Numbers 30:1-5: a reflection

1Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded. 2When a man vows a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. 3“Also, when a woman vows a vow to the LORD and binds herself by a pledge, being in her father’s house, in her youth, 4and her father hears her vow and her pledge with which she has bound her soul, and her father says nothing to her, then all her vows shall stand, and every pledge with which she has bound her soul shall stand. 5But if her father forbids her in the day that he hears, none of her vows or of her pledges with which she has bound her soul, shall stand. The LORD will forgive her, because her father has forbidden her.

God gives a law about vows, and it begins with a clear and weighty principle: when someone makes a vow to the Lord or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he must not break his word; he must do all that he has promised. Words spoken to God, and promises made, are not to be treated lightly. To make a vow and then break it is a serious thing, because it treats one's word, and God, with contempt. Integrity means that what we say, we do.

The passage goes on to address vows made by a young woman in her father's house, providing that a father could, at the time, confirm or overrule her vow. But the underlying principle applies to everyone: our words carry weight, and the commitments we make are meant to be kept. In a culture where promises are cheap and words are often empty, this law insists that a person of integrity honors what they have pledged. To bind your soul with a bond is a real thing, and God expects it to be kept.

This speaks to the integrity of our word in a world where promises are easily made and easily broken. When you make a commitment, to God, to others, in your work, in your relationships, it is meant to be kept; your word should be reliable. Be careful, then, what you promise, for you will be held to it; and having promised, keep your word even when it becomes inconvenient or costly. A person whose word can be trusted, who does what they have said, reflects the faithfulness of the God who always keeps his word.

Lord, you take seriously the vows and promises we make, calling us not to break our word but to do all that we have said. Make me a person of integrity, whose word can be trusted. Help me to be careful what I promise, and, having promised, to keep my word even when it is costly or inconvenient. Let the reliability of my word reflect the faithfulness of the God who always keeps his. Amen.