FULFILLING YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD

Text: Numbers 30: 1-16, Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

Vow to God is a solemn promise made before God or to God. It is an earnest promise or pledge or personal commitment to perform a specified act or behave in a certain manner especially a solemn promise to live and act in accordance with the rules. It is the ultimate commitment to God. It is to make a determined decision or promise to do something. Vow is an oath and God expects us to fulfill any vow made to him. Num 30:2, "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." Matt 5:33 & 37, "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. Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' be 'No,' ;anything beyond this comes from the evil one." To fulfill is to bring to realization. That is, that which you have promised, you make to happen.

You are admonished to be a man of integrity. God does not forget vows made to him, watch what comes out of your mouth. It is better not to vow anything than to vow and not fulfill it. Breaking vow made to God is a sin and it has consequences.so never make a hasty vow. A vow to God is extremely binding and you have to keep it. However a broken vow should be taken to God in true confession so that God can forgive. Apart from making vows to God, vows can also be made to man. For example, marriage vows between husband and wife, to a friend, to a relation, to parents, to an employer or as a form of membership in to an Organisation. These vows are in form of pledges, promises or oaths. Your integrity is at stake when making vows, so before making any at all, you must understand what it is and what it involves. Never rush to make a vow. Be a man of integrity.

Num 30:2, “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”.

Deut 23:21 & 23, “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. Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the LORD your God with your own mouth.

Ps 50:14, “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High.

Ps 66:13-14, I will come to your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to you- vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble.

Ps 116:14, I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.

Eccl 5:4, 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.

Jnh 2:9, But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, Salvation comes from the LORD.

Matt 5:33, Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.

Brethren, you are admonished to redeem whatever vows you make and that you should not make a hasty vow. Let us consider the following characters in the Bible as to vows made and fulfillment of such.

Hannah in 1 Sam 1:11-28

Hannah was Elkanah's wife but had no child until later. She went to Shiloh to pray to God. In her deep anguish she prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly and made a vow saying in 1 Sam 1:11, "LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head." The LORD remembered her and in the course of time she became pregnant and gave birth to a son whom she named Samuel, saying "Because I asked the LORD for him." She nursed Samuel until she had weaned him and went back to where she prayed unto God and said I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So I now give him to the LORD. And Samuel worshiped the LORD there. Hannah happily fulfilled her vow unto the Lord.

Jacob in Gen 28-1-22

Jacob's father Isaac instructed him to go to Paddam Aram, to the house of his mother's father Bethuel to take a wife. Jacob was prepared to go and God revealed himself to Jacob in a dream and promised to be with him, watch over him wherever he goes and bring him back to his father's land he was leaving, and will not leave him until God has done what he has promised him, Then Jacob made a vow in Gen 28:20, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear, so that I return safely to my father's household, then the LORD will be my God, and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house." God fulfilled the promise to Jacob. He went to Paddam Aram, He was blessed and God increased and enlarged him. He had wives, children, male and female servants, cattle, donkeys, sheep and goats. He accumulated a lot and he came back safely to Bethel with all the people with him. In fulfillment of his vow he built an altar in the place where God revealed himself to him when leaving Bethel and called the place El Bethel. Also, he bought a plot of land at Shechem in Canaan and set up an altar and called it El Elohe Israel. Jacob did as he vowed and the stone he set up as a pillar became God's house.

Jephthah in Judges11:1-39.

Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. The elders of Gilead appealed to him to come and lead war for them against the Ammonites and promised to make him head and commander over them and they did to him as promised. He led the war for Israel against the Ammonites. v29-31, “Then the spirit of the LORD came on him and he made a vow to the LORD. If you give the Ammonites into my hands, 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." Then he went over to fight and the LORD gave him victory and Israel subdued Ammon. As he returned to his home in Mizpah, his daughter, the only child danced to the sound of timbrels to meet him at the door. On sighting her, he tore his clothes and cried and was so devastated. But he said in v35b, "I have made a vow to the LORD that I cannot break." And Jephthah did to her daughter as he vowed to God."

Going through the examples given above we see the faithfulness of God in all the cases. Our God is ever faithful. Thank God, Hannah, Jacob and Jephthah had the grace to fulfill their vows. We make vows to God when we are in distress, in anguish and afflicted. When we are desperate for attention and want God to intervene and do something concerning our case. Really, making vows help one to focus on God and help one to place God in the forefront of one's mind all the time.

Consequences of breaking vows made to God.

Breaking vows attracts condemnation and judgement. James 5:12.

One will be guilty of sin. Deut 23:21.

One will be accused of wrong doing. Num 30:15.

The advantage of fulfilling vows is that you receive more blessings from God and you become more honorable. 1 Sam 2:21.

Brethren, you are admonished to be honest and be truthful when you are making vows and also about financial matters especially in the house hold of God. 

2 Cor 8:12. Never make a hasty vow. Seek the face of the Lord before you make a vow.

Prayer.

Lord, you are ever faithful to your promises. As humans we do rush to you in times of anguish, despair and distress and make vows to you.

Grant us the grace to be able to fulfill such vows and if there are outstanding ones yet to fulfill have mercy on us and grant us the grace to fulfill them in Jesus' name. Amen.

