Vows in the Bible

[GiveHimGlory]

I hope this is the right place for this - I just had a thought and was curious to hear what other people thought.

Vows in the Bible - I can think of plenty of places where they don't work out. There is that Jephthah in Judges who vows to sacrifice the first thing he sees when he returns home, or Acts 5 with Ananias and Sapphira who vow to give all the money from the sale of their field to the Lord.

I'm sure there are places in the Psalms that warn about making a vow to God and not keeping it.

Also think of those Jews in Acts who vow to not eat or drink while Paul remains alive.

So it is no wonder James says "Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned." (James 5:12).

So my question - in the light of James 5 in particular - is, is there ever a reason to make a vow or swear to do something? There are people who do it - Hannah did it for example, but is there anywhere in the Bible that says we should do it, and what are the circumstances?

[ClubV12]

Paul supported the Nazarite vow.

[phkrause]

I hope this is the right place for this - I just had a thought and was curious to hear what other people thought.

Vows in the Bible - I can think of plenty of places where they don't work out. There is that Jephthah in Judges who vows to sacrifice the first thing he sees when he returns home, or Acts 5 with Ananias and Sapphira who vow to give all the money from the sale of their field to the Lord.

I'm sure there are places in the Psalms that warn about making a vow to God and not keeping it.

Also think of those Jews in Acts who vow to not eat or drink while Paul remains alive.

So it is no wonder James says "Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned." (James 5:12).

So my question - in the light of James 5 in particular - is, is there ever a reason to make a vow or swear to do something? There are people who do it - Hannah did it for example, but is there anywhere in the Bible that says we should do it, and what are the circumstances?

I'd say if we do swear an oath, we better be prepared to follow through, as the text says. But I agree "yes" or "no" is probably the way to go.

[GiveHimGlory]

Well it is interesting Paul made that vow - what do people make of him doing that? What did it mean?

What other examples of vows are there in the New Testament - did Jesus make any vows? Are there any examples of vows in Acts? Did Jesus talk about vows? Did Paul write about them?

Matthew 5:33-37 says

5:33 "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.'

34 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 or by earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.

36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.

37 Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."

This sounds a lot more than if you make a vow you had better keep it, it sounds much more like don't make any vows. Even though people did make vows in the old testament, it sounds from this that Jesus is pretty clear - and I guess James was repeating this - that we shouldn't vow anything before God.

What would this mean for us today? Are there cases were we do currently make vows to God where perhaps we shouldn't?

[GiveHimGlory]

Well vows were very common in the Old Testament.

Numbers 30:1 says

When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.

Numbers 30:1-16 contains more detailed commands about vows.

Deut 23:21-22 says:

21 If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the LORD your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. 22 But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty.

In Judges 11 there is a famous story about Jephthah the Gileadite who says:

30 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, 31 whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”

but when he returns home:

34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of timbrels! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, “Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to the LORD that I cannot break.”

There are many references to keeping vows in Psalms, and in Ecclesiasties it says

4 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. 6 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? (Ecc 5:4-6)

There are various other references throughout the Old Testament about keeping vows to God, however when we get to the New Testament, we get Jesus teaching on not making vows, combined with James' advice.

Nevertheless Paul does appear to make a vow in Acts 18:18 ("Paul... had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken"). We can assume this was a Nazarite vow, and Paul had cut his hair just prior to the vow because as a Nazatite he wouldn't be able to cut it again:

1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of dedication to the LORD as a Nazirite, 3 they must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. 4As long as they remain under their Nazirite vow, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins. 5 “‘During the entire period of their Nazirite vow, no razor may be used on their head. They must be holy until the period of their dedication to the LORD is over; they must let their hair grow long.

This is probably an example of what Paul wrote in 1 Cor 9:20

To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.

So in general it seems that in the New Testament there is no evidence of a Gentile Christian taking a vow, and some pretty clear instructions on Christians to not take vows.

So I'm just saying it is surprising that vows appear all over the place in Christianity (not just Adventism of course).

When dedicating or baptising a child the parents and Godparents make vows.

At baptism or confirmation of adults vows are usually made.

When a minister or church officer is appointed vows are made.

At a marriage ceremony vows are said.

So although we are free in Christ to follow our conscience, isn't it a bit strange that in spite of really clear instructions in the New Testament not to take vows, the church generally still does so?

[phkrause]

I do agree that there were vows made in the OT. I think what this passage is saying is if you do make a vow you need to follow through. Its best to just tell someone yes or no, not I promise I'll do that, or like some say I swear I will do that. So to me I don't see it saying you can't make a vow.