not make them. Simply let our “yes be yes” and our “no be no” (Matthew 5:37). Disciples of Jesus fully surrender their lives and their will to him and choose to follow and obey him.

What room is there for “deal making” with God when we have already surrendered our rights to him?

“Lord Jesus, all I have is yours. Keep my tongue from sin and my feet from snares, for your glory.”