Fulfilling our Vows

Ecclesiastes 5: 4-5 “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. 5 It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.”

These two verses are self-explanatory! First, we must not make a vow in haste. Think about it before you do it. To make a vow and not fulfill it, according to these verses, makes one a fool; whether it is a vow to God or to another person. Before making any promise, one should first count the cost to determine whether or not making the vow will simply cause him to sin.

God is a God of the covenant. He is faithful to keeping his covenant. If you make a vow to God, make sure you fulfill it without delay. Since a vow is completely voluntary, it is better to not vow than to vow and not pay. 

Failure to fulfill your vow makes you unfaithful and untrustworthy. The worst thing that can ever happen to a person is when they have lost the trust of another. Trust that is lost is hard to regain. It costs so much more to lose someone’s trust than to keep that trust.

Failure to fulfill a vow can also cost so much emotional, spiritual, mental, and even physical pain. Think about husbands and wives who are hurting right now because their spouses had failed to keep their marriage vows. The pain is unbearable and hurt so deep inside.

It is often a human tendency to make a vow when you are in a very desperate situation. You promise God that if he gets you out of it, you will serve him for the rest of your life. But when God does deliver you, you turn your back on him and go your own way. How many people pray and ask God to open a door for them? A door for a visa overseas, a door for a new job, etc. And when it happens and they are enjoying the benefits of what God did for them, they then turn against God again! I can’t understand that! No wonder the Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17: 9).

Are you faithful in keeping your vows to God and to others? If not, take heed of the Word of God.

 

HAVE A BLESSED DAY!