Many Christians who believe in God do not understand the very sacred nature of vows that are made to God and man, and for this reason the oaths uttered before God do not carry much weight, and are often held in a subjective manner, being fluid and subject to change, to alteration, to feelings, and in some instances, signal dismissal. When this attitude is left to run its course, it ultimately affects our character and the way we deal with our fellowmen, because the same way we treat God is the very same way we will treat others, if not worse. When vows of any kind are made to God, careful consideration should be prayerfully made, and once we have received clearance from God, then we should do all we can to honor our word, even though it may be at great inconvenience or cost, for all vows are sacred in God’s sight.
After it became necessary for God to destroy the entire
earth by the flood, because of the multitude of man’s transgressions which had enveloped the whole earth, God then made a solemn vow between Himself and all living creatures, both man and beast, that the earth will never again be destroyed by a flood. And even though in our day we are doing just as the antediluvians did, and in some instances worse, yet the earth will never ever again be overspread by a flood of waters, because of the sacred nature of the vow God has made. Let’s read:
Genesis 9:12 And God said, This [is] the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that [is] with you, for perpetual generations:
9:13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
9:14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
9:15 And I will remember my covenant, which [is] between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
9:16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that [is] upon the earth.
9:17 And God said unto Noah, This [is] the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that [is] upon the earth.
The same sacred nature of His covenant is seen in the way His mercies are dispersed to those who believe in Him, and who comprise the spiritual descendants of Abraham. Even though some of us have done the unthinkable, sins that will cause even the heathen to shudder, yet God remembers the sacred covenant He has made to His people, and refuses to deal with us as we deserve. The sacred nature of His promise to forgive is manifested in several passages of scripture, one of the most notable being 1st John 1:9. Let’s read:
1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
This is a very serious and sacred vow for God to make to the human family. To get an idea of the weightiness of this vow, we need to read another passage of scripture to find out the extent and far-reaching implications of the pledge. Peter once asked Christ how often should forgiveness be extended to a person who might be a repeat offender. Many of us do not even practice two strikes and you’re out; we sometimes only tolerate one strike, but according to the forgiveness that God as solemnly pledged to us, we would need to at least start with 490 strikes before a person is considered “out”. At this level it requires raw faith to keep coming back to God for pardon, for at such a stage we may not see any valid reason why we should come. Let’s read:
Matthew 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
The sacred nature of vows made to God need to be addressed in the lives of all Christians, for the same way God holds Himself accountable to His word, is the same way we should hold ourselves accountable for ours. Let’s read:
Genesis 15:7 And he said unto him, I [am] the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
15:8 And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
15:9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.
15:10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.
15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land [that is] not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
15:14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
Several solemn promises are here made in this sacred vow: (1) He promises that the affliction of the Hebrews will not last for more than four hundred years. (2) That the nation that afflicted them will be judged before their emancipation. And (3) Abraham’s seed will leave that land with great substance. So let’s fast-forward to the future to see how God regards the sacred obligation He has committed to. Let’s read:
Exodus 2:23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
2:24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
2:25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto [them].
Exodus 3:6 Moreover he said, I [am] the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
3:7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which [are] in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows.
The reason why God now mentions Abraham’s name first
and then his offspring, in the form of Isaac, Jacob, and their descendents is because the original vow then made to Abraham was given in the same order, and therefore He is reminding Moses that the fulfillment of the pledge He made four hundred years ago has not been forgotten with the passage of time, as is often the case when we seem to forget the vows we have made to God. And now the time for their emancipation is drawing near, so God rolls up His sleeves and goes to work, in order to fulfill what He himself has solemnly promised to do. Let’s read:
Exodus 3:20 And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.
3:21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty:
3:22 But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put [them] upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.
Exodus 11:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague [more] upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let [you] go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.
11:2 Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.
11:3 And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses [was] very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people.
Exodus 12:29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that [was] in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
12:30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for [there was] not a house where [there was] not one dead.
12:31 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, [and] get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.
12:32 Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.
12:33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We [be] all dead [men].
12:51 And it came to pass the selfsame day, [that] the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.
The Hebrews also understood the sacred nature of vows made to God and man, for the perfect example of God was before their faces, and therefore they were expected to follow in the footsteps of God, in all of their pledges made to The Lord, and to fellow human beings. A striking example of this took place when the Gibeonites practiced fraud and deception upon the Israelites, in order to avoid being destroyed in battle. Upon learning of the stunning, and miraculous victories God had been giving His people, they became afraid, and thus resorted to stratagem in order to save their lives and their cities from certain ruin. And the sacred record shows that they were successful in getting the Israelites to make a solemn vow before God, a pledge that could not afterward be overturned with impunity on the part of Israel. Let’s read:
Joshua 9:3 And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,
9:4 They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;
9:5 And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry [and] mouldy.
9:6 And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.
9:7 And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?
9:8 And they said unto Joshua, We [are] thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who [are] ye? and from whence come ye?
9:9 And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,
9:11 Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We [are] your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.
9:12 This our bread we took hot [for] our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you;
but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:
9:13 And these bottles of wine, which we filled, [were] new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.
9:15 And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.
