6 Promises and Vows

Genesis 28 :
18. The next morning he got up very early and set his stone headrest upright as a memorial pillar, and poured olive oil over it.
19. He named the place Bethel ("House of God"), though the previous name of the nearest village was Luz.
20. And Jacob vowed this vow to God: "If God will help and protect me on this journey and give me food and clothes,
21. and will bring me back safely to my father, then I will choose Jehovah as my God!
22. And this memorial pillar shall become a place for worship; and I will give you back a tenth of everything you give me!"
LB

When God makes Himself real to us the way He did in Jacob's life, it is good to make a vow to the Lord.
A vow is a solemn promise made to God or other people.
Now vows are taken very seriously both by God and by Satan, our enemy.

We ought not to make hasty vows without first thinking through what we are promising.
King Solomon explained it this way:
4. So when you talk to God and vow to him that you will do something, don't delay in doing it, for God has no pleasure in fools. Keep your promise to him.
5. It is far better not to say you'll do something than to say you will and then not do it.
(Ecclesiastes 5 LB)

God looks to see whether and how willingly we keep our vows.
When we make a promise to do something, do we follow through?
Do we make promises we know we cannot keep, just to get out of a tight situation?

Do we honour our marriage vows?
Do we honour the promise we made to pay back those who have lent us money?
When it comes to promises and vows, good intentions alone are just inadequate:
God and other people are looking for positive action.

When we keep our promises to God, we are telling Him that we believe Him and have faith in Him.

Prayer:
Father, help me today to remember the promises I have made to You and to others and to set myself to keep those promises.
If the promises I made were foolish and will lead to destruction in my life,
please give me the wisdom I need to deal with the situation in a way that honours You,
in Jesus' name I pray,
Amen.