“If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth.” (v21-23)
How important is it to keep our vows (promises, commitments, covenants)? How carefully do we think commitments over before we make them? What are some of the barriers to making long-term commitments? How can we ensure we keep the commitments we make?
These are just the first few questions that come to mind when contemplating these few verses. Clearly, based on the text, God takes our commitments very seriously, and considers it sin if we do not fulfill that which we promised. In response to the other questions, let’s look at more scripture.
“In everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly.” (Pro 13:16) We are to make wise and discerning decisions, not act foolishly without thinking things through. The indwelling Holy Spirit is critical to helping us wisely discern our paths.
“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’ – yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’ ” (Jas 4:13-15) Are we afraid of making a long-term commitment (ie. submitting ourselves to God’s will) because we don’t know the future?
Fear not, God is with you, and He will provide the strength and courage you will need: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Jos 1:9)
As for keeping our commitments, there’s one overarching commitment that we need to make and keep, and all other vows to God fall under that one. If we truly seek to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, strength and mind, we will succeed in keeping God’s laws, and our vows to God. Our obedience will be a natural outflow of fulfilling that most important commitment.
My challenge for today is to release any fear or trepidation we may have that are holding us back from jumping headlong into following God’s will. The Lord will never harm us, and He will never abandon us. If we keep our commitment to our first love, we will have nothing to fear, for He is with us.
Father God, our Lord and King, holy is Your name. May all heaven and earth rejoice at the sound of Your voice, and bow our knee before Your throne. May every word and action be in alignment with Your will, so You may be fully glorified here on earth. Jesus thank you for showing us the way. Spirit thank you for being our light and guide. We praise You Most High God for Your will and provision in our lives, and we ask your grace be upon us when we falter. Please teach us to fully submit to You, forever and always, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training