Audio Download

Numbers 30:1-16  The Command to Honor our Vows

[Study Aired December 4, 2023]

Num 30:1  And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded. 
Num 30:2  If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth. 
Num 30:3  If a woman also vow a vow unto the LORD, and bind herself by a bond, being in her father’s house in her youth;
Num 30:4  And her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand.
Num 30:5  But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth; not any of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand: and the LORD shall forgive her, because her father disallowed her. 
Num 30:6  And if she had at all an husband, when she vowed, or uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul; 
Num 30:7  And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her in the day that he heard it: then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand. 
Num 30:8  But if her husband disallowed her on the day that he heard it; then he shall make her vow which she vowed, and that which she uttered with her lips, wherewith she bound her soul, of none effect: and the LORD shall forgive her. 
Num 30:9  But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, wherewith they have bound their souls, shall stand against her. 
Num 30:10  And if she vowed in her husband’s house, or bound her soul by a bond with an oath; 
Num 30:11  And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and disallowed her not: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she bound her soul shall stand. 
Num 30:12  But if her husband hath utterly made them void on the day he heard them; then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband hath made them void; and the LORD shall forgive her. 
Num 30:13  Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void. 
Num 30:14  But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day; then he establisheth all her vows, or all her bonds, which are upon her: he confirmeth them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them.
Num 30:15  But if he shall any ways make them void after that he hath heard them; then he shall bear her iniquity.
Num 30:16  These are the statutes, which the LORD commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between the father and his daughter, being yet in her youth in her father’s house.

Introduction

Today’s study is devoted entirely to vows. A vow is used in the Bible as a promise made to God to perform some deed as well as for a prohibition which a person imposes upon himself to abstain from something which is otherwise permitted. It was not part of the law of Moses, but the law came to regulate its practice. Vows were regarded as a voluntary act but once a vow is made, it becomes compulsory.

Ecc 5:4  When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

The first time a vow appeared in the Bible was when Jacob had an encounter with the Lord in a dream, when he was running away from his brother, Esau.  

Gen 28:20  And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
Gen 28:21  So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:
Gen 28:22  And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

This first-time mention of a vow shows us its significance. Jacob had deceived his father and obtained the blessings that were due Esau instead. When Esau came to this realization, he wanted to kill Jacob. Jacob was therefore very apprehensive as he realized his helplessness in protecting himself and therefore ran away from his brother. It was at this point that the Lord appeared to him in a dream to assure him of His protection and to bring him to an expected end. 

Gen 28:15  And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. 
Gen 28:16  And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
Gen 28:17  And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
Gen 28:18  And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. 
Gen 28:19  And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. 

When Jacob realized the Lord was with him and that He would continue to be with him to bring him to an expected end, it was then that Jacob, out of his appreciation of what the Lord had said He would do, vowed a vow. The principle here is that it is the Lord who always takes the initiative to come to us, and when we realize this, we naturally want to offer something back to the Lord. However, we do not realize that we do not have what it takes to fulfill a vow. The law therefore has to come in to show us that we cannot fulfill a vow on our own.

1Jn 4:19  We love him, because he first loved us.

Rom 7:7  What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
Rom 7:8  But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

There are two instances in the Bible where those who vowed were depending on the Lord’s mercies in order for them to give back to the Lord. The first one relates to the birth of Samuel. Hannah came to the realization, just like Jacob, that without the Lord’s intervention, there was no way what she expected could happen – that is, to conceive and give birth. Therefore, she vowed a vow that if the Lord would give her a man child, she would dedicate him back to the Lord.

1Sa 1:9  So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD. 
1Sa 1:10  And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. 
1Sa 1:11  And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

Through the Lord’s mercies, she gave birth to a son (Samuel), and she wholly gave him to the Lord’s service. 

Another example was that of Jephthah, who was the son of a harlot and therefore, an outcast. Jephthah knew there was no way he could ever become a king. Thus, when the elders of Gilead made him their head and expected him to overcome the Ammonites on their behalf, Jephthah knew that it was of the Lord and therefore he vowed a vow that if the Lord would grant him victory, then he shall sacrifice the first person to come out of his house when he comes home in victory. 

