Do You Keep Your Word?

A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do.

Numbers 30:2 

 

I remember standing in that room with 60 others and taking the Oath of Enlistment for Military Service.  Here's the kicker, even though I was released from service when my enlistment time was up...none of the paperwork I signed ever released me from that Oath!  In fact, one particular document had a clause whereby, if a state of conflict occurred, I could be recalled to service STILL BOUND BY MY OATH!

 

So my question is this, how seriously do we take the giving of our word in vows and oaths?  When I have the opportunity to perform a wedding, there are vows taken by BOTH parties:

"I ________, as you stand before God

and these present asking _____ to be your spouse,

I am promising to Love you, Honor you

Cherish and Protect you;

You are promising to be faithful to you

In sickness and in health

In wealth and in poverty

From this moment until death parts us.

This ring is the symbol of my vow and pledge to you.

Will you accept it?"

How many times do we merely parrot back these words without a single thought to what we are doing?  We are pledging BEFORE GOD and the witnesses that we are serious about keeping our vow and pledge until God releases us by taking our last breath.  

When my Grandfather made a deal, he and whoever he made a deal with would shake hands.  I once asked him why there was no paperwork.  He said, "REAL men honor their word!"

So, my question for reflection, how many times have we given our word, taken an oath, made a vow, giving a pledge?  How many of those have we taken seriously?

Loyal to a T

Naomi's husband had died.  Both of her sons had died leaving behind their wives, Orpah and Ruth. Naomi decided to go back to her hometown and told her daughters-in-law to go back to their own families.  A discussion ensued.  After much discussion, Orpah kissed her mother-in-law and returned to her family.  However, Ruth refused to leave Naomi.  

Ruth was a bit stubborn and absolutely refused to leave. To make her case, Ruth made a vow which should be used in weddings today.  "Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!' When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.'" (Ruth 1:16-18)

Did you catch her loyalty?  "Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and be buried."  That is pretty loyal to invest your entire life in someone.  She vowed to never leave Naomi.  Ruth was just that stubborn and dedicated to the Mother of her now dead husband. 

Let me ask you something, would you do the same for your mother-in-law?  Okay, would you be this loyal with a friend?  Is there anyone you would be this loyal to?

Before you answer, remember the last part of Ruth's vow to Naomi: "May the Lord punish me severely if I allow ANYTHING but death to separate us!" THAT is quite the vow!  Now...who could you be this loyal and dedicated to?

 

WOW With Your Vow!

When you make a vow to the Lord your God, be prompt in fulfilling whatever you promised him. For the Lord your God demands that you promptly fulfill all your vows, or you will be guilty of sin. However, it is not a sin to refrain from making a vow. But once you have voluntarily made a vow, be careful to fulfill your promise to the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 23:21-23

We make promises all the time, don't we?  And I would guess that quite a number of the promises we make are ones we really didn't think through.  You see, when we keep our promises (vows) we build integrity and people respect someone with integrity.  But we have become a society that is very quick to speak and frequently aren't willing to listen, but we are quick to criticize or get upset.

 

I can't tell you how many times I have heard or been told "I WILL do.....I swear to God!"  Ummm.....not a good idea unless you are going to truly keep your word.  

 

"Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent;
    with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent."

Proverbs 17:28 

Til Death Do Us Part

This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

Genesis 2:24 

I'm going to get a little nosy for a moment...it might get a little uncomfortable so bear with me.  

How seriously do you take your wedding vows?  Let's face it, we respect those who do what they say and keep their word; we don't respect those who just speak without ever keeping their word.  So when you gave your vow of marriage to your spouse, did you take it seriously?

I like performing weddings.  Mainly because I like to help the couple understand the gravity and the fun of two becoming one.  Sadly, some just don't get it.  Part of the wedding vows I use go like this:

 "I promise to love you, honor you, cherish and protect you for as long as I draw breath."  While some vows contain particular wording ("forsaking all others") the point is clearly explained in today's passage.  A man LEAVES his parents' home and becomes one with his wife.  Husband and wife are to be UNITED INTO ONE!  Which means......nothing is to come between them and no one is to come between them!  Not job, not money, not sports, not the gym, not friends, not kids, not alcohol, not hobbies, not books, NOTHING!  They are to be so united that they are a SINGLE entity!

Oh, there will be all sorts of excuses, cries, and reasoning.  But YOU BOTH have to decide to either fight to keep your relationship and marriage strong, or watch it crumble into dust with the anger and pain of watching the disintegrating destruction.

When I was enduring military training, we were taught (had it drilled into us) that we were to think as one, train as one, move as one, because we were to think of our fellow platoon members as extensions of our own body.  The same holds true with marriage.  We are to be SO united that you move, think, and function as a single entity.  This is because TRUE LOVE is a decision, not a feeling!

So, again, I ask the nosy question: How seriously do you take your vows?  Has anything or anyone disrupted your marriage?