Keeping Your Word
Read Numbers 30 regarding vows and oaths. What important principle can we take away from this chapter for ourselves today? What does this tell us about the importance of our words? What warnings should we take away from here, too?
It’s one thing to flat-out lie; that’s obviously sinful and wrong. But that’s not what’s being talked about here. How often have we made a solemn promise, or a vow in the Lord’s name, that we absolutely intended to keep at the time, only to eventually break it for one reason or another? In this immediate context, we’re dealing with vows made “unto the Lord,” but in reality, when we–especially as professing Christians–say that we are going to do something, we should follow through on it. That we intended to do it at the time we said it will make little difference to the one to whom we make the promises. Maybe the individual will believe us, maybe not. The point is, as professed Christians, what kind of representative of Christ are we if we are going around making promises or vows that—for whatever reason—we end up not keeping? What good is our religion if we don’t keep our word? That’s why it is crucial that we be very careful in what we promise or make vows about, because we might find ourselves in the embarrassing position of not being able to follow through, no matter how good our intentions.
“The obligation to which one’s word is pledged—if it do not bind him to perform a wrong act—should be held sacred.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 506. In Israelite culture, failure to keep one’s promise, sworn in the name of God, was regarded as a sin of omission. In a real sense, failure to fulfill a vow is taking His name in vain, especially if we are Christians who, ideally, do all things in the name of Christ.
| How many times have you made vows and promises to others, to God, or to yourself that you have broken? What can you learn from these experiences? What promises can you claim that will help prevent this from happening continually? |
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