Jdg 11:1  Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. 
Jdg 11:2  And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a strange woman. 
Jdg 11:3  Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him. 
Jdg 11:4  And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.
Jdg 11:5  And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: 

Jdg 11:9  And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head? 
Jdg 11:10  And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.
Jdg 11:11  Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.

Jdg 11:29  Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon. 
Jdg 11:30  And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, 
Jdg 11:31  Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. 

Jdg 11:33  And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. 
Jdg 11:34  And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. 
Jdg 11:35  And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.

Jephthah means “he opens.” It is indeed God who, when He opens, no one can shut. As our Father, God has made a vow to redeem us from our enemies by offering as a sacrifice whatever comes out of His creation (house) first. 

Heb 6:16  For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. 
Heb 6:17  Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 
Heb 6:18  That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 
Heb 6:19  Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 

In this context, it is the daughter who came out of the house of Jephthah first, and she was the only offspring of Jephthah. What we need to understand is that in the scriptures, the spirit behind the words is more important than the details. We know from the scriptures that in Christ (in the word) there is neither male nor female. So, the daughter here first represents our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only begotten of the Father and was sacrificed on our behalf so we can have the victory.

Gal 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

This daughter also represents the church of the first born or New Jerusalem. We are the first to come out of our Father’s house to appreciate the victory that our Lord Jesus (Jephthah) has wrought on our behalf.  Remember that Jesus Christ is also called our Father in the scriptures. Because Jesus won the victory over his flesh (the Ammonites) during His time on earth, we, too, can win the victory over our flesh. 

Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 

Like the daughter of Jephthah, we, too, are the first to come out to celebrate the victory of Christ in our lives with timbrels and with dances. Coming out with timbrels and dancing is the same as being of good cheer because our Father Lord Jesus has overcome the world for us. It also means we must praise the Lord for His wonderful works of deliverance towards us.

Joh 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. 

Psa 107:8  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Coming back to the principle behind a vow, we can see that it is when the Lord has shown mercy to us that we want to offer something back to the Lord. However, because of the frailty or weakness of our flesh, we do not realize that we do not have what it takes to give back anything to the Lord. That is when the law of Moses comes in. As we know, the law was to show us that we cannot on our own please the Lord. The fact that the law of Moses regulated the practice of a vow is therefore to show us that it was because of abuses of a vow that the law came in to set things straight and to make it obvious to us that of our own, we cannot fulfill a vow. When Jesus, the reformer, came on the scene, one of the first things he did was to come up with a new law of the spirit which negates this whole issue about vows.

Mat 5:33  Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
Mat 5:34  But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: 
Mat 5:35  Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
Mat 5:36  Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 
Mat 5:37  But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Since we are therefore not under the law but are operating under the law of the spirit of life, which sets us free from the law of sin and death (the law of Moses), we are not required to make a vow. All we have to do is that our yes must be yes, and our no must be no. One may then ask why Paul undertook a vow and that of the zealous four men of the church in Jerusalem in the New Testament dispensation? 

Act 18:18  And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.

Act 21:23  Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; 
Act 21:24  Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law. 

The recent studies in the Book of Acts have shown us that it took a long time for the church to see that the law of Moses was only our schoolmaster until faith came. Now when faith comes, we are no longer under the law. Thus, the church was erroneously practicing the law of Moses while they were under the law of the spirit of life. That explains why Paul and the four men took a vow. However, under the law of Christ, we are not to vow.

Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 
Gal 3:26  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 

As indicated, the essence of a vow is to show our gratitude to the Lord in view of His mercies towards us. However, because of the weakness of our flesh, it is impossible for us to fulfill a vow. The coming of Christ therefore opened a new way where we can offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to the Lord as He enables us. 

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Men and Vows

Num 30:1  And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded.
Num 30:2  If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.

As indicated earlier, the need to regulate vows may have been the result of abuses of vows. The law came in to show us our inability to please the Lord on our own. When we come to see that, then the law has done its work.

Ecc 5:4  When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
Ecc 5:5  Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

Verse 2 enjoins us to be careful with what comes out of our mouth. Knowing that we do not have the capacity to fulfill a vow, our yes must be yes, and our no be no.

