“I will pay You my vows, which my lips have uttered
and my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble”
(Ps 66:13b-14)
In Nah 1:7 the prophet states: “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.” Many believers and non-believers sometimes run to the altar, constricted by circumstances they have no control over, binding themselves to the horns of the altar through a sacrificial promise to God. They swear or make a promise to God which entails that if He miraculously performs whatever it is that they are in need of, they will in turn do something specific that He requires. A prime example of such a type of agreement or covenant with God can be found in Gen 28:20-22, where Jacob asks God for certain things, and then promises to do a number of things if God keeps His end of the bargain.
This approach can be quite problematic, most notably because most people forget the promises they have made once their crisis has been averted. But for God this is a very serious matter – “If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.” (Num 30:2). This is not a personal remark made by Moses, but instead a pertinent principle God instructed him to teach the Israelites.
In Deut 23:21-23 the consequences of not honouring a promise is clearly explained – “When you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you. But if you abstain from vowing, it shall not be sin to you. That which has gone from your lips you shall keep and perform, for you voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God what you have promised with your mouth.”
The horns of the altar to which you initially attached yourself become a forceful reminder that there is still a covenant promise that needs to be kept. Through neglecting the promise you are loading yourself with a debt of sin, regardless of the arguments you may put forth about why you cannot keep the promise. Read Ecc 5:4-6 and be very afraid. Verse 6 clearly sketches the threat – “Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands?” Many are bound to the horns of the altar on account of this problem and attempts to loosen themselves fail, because they have not sorted out the matter with God. In the next teaching we shall explore the spiritual implications of such a situation.
- Sela: Under the guidance of the Spirit make a list of all the different covenants you have made with God, and determine if you have kept your side of the agreement. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to light those covenants you may have forgotten.
- Read: 2 Sam 19; Prov 23; James 4
- Memorise: James 4:7
- For a deeper understanding: Use James 4 as a guideline to determine how many agreements we make with God in our daily life, and are very soon conveniently forgotten.
