I am chuckling as I start today's post. Have you ever set out to research something only to find the meaning of what you are researching is the word itself? It happens to me quite often. When it does I just keep digging until I find what I am looking for.
The word vow resounded throughout the first sixteen verses of our reading today. God was trying to make a point about the seriousness of vows that were made to Him. I decided to search for Hebrew transliteration of the word vow. I just knew in my spirit that I would find an earth-shattering meaning. This is what I found: vow-to make a vow. (Now, do you see why I was chuckling?) My dig really did not teach me anything profound. Digging deeper, I read the English meaning of the word vow: a solemn promise made to deity or saint committing oneself to an act, service or condition; an earnest declaration. As Ricky would say to Lucy, "that splains it."
We are cautioned through the wise words of King Solomon about making vows to the Lord.
"When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow." (Ecclesiastics 5:4 NIV) "It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it." (Ecclesiastics 5:5 NIV)
I was stopped in my reading when I got to verse 6 and read the words "impulsive pledge." In some translations the word says "rash." The ESV (English Standard Version) uses the words "thoughtless utterance." Those words sting me.
All too often I make "thoughtless utterances" and "rash" promises to my Holy God. In moments of crisis, misunderstandings, and confusion I thoughtlessly bargain with the Lord. It is so easy in these moments to promise God services or conditions in exchange for what I want or think is best. Oh friends this yet another reason to live a life yielded to the Holy Spirit each moment of every day.
Have you made a vow lately? 
13 Comments:
HAHA...that is funny! Thanks for the smile this morning...much needed!
As I read through Numbers 30, I was trying to figure out what kind of vows were being pledged. Any ideas?
I know in the past I have vowed to pray for someone daily and I don't intentionally forget, or say it without sincerity, but there comes a day when I realize I have forgotten. I have also told the Lord I would spend more time with Him in prayer, and then schedule changes, demands crowd and little by little that time is squeezed out of my day. My heart breaks now thinking about the vows I have made and not fulfilled. Asking God for forgiveness.
Just yesterday I marvelled at the number of animals needed for sacrifices during the different festivals and offerings, and pondered where all these animals would come from. Today's reading supplies an answer in part. Sounds like their livestock increased greatly with the plunder from battle.
Thanks again for all your prayers. (I did update on my Dad last night on Wendy's weekend post.)
You are all loved,
Joy
Had to come back to share this encouraging verse I just remembered.
"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ." 2 Corinthians 1:20
With God, a promise is a promise!
Praise His Name,
Joy
Sorry girls...me again..last time..(I'm not going to say, "I promise" :o)
Just received the P31 devotional today. What Rachel Olsen shares is so in line with our intent to pray...or promising to pray for others. Just thought it tied in so well...at least for me. Check it out!
Have a great day,
Joy
Thanks so much Wendy, as when I read through the chapters I didn't see as much in chapter 30, as I did 31. I'm looking over 30 again...I was a bit confused as to the vows, but I did take it that a vow was a promise and that it should not be taken lightly. My Grandma, passed down the saying in our family, "Word of Honor." If we ever really meant something, we would say that, and we all knew that, that meant we were really telling the truth. When we tell someone we will do somthing, we need to follow through and do it. It seems as the decades go by, words spoken, do not mean as much as they did in the past. Most likely, because we live in a "me society." I too am thinking about vows I have made, but later forget due to demands and getting side-tracked. This is an area for me to pray about and to consider my words more carefully.
Moving into chapter 31...Israel's army was well over 600,000...but only 12,000 fought the war. And, at the end "not one of us is missing!" Remember back in 10:9, God's promise- "...and go to war against your enemies who attack you, sound the alarm with trumpets. Then the LORD your God will remember you and rescue you from your enemies." God allowed for an overwhelming victory without the loss of a single Israelite! God kept His Word of honor with the men! Matthew Henry's commentary's summed up what History Shows:
*The hatefulness of sin
*The guilt of tempting others
*teaches us to avoid all occasions of evil
*To give no indulgence to inward lusts
Well, Monday here we come, ready or not...have a great day, gals!
Love you,
Lori - Mesa, AZ
PS Don't think I can make the trek from AZ to N.C. for the conference, but boy would it be a rewarding experience, and an absolute joy to see everyone's face in person! I'd love to go to one of those "blog" meetings! I've only been reading blogs since Dec. so I guess I need to set one up. :) In the meantime, if anyone ever needs to get in touch with me, I'm at
princemesa@cox.net
PPS Joy, you have my Word of Honor, that I will be praying for you/family today! Love you!
Joy,
My prayers are still with you and your family, in hopes that you and yours will find the peace that surpasses all understanding, in this your time of vulnerability.
Wendy,
I apologise for just responding to your February 6 message that you left on my blog. I guess its evident that I am a freshman in the university of 'blogging'.
The world of accounting, it seems (or at least for right now), is immune to economic downturns!!! It's almost as though businesses, more now than ever, want to pay keen attention to their financial resources, hence work keeps me busy.
While I make time to read my daily scriptures, I don't always have to time to post. And sometimes I read and don't fully understand, but I make the time to get a better understanding from you and my other fellow daily readers. But rest assure, I am here.
I want so much to attend the conference, but like Joy, I will pray about it and if I am supposed to be there, I will!
However though, I will be in Newberry, South Carolina from May 8 -10 for my nephew's college graduation. How far are you from Newberry?
God Bless
Chanan, Bahamas.