This incident which took place here is what is known as premeditated and deliberate fraud on the part of the Gibeonites, a well-planned and coordinated effort to deceive the Hebrews, and based on those blatant lies that were uttered with a straight face, the Hebrews inadvertently, and ignorantly entered into a solemn covenant with the Gibeonites to let them live amongst them. To many minds this was a valid reason to void all that was solemnly pledged, since they were deliberately deceived as to what they were getting themselves into.
This is the equivalent of a stranger coming to our front door, and uttering a series of well thought out lies and fabrications, stating that they are poor and miserable, and blind and naked, and they need food, raiment, and shelter for themselves and their kids. And then after we believe their story and our hearts are touched by the feelings of their infirmities, we solemnly pledge to let them live at our house for a number of years, only to discover three days later that they are indeed rich and increased with goods. The burning question is what do we do next? Let’s read:
Joshua 9:16 And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they [were] their neighbours, and [that] they dwelt among them.
9:17 And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities [were] Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim.
9:18 And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes.
9:19 But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.
9:20 This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.
9:22 And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We [are] very far from you; when ye dwell among us?
9:23 Now therefore ye [are] cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.
There are some very serious and disturbing lessons for us to learn from this singular experience, as it pertains to the inviolability of vows made before God and man. The very first lesson, and one that should resonate in our consciousness whenever serious decisions or pledges are to be made, whether it be in material goods, finances, or services to God and man, is to pray without ceasing. It is imperative that we take our pledges that are under consideration to The Lord in prayer first, before they are uttered in His presence or sealed with a verbal or written note. This first lesson is of very critical importance in order to avoid making vows that can be extremely costly and difficult to fulfill. Let’s read:
Joshua 9:14 And the men took of their victuals, and asked not [counsel] at the mouth of the LORD.
Ecclesiastes 5:2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter [any] thing before God: for God [is] in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
5:3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice [is known] by multitude of words.
5:6 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?
5:7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words [there are] also [divers] vanities: but fear thou God.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
Praying first, and waiting on God for clearance in matters of consequence will save us many a heartache, and when coupled together with a proper understanding of the sacred nature of vows, will help greatly in decreasing the rates of separations that are increasing exponentially across the land, and sometimes for some of the most trivial reasons. The marriage institution is very sacred, and the vows attached to it are to be held as being most sacred, and therefore the various clauses, prenuptial agreements, addendums, and modifications that are often brought in to accommodate the nullifying of the sacred vow made before God and man, should be dispensed with, by all who desire to walk in the footsteps of God in the keeping of solemn pledges. Let’s read:
I, Christian, take you Princess, to be my lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.
Lesson (2) Vows that are made without consulting God first are not to be viewed as non-binding, for Joshua and the elders did not pray first, yet they understood that it would be a sin for them to recant what they had pledged, even though it was done in a fraudulent manner on the part of the Gibeonites. Fraud, ignorance, or unforeseen circumstances are no excuse to default on vows and pledges made, and even though resentment , anger and great inconvenience are involved, yet we should always do our very best to meet our sacred obligations, for those who go against their own grain to keep their word, will develop characters of sterling worth, and by so doing will be enabled to penetrate into unchartered territories of faith and experience with God. Let’s read:
Psalm 15:1 LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
15:2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.
15:4 …. “He that sweareth to [his own] hurt, and changeth not.
15:5 … “He that doeth these [things] shall never be moved.
Lesson (3) The serious and sacred nature of vows should
not prevent or intimidate us from making vows to God and man where warranted, for the Christian walks by faith in God, and anything God gives us clearance to do, comes with the guaranteed wherewithal to do it. This last point is not understood by many Christians, and because of this, some hesitate greatly in stepping out in faith. But God’s promises are enablings, and He always gives us the needed strength and resources to perform that which He gave us clearance to do. The unfaithful steward hid his Lord’s money in the sand and kept it in pristine condition, but was debarred from the gates of heaven because he did not step out in faith.
And we are never to assume that just because God gave us clearance to move forward in the making of a pledge, that we will therefore encounter no difficulty in the fulfillment of those vows. Moses accepted the covenant of God to be used in the deliverance of His people, but on several occasions the Hebrews tried to stone him. Even this is no excuse to turn back from our sacred vows, for their sacredness stands totally independent of all extenuating circumstances. In the performance of duties we have pledged to do we might be criticized, heckled, applauded, or ostracized, but none of these constitute valid excuses for annulling sacred vows. Let’s read:
Numbers 11:11 And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?
11:14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because [it is] too heavy for me.
11:15 And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.
Exodus 17:2 Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?
17:3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore [is] this [that] thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
17:4 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.
In closing, it is necessary for us to know that if by the grace of God we change and reform our attitudes toward vows made to God and man, a positive ripple effect will be seen throughout the entire spectrum of our lives. It will impact our devotional times which we have set aside for communion with God, it will affect the church offices we may hold, especially when we become discouraged and everyone seems to be against us. It will cause us to go to the gym on those days when we are not feeling to exercise, when the temperature plummets.
It will affect the way we pay our mortgage and rent, and the many other bills that come due. It will positively affect our marriages, by enabling us to lock the door and throw away the key. It will affect our diet and the necessary discipline required to lose those stubborn pounds. And we can go on and on and on, but the truth is that without a sacred regard for vows, nothing that is worth accomplishing will ever get done. We end with a passage of scripture which sets the tone, the actions and results as it pertains to the making of vows before God and man. Let’s read:
Psalms 50:14 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:
50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. God bless!