Women and Vows

Num 30:3  If a woman also vow a vow unto the LORD, and bind herself by a bond, being in her father’s house in her youth;
Num 30:4  And her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand. 
Num 30:5  But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth; not any of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand: and the LORD shall forgive her, because her father disallowed her. 

As we are aware, a woman represents the church. The woman in her youth signifies the formative years of the church before the coming of Christ when the law was her schoolmaster. In other words, when we started our walk with Christ, we made a lot of promises to the Lord (vows) which our Lord Jesus Christ heard. However, since the Lord had not come into our lives with the Spirit of His mouth, that is, our father holding His peace, these promises were binding. In the fullness of time, when the Lord comes to us, that is, disallows us in the day he hears, then all our vows or promises are no longer binding. In other words, the written codes that were against us were all done away with in Christ.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:   

Col 2:13  And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 
Col 2:14  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 
Col 2:15  And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. 

Num 30:6  And if she had at all an husband, when she vowed, or uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul; 
Num 30:7  And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her in the day that he heard it: then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.
Num 30:8  But if her husband disallowed her on the day that he heard it; then he shall make her vow which she vowed, and that which she uttered with her lips, wherewith she bound her soul, of none effect: and the LORD shall forgive her.

These verses are the same as the 3-5 verses except that in this case, Christ is our husband. As indicated, before Christ came to us with the Spirit of His mouth, the law was binding on us as a result of our promises to the Lord.  However, with the Lord’s coming with His brightness, we are set free from all that has held us in bondage. 

Verses 6 to 8 also show us the authority the Lord has given to a husband over his wife just as He has authority over us.

Eph 5:22  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 
Eph 5:23  For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 
Eph 5:24  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

Num 30:9  But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, wherewith they have bound their souls, shall stand against her. 
Num 30:10  And if she vowed in her husband’s house, or bound her soul by a bond with an oath; 
Num 30:11  And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and disallowed her not: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she bound her soul shall stand. 
Num 30:12  But if her husband hath utterly made them void on the day he heard them; then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband hath made them void; and the LORD shall forgive her.

A widow or a divorcee has no husband, and therefore any vow made is binding. When we were in Babylon and played the harlot, we were technically widows or divorcees since we had thrown away the authority of Christ in our lives as we did whatever we like. Our vows were therefore binding since we had no husband. During this time of our walk in Babylon, we made a lot of promises to the Lord, such as, “I will serve you all my life”, “My whole life is dedicated to you”, etc. However, with the coming of Christ in our lives, He canceled everything that was against us.

Jer 3:6  The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? 
Jer 3:7  And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,’ but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 
Jer 3:8  She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. 
Jer 3:9  Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. 
Jer 3:10  Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the LORD.” 

The verses also tell us that during the beginning of our walk with the Lord before we went astray, if the Lord hears our vows and denounced them, then we are free. Indeed, the Lord canceled all that was negatively affecting us. 

Num 30:13  Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void. 
Num 30:14  But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day; then he establisheth all her vows, or all her bonds, which are upon her: he confirmeth them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them.
Num 30:15  But if he shall any ways make them void after that he hath heard them; then he shall bear her iniquity. 
Num 30:16  These are the statutes, which the LORD commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between the father and his daughter, being yet in her youth in her father’s house. 

In these verses, we are given additional information in verse 15 that if the husband makes void his wife’s vow after he had heard it, then he shall bear her iniquity. It is the Lord who suffered on our behalf as He bore our iniquities.

Isa 53:4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 

Isa 53:11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Isa 53:12  Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

At this point, we cannot help but give thanks to the Lord for His wonderful work of salvation. He is with us all along the way no matter our current situation. Just remembered this song from the Book of Psalms:

Psa 24:7  Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 
Psa 24:8  Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 
Psa 24:9  Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 
Psa 24:10  Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

No matter our situation, let’s lift up our heads in anticipation of what our Lord will do in the final analysis. In these verses of Psalms, we, His elect, symbolize gates or everlasting doors since we are the gates or doors for all humanity to enter into the kingdom of heaven. It is as we lift up our heads that the King of Glory shall come into our situation. Lifting up our heads is looking up to Him with great expectation that the Lord shall carry away or sweep away all that trouble us when the King of Glory comes in to address our situation!! 

May His name be praised!!! Amen!!