FAITHFULNESS

Psalm 33:4, Pro 3:3, Isa 55:11

To be faithful is to be reliable, steadfast, loyal, devoted, unwavering, worthy of trust, consistent with truth, uncompromising and is to be full of faith. A faithful person is someone who walks consistently with God in humble service. Someone who is true to his or her word, promises and vows. One who is loyal and steady in allegiance or affection.

Faithfulness is one of the characters of God and is an attribute of him. He is faithful in discharging every aspect of the covenant he made and to his promises and vows. It is part of God's faithfulness that made him to send Jesus Christ to us. And Jesus Christ was faithful from cradle to the cross to the one who appointed him. Even when the feature is bleak and circumstances are impossible and hopeless, one can always count on God's faithfulness. Jeremiah could say of the Lord in Lam 3:23 "Great is your faithfulness." When the Israelites were faced with the desolation of Jerusalem because of the nation's sin. Faithfulness is also a gift of the Holy Spirit and a part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. If faithfulness is a character of God, and of Jesus Christ and a gift of the Holy Spirit, then it must be a characteristic of man. It is a quality God wants to reproduce in us through the salvation that comes in Christ. God expects us to be faithful in all things.

Faithfulness in using God's talents and gifts received from Him to serve others as faithful stewards of God in various forms. It is to be a hallmark of a true Christian.

God's faithfulness as supported in the Bible:

• Ps 33:4 - "For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does."
• Ps 86:15 - "But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness."
• Ps 91:4b - "His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart."
• 1 Cor 1:9 - "God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."
• 1 Cor 10:13b - "And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."
• 1 Thess 5:24 - "The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it."
• 2 Thess3:3 -But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one."
• 1 Jn 1:9 - "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
• 2 Tim 2:13-"If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself."
• Gal 5:22-"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

We can see faithfulness being demonstrated by God the Father, God the son and faithfulness as part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. God demonstrated faithfulness in many places in the Bible. In Gen 12:1-3 The Lord had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse and all people on earth will be blessed through you and God fulfilled these promises." In Gen 18:10, a child was promised and God fulfilled it by blessing Abraham and Sarah with Isaac, Gen 21:1-3."

You are admonished to embrace faithfulness. Prov 3:3 "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. "God wants us to be faithful and he even said in 1Sam2:35a "I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind." Jesus encourages us to be faithful by using the parable of the bags of money in Matt 25:21 and 23 where the two of the three servants that were faithful were rewarded. He told the Pharisees in Matt 23:23 that justice, mercy and faithfulness are more important matters of the law they should have practiced and He said in Rev 2:10b "be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life."

Brethren, if Abraham, Daniel and Moses being human were faithful during their time, we should be too. Abraham did as God instructed him and it was credited to him as righteousness by God.
Gen 15:6 "Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness." Abraham is known as father of faith. He was faithful enough for willingly wanted to sacrifice Isaac in obedience to God's command. Gen 22:8-10.

Heb 3:5 "Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future." The LORD said of him in Num12:7b-8" he is faithful in all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD."

Daniel remained faithful in trying situations that might have caused him to lose faith and bend from his beliefs. In defiance to King Darius command that nobody should pray to other God except his gods, Daniel knew the penalty and still went ahead to pray to his God. Dan 6:10 "Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened towards Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before." He did not argue when he was to be thrown into the lion's den as penalty for praying. Contrary to expectation Daniel was not hurt and when the king called out to know whether he was dead or alive. Daniel answered Dan 6:21-22 "May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions .They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight." Hence the king issued a decree that in every part of his kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel and also wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth about the living God of Daniel. Daniel's case should be an inspiration to us.

Brethren it is possible to be faithful in all things .How?

• Stay in fellowship with God. - 1 Jn 1:3.
• Be consistently righteous. - Hos10:12.
• Walk by faith and not by sight.-2 Cor 5:7.
• Align yourself with people of faith and walk with wise men. – Pro 13:20.
• Be fervent in spirit. – Rom 12:11.
• Be disciplined. – Pro 3:11-12.
• Be hot for God. – Rev 3:16.
• Be not moved by evil tidings, but trust in God and fix your heart on him. – Ps 112:7.
• Feed yourself with the word. - 2 Tim 2:15.
• Walk in obedience to God's commands. - Deut 5:33.

Brethren, all round faithfulness is expected from you. Faithfulness to God and to man. Faithfulness in your ministry and in using the spiritual gifts given to you, in paying your tithe, offerings, vows and promises, in your relationship with others, marriage, in handling resources in your care, in your place of work and in discharging your duty.

Benefits of Faithfulness:

• The LORD preserves the faithful. – Ps 31:23.
• The faithful shall flourish and abound with blessings. – Pro 28:20.
• More responsibilities shall be given to the faithful. – Matt 25:21.
• The faithful will have favour and a good name in the sight of God and man. – Pro 3:4.
• A crown of life will be given to those who are faithful unto death. – Rev 2:10.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, you are faithful in everything and you sent Jesus to us as an example that as human we too can be faithful. LORD, I pray that the grace to be faithful in all things and to the end grant unto me in Jesus' name. Amen.