The difference between vows and oaths
July 5, 2021
Commentary
There is a difference between “vows” and “oaths.” The vow was a promise to do a certain thing for the Lord, while the oath was a promise not to do a certain thing. Moses reminded the people that their promise to God was a very serious matter and must be kept (vv. 1-2). In Old Testament times, people did not sign written contracts. A person’s word was as binding as a signature and to make a vow was even more binding. No one was forced by law to make a vow; but once made, they were to be fulfilled. To break a vow meant a broken trust and a broken relationship. Trust is still the basis of our relationships with God and others. A broken promise today is just at harmful as it was in Moses day.
Any and all vows made by a man were unconditional, and he was fully responsible for them; but vows made by a woman were often conditional in nature. There were at least two types of vows that could be broken but only immediately after they were discovered:
The first was the vow of an unmarried daughter living in her father’s house which could be invalidated, but only immediately after it was discovered (vv. 3-5). If the father hears the vow and says nothing, the vow must stand and the young lady must fulfill it.The second was the vow of a married woman which could be invalidated by her husband (vv. 6-8; 10-16). If he disagrees with the vow and forbids it, the vow is annulled but he must do so soon after hearing it. A widow or divorcee must stand by her vow in the same way as a man (v. 9).
Application
To make a promise is to obligate myself to the Lord, whether I realize this or not. If I expect the Lord to keep His promises, then it is only reasonable that He expects me to keep mine.
Numbers 30:1– 16 (NET)
1 Moses told the leaders of the tribes concerning the Israelites, “This is what the Lord has commanded: 2 If a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath of binding obligation on himself, he must not break his word, but must do whatever he has promised.
3 “If a young woman who is still living in her father’s house makes a vow to the Lord or places herself under an obligation, 4 and her father hears of her vow or the obligation to which she has pledged herself, and her father remains silent about her, then all her vows will stand, and every obligation to which she has pledged herself will stand. 5 But if her father overrules her when he hears about it, then none of her vows or her obligations that she has pledged for herself will stand. And the Lord will release her from it, because her father overruled her.
6 “And if she marries a husband while under a vow, or she uttered anything impulsively by which she has pledged herself, 7 and her husband hears about it but remains silent about her when he hears about it, then her vows will stand and her obligations that she has pledged for herself will stand. 8 But if when her husband hears it he overrules her, then he will nullify the vow she has taken, and whatever she uttered impulsively that she has pledged for herself. And the Lord will release her from it.
9 “But every vow of a widow or of a divorced woman which she has pledged for herself will remain intact. 10 If she made the vow in her husband’s house or put herself under obligation with an oath, 11 and her husband heard about it, but remained silent about her, and did not overrule her, then all her vows will stand, and every obligation which she pledged for herself will stand. 12 But if her husband clearly nullifies them when he hears them, then whatever she says by way of vows or obligations will not stand. Her husband has made them void, and the Lord will release her from them.
13 “Any vow or sworn obligation that would bring affliction to her, her husband can confirm or nullify. 14 But if her husband remains completely silent about her from day to day, he thus confirms all her vows or all her obligations which she is under; he confirms them because he remained silent about her when he heard them. 15 But if he should nullify them after he has heard them, then he will bear her iniquity.”
16 These are the statutes that the Lord commanded Moses, relating to a man and his wife, and a father and his young daughter who is still living in her father’s house.
Illustration: “I will give a million dollars if God heals me”
As the wealthy oil tycoon lay on his deathbed, his pastor talked of God’s healing power. “Pastor,” he gasped, “if God heals me, I’ll give the church a million dollars.” Miraculously, the man revived and within a few short weeks was out of the hospital. One day, several months later, he and the pastor chatted on the sidewalk in front of a hardware store. “You know,” the pastor said, “when you were in the hospital dying, you promised to give the church a million dollars if you got well. We haven’t got it yet.” “Did I say that?” the tycoon asked. “I guess that goes to show how sick I really was!" (Today in the Word, July, 1990, p. 34)