When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth(Deut. 23:21-23).
Honesty. Integrity. Personal accountability. These are increasingly rare commodities in today’s world, a world in which emotions are allowed to rule the tongue, and promises are made to be broken. Every contract comes with an escape clause, and every agreement contains a caveat. Craftiness and verbal manipulation are considered ‘the norm’ for interpersonal relations, and we look down on those who are fooled by others, calling them naive and ill-equipped for life.
We teach our children from infancy that nothing is absolute— everything they say or that others say to them is provisional and can be taken back with the simple phrase, “I’ve changed my mind.” Instead of guarding our own tongues and teaching our children to do the same, we assure them that impulsive promises (positive or negative) are never binding and that they will always have the opportunity to recant after they have had time to think it over.
A quick survey of God’s Word makes it clear that He does not share in this popular worldview. To God, a promise (vow) is sacrosanct and must be fulfilled by the person making it. 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 (Num. 30:2). Most Christians understand that this applies to any promise we make directly to God, but many are surprised to discover that it applies equally to promises we make to others, as well. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another (Eph. 4:25).
A promise is a verbal contract; the words ‘I promise’ imply an oath to fulfill the words that came before it. To renege on that at any time, for any reason, puts lie to your word and causes you to sin. Rash, unfulfillable promises represent sin in and of themselves because they are lies the moment they are uttered. Foolish but fulfillable promises put the promisor in the uncomfortable position of either following through (and at times sinning in the process) or reneging (and thereby sinning). God’s advice on how to handle this is simple—don’t put yourself in the situation in the first place because, once you are there, it’s too late to ‘fix.’ Guard your thoughts and your tongue. Understand clearly that your word IS your bond, and speak no vow or promise that has not been laid on your heart by Him to speak.
In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise (Prov. 10:19). When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands(Eph. 5:4-6)?
Thought for Today: Words and actions go hand in hand in the eyes of God.
Christ Revealed:Christ died on a cross in our place, submitting to the penalty of death imposed by the Law for our sins (Deut. 21:23). In the evening He was taken down from the cross, signifying the Law had been satisfied (John 19:31). Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us (Gal. 3:13).
Word Studies:21:3 wrought = worked; 21:4 eared = ploughed; 21:5 stroke = assault; 21:12 pare = trim; 21:13 bewail = mourn; 21:15 hated = unloved; 22:3 hide thyself = avoid responsibility; 22:6 dam = mother; 22:8 battlement = guard rail; 22:9 divers = various kinds of; 22:14 maid = virgin.
Pray For Staff:Tifany Parisi • Government Official: Rep.Greg Stanton (AZ), Rep. Jahana Hayes (WI), Rep Josh Gottheimer (NJ) • Country: Taiwan (23,359,928) Eastern Asia • Major Language: Mandarin Chinese • Religious Freedom • 93% “Chinese Religions” (Buddhist/Taolist/Confucian); 4.5% Christianity; 2.5% Other • Prayer Suggestion: Pray in faith, and the Lord will answer (Mark 11:24).
Optional Reading Luke 23