Vows
1 Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: “This is what the Lord commands: 2 When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.
Moses tells the Israelites what the Lord has commanded, that when a man makes a vow (a promise or thing promised) to the Lord or takes an oath with a binding obligation (usually a vow to abstain from anything), he must not break his word, he must fulfill everything he said. If someone promised to do something and then reneged on that promise, he is a liar, a God does not like lying.
Matthew 5:33 (NIV)
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’
Deuteronomy 23:21 (NIV)
21 If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the Lord your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin.
Ecclesiastes 5:4 (NIV)
4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.
Proverbs 6:16-19 (NIV)
16 There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
3 “When a young woman still living in her father’s household makes a vow to the Lord or obligates herself by a pledge 4 and her father hears about her vow or pledge but says nothing to her, then all her vows and every pledge by which she obligated herself will stand. 5 But if her father forbids her when he hears about it, none of her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand; the Lord will release her because her father has forbidden her.
When a young woman (unmarried) makes a vow or pledge, she must not break her word but must do everything she has said, unless her father- since she is still living in his house- having heard her vow/pledge- intercedes and forbids her from making her vow/pledge, then she will not be held accountable because her father has forbidden her and the Lord will release her.
6 “If she marries after she makes a vow or after her lips utter a rash promise by which she obligates herself 7 and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her, then her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand. 8 But if her husband forbids her when he hears about it, he nullifies the vow that obligates her or the rash promise by which she obligates herself, and the Lord will release her.
If a young woman makes a vow/pledge, then she is obligated to fulfill everything she pledged, providing her father has not heard of these vows. If the young woman is married or betrothed, she is accountable to her husband. If her husband hears her vows/pledges and says nothing, then her vows/pledges will stand, however, if her husband hears these vows/pledges, and forbids her, then he nullifies her vows and the Lord will forgive her of them.
9 “Any vow or obligation taken by a widow or divorced woman will be binding on her.
If a widow or a divorced woman makes a vow or pledge to the Lord, then she must not break her word but must do everything she said, for there is no man to intercede on her behalf.
10 “If a woman living with her husband makes a vow or obligates herself by a pledge under oath 11 and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her and does not forbid her, then all her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand. 12 But if her husband nullifies them when he hears about them, then none of the vows or pledges that came from her lips will stand. Her husband has nullified them, and the Lord will release her. 13 Her husband may confirm or nullify any vow she makes or any sworn pledge to deny herself. 14 But if her husband says nothing to her about it from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or the pledges binding on her. He confirms them by saying nothing to her when he hears about them. 15 If, however, he nullifies them some time after he hears about them, then he must bear the consequences of her wrongdoing.”
If a (mature) woman living with her husband makes a vow or pledge to the Lord while in his house and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her and does not forbid her, then all her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand.
But if her husband hears about them and nullifies them when he hears about them, then none of her vows/pledges will stand and the Lord will release her from them.
Her husband may confirm or nullify any vow/pledge she makes to the Lord. But if her husband says nothing to her, then he confirms all of her vows/pledges and they will be binding on her. He actually confirms them by saying nothing to her when he hears them, however if after he hears them and some time passes and he then nullifies them, then he must bear the consequences of her wrong doing. She will then be innocent and he will be guilty, therefore the Levitical Law of the Guilt Offering will have to be upheld.
Leviticus 5:1 (NIV)
5 “‘If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible.
16 These are the regulations the Lord gave Moses concerning relationships between a man and his wife, and between a father and his young daughter still living at home.
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