Numbers 30
McGeeCHAPTER 30THEME: A vow is inviolate: a woman’s vow depends upon her father or husband; the vow of a widow or divorced woman must standAfter the law of the offerings, we have the law of the vows. The law of the vows in this chapter has special reference to women. We have seen that women have been given the right to claim their inheritance. Now we learn that women also have responsibility.
Numbers 30:1
A VOW IS INVIOLATEWe had a whole chapter on vows in Leviticus and there we called attention to the importance which God attaches to vows. He warns His children that they should be careful if they are making a vow to God. God will hold a person to his vow; so the warning is not to make a vow foolishly. I think there is a grave danger today for people to promise the Lord too much. As I neared the end of my ministry, I became very reluctant to ask people to take any kind of vow before God, except to accept Christ as Savior. Why? Because I’ve seen multitudes come to an altar to dedicate their lives and then I’ve seen those people break their vows. God doesn’t ask us to make vowsthey are voluntarybut if we make a vow, God means business with us, and He will hold us to our vow. This is very important for Christians today. Paul has this in mind when he says, “…if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom_10:9-10). How do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? With your heart. And then what happens?
Confession is made by your mouth. Confessing with your mouth is your vow, that is your statement of faith. The point of it is not just what the mouth says, but that the heart must believe what the mouth is saying. These two must be in agreement. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness.” You don’t believe with your mouth, you say it with the mouth. “And with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” The heart and the mouth must be singing the same tune, in a duet together. That is exactly what is meant in this matter of vows.
Numbers 30:3
A WOMAN’S VOW DEPENDS UPON HER FATHER OR HUSBANDIn other words, if a woman makes a vow while she is still single and in her father’s home, the father can be held responsible for her. If the father keeps quiet when he hears her make the vow, then that vow which she made will stand. However, if the father speaks up and says, “Wait just a minute. She has bought this dress, and I don’t intend to pay for it,” then he is protected in the matter. That vow is not binding.
Numbers 30:5
Now what happens if the woman is married?
Numbers 30:6
If the married woman goes out and makes expensive purchases and obligates herself, the husband can say that he disallows it and will not be responsible to pay for it. The vow will not stand and he is not obligated. So you see that either a father or a husband could be held responsible for the vow a woman made, unless they had disallowed it. Sometimes we see this principle bypassed today. There are women who are gold-diggers. They marry a man for his money. One sees this at times when a younger woman marries an older man. After she has his name, she can go to court and get practically everything that he owns. I’ve seen that happen several times.
I knew a Christian man who was lonely after the death of his wife, and who then married a young woman who was really after the money. This man had willed his money to mission boards and Christian organizations, but the young widow was able to break the will and get the money for herself so that the Christian organizations got none of it. Also I have had men tell me about marrying women who have taken them for everything they had. Well, that’s the foolishness of mankind. God says a man does not need to permit this sort of thing.
Numbers 30:9
THE VOW OF A WIDOW OR DIVORCED WOMAN MUST STANDA widow must stand on her own two feet. The vow that she makes stands. You notice how important these details are to God. He wants His people always to be as good as their word. God keeps His vows, and He expects His children to keep theirs. He made a vow to Abraham. He made a promise to David. God will stand behind His vows. He has kept His promises in the past and will keep His promises in the future. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Joh_3:16). That is the Word of God, God’s promise to you and me.
And the Word of God stands. He has vowed that He will save you if you trust in Christ, and that vow stands. A dear, little Scottish woman had an unbelieving son who returned home from college with some new ideas and told her, “Your soul doesn’t amount to anything in this vast universe.” She thought it over and replied, “I agree my soul isn’t worth very much, but if my soul is lost, God would lose more than I would lose. God would lose His reputation because He said that He would save me if I trusted Him.” Friends, God will stand by His Word. He doesn’t have to take an oath; all He needs to do is to say it, and it is truth. He wants those who represent Him down here to be that kind of a people.
If they make a vow, they should stand by that vow. This kind of responsibility should be representative of the Christians in this world today.