KEEP YOUR WORD

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?

Ecclesiastes 5:4-6

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Never make a promise you cannot keep.

I vividly remember these words of wisdom from my parents when I was growing up as I do others. For there is honor in keeping our word when we give it to someone, when we see through on a commitment or obligation we make to another.

We see this most evident in the God we serve, the God of perfect honor who always keep all of His promises. The psalmist declared this when he said, “The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does” (Psalm 145:13b).

No one keeps there promises as perfectly as the Lord because no one but Him us perfect but this doesn’t excuse us from keeping our promises when we make them, especially when we make them to God Himself. The word of God for us today from Ecclesiastes confirms this truth.

When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? (5:4-6)

When I enlisted and then subsequently reenlisted many times afterwards during my time in the Navy, I was required to recite an oath. I vowed to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, that I would bear true faith and allegiance to the same, and that I would obey the orders of the President of the United States and all Officers appointed over me in accordance to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Fittingly, the oath ended with the words, “So help me God.”

You see, a vow isn’t really a vow unless it is made before God, the God who is the ultimate accountability partner. When we make a vow before Him, we don’t dare break it lest we face His correction and discipline. We can’t go back later and say we made a mistake. We made the vow before God and He expects we will keep it. To not do so will incur His anger. Today’s word tells us that.

Perhaps we should close all the vows we make by simply saying, “So help me God.” For to keep our vows and secure our promises, we often need a strength and perseverance we don’t possibly have on our own. We need God’s help, God’s power, and God’s guidance in abundance. He promises us that we could do all things through His strength (Philippians 4:13) and this includes keeping our word.

Friends, don’t make empty promises. Pray over them before they are made to ensure they are in accordance with the will of the God. And when they are, take your vows seriously, ensuring you do everything you can to fulfill them just as the Lord does.

For as we see in our scripture, honoring your vows is the desire of God and He stands ready to give you everything you need to keep your word.  

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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