I will go into Your house with burnt offerings; I will pay You my vows, which my lips have uttered and my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble. (Psalm 66:13-14)

It is our tendency as humans, that when in the midst of a crisis, to promise God certain things that we would otherwise be hesitant to do. Unfortunately, it is also our tendency to forget we made those promises as soon as our situation improves. Though we forget or just refuse to follow through, God does not forget but expects us to keep our word. As it is written: “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…. That which has gone from your lips you shall keep and perform, for you voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth” (Deuteronomy 23:21-23).

It is also written that it is “Better not to vow than to vow and not pay” (Ecclesiastes 5:5).  In other words, God does not hold us accountable for vows we don’t make, only those we do make. Put simply, God expects us to keep our word to Him and to others, and so we should never make a promise that we don’t intend to keep, or those it would be impossible for us to keep. In accordance with the old saying, our word should be our bond, and especially considering that we are God’s representatives in the earth. If we tell the Lord or our brother that we will do or not do something, we must be faithful to fulfill that vow.

Yeshua once said, “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37). Let’s put it this way: Say what you mean and mean what you say, otherwise keep quiet. To say things off the top of our head in an effort to get out of an uncomfortable situation is a carnal thing to do. We should be as David — quick to fulfill the promises we have made to God, our family and our brethren. As ambassadors of the Messiah, we should always be people of our word because we are people of the Word. It is written: “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight” (Proverbs 12:22).

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill 

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