Joy,
I am sure your presence with your father at this time is a huge balm to him. I pray that he will begin to mend. I loved Sheryl's post over the weekend with the names of God! May all aspects of His character make themselves known to you at this time and give you peace!
Wendy, I loved the "vow" story! As the daughter of a linguist, I am very annoyed when a word is translated to itself... It's a real "duh" moment! I was struck again by the role of women and their vows. I know that I need to put this into historical perspective, but my modern sensibilities were uncomfortable with how the vows needed to be agreed to by the men in their lives to be valid. I was slightly mollified by the repeated "God will forgive them" because their (father, husband, ...) wouldn't allow them to fulfill their vow.
The other part that struck me to day was Balaam being killed and the reference in Numbers 31:15-16 that he was behind the women seducing the Israelites. He was just prophesying for God on Friday! What happened there?!
I won't be able to be at She Speaks either by I will be praying for all of you and would love at some point to see you all in person! This fellowship of sisters has meant so much to me, words cannot express... :)
Happy Monday!
Karen, CA
Chanan, You answered a prayer request I made today, to the Lord...You are reading your verses everyday...you made that vow and you are keeping your promise to God. You are making His Word a priority in your life. AMEN! As I walked this morning, I prayed that each one of us would keep our vow that we made...to read through our scriptures EVERY day...God will bless us if we keep to the vow we made. The enemy will come in and try to rob us of this special time we have with the Lord...Let's not allow him to do this.
Chapter 30 really hit me hard as I was walking and talking to Jesus this morning. The light bulb turned on, and I saw clearly, what Wendy wrote to us. A vow, is a vow...period! When we say we'll do something, we need to follow up and do it. Something that sounds so terribly simple, has such a deep, deep meaning.
Anyway, just had to write another comment! I love to see my prayer's being answered. What an awesome God we share together!
Love you all!
Lori - Mesa,AZ
Hello Sistas! Another lovely Monday has begun.
Regarding vows...as I read that part my mind was on wedding vows - and how lightly they are taken these days. It is an area of sadness for me to see friends, relatives, neighbors, customers, etc...not being able to fulfill this so important of a vow.
Karen - I questioned Balaam getting killed too. I found this in Rev 2:14. "But I have a few things against you; you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Isreal, that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice immorality."
Sounds like Balaam kept himself busy with shenanigans after we last heard from him!
Good day all...gotta get back to work.
yucky weather coming to MN again!
Morgen
Happy Monday to all!
I am guilty of making vows and not keeping them, however as I get older and wiser I am more conscientious about making "impulse vows" in the moment.
What hit me today was twice now we have read the Lord tell Moses he is going to die. Num. 27:13 and 31:2. The first time Moses spoke to Lord about a leader for his people. The second time Moses spoke to the people about what the Lord told him to do. Neither time did he run to do “unfinished business” because his life would soon end. I asked myself today, if I knew I would climb a mountain today and die, what would my last hours be like? Would I be busy trying to make things right or would I be resting in the presence of the Lord, knowing I lived my life for his purpose? I don't expect all of you to respond, just take a moment to think about that.
I am so happy I made the vow to join this study. It has enriched my life immensely!
I will not be attending She Speaks, but I only lived a few hours (Laurinburg) from you Wendy so maybe we can meet before the year is out.
I do not have a blog, but I can be reached at: debbie.ann.patten@us.army.mil
P.S. - Thanks for the update on your Father! I’m praising God in advance with you for a total healing.
Hi Wendy,
Just stopping by to let you know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. I pray you are well.
Blessings,
Pearls
Hey girls,
As I am sitting here in the quietness, reading through each of your posts there is a mental picture in my head. All of us are gathered together and just talking like we knew each other for years. Of course there is chocolate and coffee involved with the discussion of God's word. I just can't imagine what it's going to be like when we sisters get to heaven.
Now back to the discussion, the word "vow" has never really entered my thoughts except in the case of marriage. Last week my husband and I signed papers to start the proceedings to end our marriage of 22 years. The one thing that hurts my heart is when I asked him about the vows he made. His response still rings in my heart "they were just words".
So ladies if I can bring anything to the table today, it would be this: make your word have value and honor. When you "vow" to do something- do it- for however long you vow to do it.
I can not believe it outside. It is 85 and I am wearing shorts. Last Monday we had 8 inches of snow and the city shut down. HUM!
Hugs to All. Praying for you Joy!
Diane
Hey girls, I love reading your comments. You continue to motivate me to dig deeper.
Diane, as I read your words, tears began to flow. Thank you for being so transparent in an effort to teach us what a vow really does mean. I truly as sorry for the heartbreak you must be experiencing.
As far as vows, I am currently working to keep one. I guess in today's world, we also call them contracts. Mine is for a manuscript. Just like in marriage, writing is happy and fun at first, but turns into real "work." I am at the work stage!
As far as today's reading, I too wondered about Balaam. I wonder if since he couldn't get any riches by prophesying for God, if he later came back and tried to gain some on his own. Just a thought.
Happy Monday to you all!
Really enjoyed reading the comments today. Joy, I am anxious to hear how your Dad is doing, you are all still in my prayers.
Karen and Morgan, I am excited to read that someone else was intrigued by the note that Balaam was killed in this war. Like you, I was surprised to read that he was causing such trouble when he was referred to as a prophet...someone who actually heard God speak. What was he thinking!? I really enjoyed the pieces shared about him.
Wendy, like yourself, I also picked up on the repeated use of the word "vow". It really made me wonder, how valid is my word?
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