Numbers 30
Vows and Oaths in Christ (Numbers 30:1-9)
Verse 2: “When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do
everything he said.” (NIV)
Numbers 30 is a chapter that deals with the “regulation of vows” on the plains of Moab, just before the conquest of Canaan, the kingdom of
this world. The language of the kingdom of the devil, the ruler of this world, is lies. But God is telling us that His people must certainly keep
the promised Word that they have vowed with their lips. This is the basic message of Numbers 30. Vows or oaths are made before God.
They are solemn verbal covenants made before God, promising either to do something or not to do something. A vow refers to promising
to do something, and an oath refers to promising not to do something.
1. The content and regulations of vows recorded in the Old Testament
1) In Genesis 28 we can see Jacob’s three vows.
2) Jacob remembered and practiced this Bethel vow throughout his whole life.
3) In Judges 11 we find the example of Jephthah’s wrongful vow.
4) In 1 Samuel 1 the vow of Hannah is recorded.
2. The specific content of the vow regulations recorded in Numbers 30
1) When a man made a vow or an oath, he himself was the one responsible to fulfill it.
2) However, in the case of a woman, various protective regulations were given, as in verses 3–16.
3) In verses 6–8 He speaks of a married woman who has made a vow either before or after marriage.
4) Verse 9 speaks of the case of a widow or a divorced woman.
3. Important spiritual meaning given through the regulations in today’s passage
1) God has established an order of authority in the lives of His people.
2) In the case of a woman, before marriage the father is responsible, and after marriage the husband is responsible.
3) In the home, the wife must not ignore the husband or fail to recognize his authority.
4) The first scene where the forces of darkness worked in history was Adam’s household.
Conclusion: Believers must speak and act before God
1) A man has the responsibility to keep his vow, even if it was made rashly.
2) The purpose for which God has given authority is not for it to be misused or abused.
3) The people of God must take responsibility for the words they speak.
4) We must not forget that all vows and oaths are made before God.
The covenant of works that God made in the Garden of Eden with Adam, the representative of the human race, was completely broken
when Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Thus all humanity, who were in Adam’s loins, became sinners.
Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people,
because all sinned.” (NIV) But God established a covenant to save humankind through the offspring of the woman, and He Himself came in
the flesh as the Christ. He is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who has solved all our problems. Now we need only receive Jesus Christ as our Lord
and Savior and hold firmly to and follow 3 todays. The only way for a person to escape from the curse and enter into blessing is to believe in
Jesus Christ alone. The kind of vow that God delights in for us today is to fix our concern only on Christ and to devote ourselves only to world
evangelization. I bless you to always live in victory.