When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you. But if you abstain from vowing, it shall not be sin to you. (Deuteronomy 23:21-22)
It is quite natural for us when in times of trouble to start making promises to God. Yet when the crisis passes, we quickly forget the promise — God doesn’t. So if I could sum up the intent of the verses above, it would be, “Be careful to say what you mean and always mean what you say.” No one is obligated to make a vow to the LORD — He says as much by telling us that to abstain from making a vow is not a sin. But if you make a vow to the LORD, you need to be committed to perform it.
Solomon said: “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed; better not to vow than to vow and not pay” (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5). It intrigues me that Solomon equated a person who made a vow, obviously flippantly, to a fool. His father David wrote that a fool is convinced God doesn’t exist because a fool is corrupt (Psalm 14:1). In other words, is it possible that the person who is quick to make a vow but slow to perform it does so because they are inherently corrupt? If they really believed there was a God who is true to His Word, wouldn’t they be compelled to keep their promise to Him?
I realize that most of us, at one time or the other, have been guilty of failing to keep our word to God. We really meant it in the moment but, as time passed, life got in the way and we forgot. Again, God has not. Therefore, if He brings these things to our remembrance, I feel it is important to fulfill these promises where possible. I mean, we expect Him to fulfill His promises to us, don’t we? Furthermore, going forward, it is important to remember that our “Yes” should mean “Yes” and our “No” should mean “No.” Anything more than this is of the wicked one — the corrupt one. So then, let us be people of the Word and, consequently, people who keep our word to Him and to our fellow man.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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