Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Judges, Chapters 10-12 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Reference Passage : Judges 10: 29-35 … 29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came on Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites. 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.”
32 Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD gave them into his hands. 33 He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon.
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.”
My Journal for Today: Today’s chronological read in Judges (in Chapters 10-12) takes me through a disturbing story involving the Judge, Jephthah, a man born as the illegitimate son of a prostitute, and a man who was disinherited by his father; yet, he became the leader of the Israelites, leading them out of a long period of idolatry and subjugation into victory over the oppressors of Israel.
Yet, in today’s passage we see that even though the Holy Spirit had come upon Jephthah; and he was called out by God, he was still a very fallible man who could – and did – make a rash promise to God without thinking through the ramifications of bargaining with God as to his own future. And the implications of this story certainly apply to all who call upon God – our God, … especially in times when things seem difficult or oppressive.
Perhaps in such times, you might have prayed rashly, “Lord, if You deliver me from this, I’ll ____________.” And I’ll let you fill in that blank of a promise, which you made to God, praying to overcome whatever dire circumstances led you to make such a promise about your future.
Well, Jephthah made such a promise, as we read above; and low-and-behold, it cost him the life of his only daughter. Now, perhaps we have not been so rash to make such a foolish promise to God; but God’s word is pretty clear in telling us never to make rash promises or vows to God.
And Jephthah should have known this principle because Moses had clearly stated this in the Book of the Law, which God’s people had to give them teaching in moments like these. In Deuteronomy 23: 21-23, God stated through Moses, “ 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. 23 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.”
And so, from these Old Testament teachings and true historical accounts like this one in the life of one of the Judges, we should certainly learn that God is not asking us to make rash promises about the hereafter. All God wants from us is our faith and trust in His promises for the here-and-now. We can also read that from the words of Solomon in a passage that you may have (and if not, should have) memorized. You may be thinking right now of Proverbs 3: 5-6, which is my wife’s favorite verse. It states, and I quote from memory (and the NKJV), … Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding, In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.
All God expected of Jephthah was trust in Him as the promise-keeping God of Israel. All God expects of us is that same faith and trust. So, today, as you follow along with me, reading through these passages in Judges, let’s ask ourselves if we’re trusting God the way we should; and if we’re tempted to make some very human, but very foolish, promise to God, let’s back away and simply trust that God knows best for us; and He will watch over us and guide us no matter what our circumstances might be.
My Prayer Today: … God, You are my God and You watch over me today; and that’s all I need to know. Amen
Showing posts with label vows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vows. Show all posts
Monday, April 02, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
March 24, 2012 … Keeping our Vows [Lesson #2]
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Joshua, Chapters 9-11 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Reference Passage : Joshua 9: 16-21 … 6 Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near them. 17 So the Israelites set out and on the third day came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath Jearim. 18 But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. >>> The whole assembly grumbled against the leaders, 19 but all the leaders answered, “We have given them our oath by the LORD, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. 20 This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that God’s wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them.” 21 They continued, “Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers in the service of the whole assembly.” So the leaders’ promise to them was kept.
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Highlight Review Passage : Numbers 30: 1-2 … 1 Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: "This is what the Lord commands: 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. …”
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My Journal for Today: Ever made a promise that you wanted to take back because you knew, after making it, the oath or vow was a mistake? Well, that’s what happened to Joshua and the Israelite leaders when they made a deal with a tribe of Hivites from Gibeon. These Gibeonites were clever and conned the Israelite leaders into giving these Hivites a covenant of promise that Joshua would spare them. Read about it in Chapter 9 of Joshua, linked above.
But even though Joshua was under the instructions of God, through Moses, to destroy all of those in the lands occupied in the promised-land, having been duped by the Gibeonites and having made a vow of mercy to them, Joshua – in our highlight passage of today – convinces the Israelites and gives instructions that the Gibeonites were to be spared.
Some days back in my chronological reading plan, I blogged on this principle of integrity which God honors so highly. If you go back to this link and read my blog of March 6, 2012, you’ll see my exposition about God’s desire that we keep our word when we promise something to Him or to someone. And in today’s scenario, even though Joshua was under the definite and clear instructions from God to wipe out the people in the taking of the promised-land, Joshua – even though he had been conned – was bound to keep his word to the Gibeonites.
This is yet another reason to follow what Jesus would later teach His disciples (see Matthew 5: 33-37 … 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.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the 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 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
But why do you think it was so important for Joshua to honor the promise he had made to the deceitful Gibeonites over the promised he had made to God Himself to eradicate all of the peoples who occupied the promised-land? And the answer is in the character of God Himself. God is a promise-keeping God; and when He makes a promise to His people, He keeps it; and He expects the same promise-keeping character from His people which He models for us as a promise-keeping God.
And so, even though a mistake was made and the Gibeonites where able to pull a fast-one on Joshua, the Israelite leaders were bound to keep their vow of mercy to these specific people; and we are bound to keep our vows to God and to others, especially when we make a promise. Hopefully, two blogs full of this principle is enough for me to really get it and to live it as God intends for all of us to live … as His promise-keeping peoples.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me to be a promise-keeper - … ALWAYS! Amen
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Highlight Reference Passage : Joshua 9: 16-21 … 6 Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near them. 17 So the Israelites set out and on the third day came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath Jearim. 18 But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. >>> The whole assembly grumbled against the leaders, 19 but all the leaders answered, “We have given them our oath by the LORD, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. 20 This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that God’s wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them.” 21 They continued, “Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers in the service of the whole assembly.” So the leaders’ promise to them was kept.
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Highlight Review Passage : Numbers 30: 1-2 … 1 Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: "This is what the Lord commands: 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. …”
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My Journal for Today: Ever made a promise that you wanted to take back because you knew, after making it, the oath or vow was a mistake? Well, that’s what happened to Joshua and the Israelite leaders when they made a deal with a tribe of Hivites from Gibeon. These Gibeonites were clever and conned the Israelite leaders into giving these Hivites a covenant of promise that Joshua would spare them. Read about it in Chapter 9 of Joshua, linked above.
But even though Joshua was under the instructions of God, through Moses, to destroy all of those in the lands occupied in the promised-land, having been duped by the Gibeonites and having made a vow of mercy to them, Joshua – in our highlight passage of today – convinces the Israelites and gives instructions that the Gibeonites were to be spared.
Some days back in my chronological reading plan, I blogged on this principle of integrity which God honors so highly. If you go back to this link and read my blog of March 6, 2012, you’ll see my exposition about God’s desire that we keep our word when we promise something to Him or to someone. And in today’s scenario, even though Joshua was under the definite and clear instructions from God to wipe out the people in the taking of the promised-land, Joshua – even though he had been conned – was bound to keep his word to the Gibeonites.
This is yet another reason to follow what Jesus would later teach His disciples (see Matthew 5: 33-37 … 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.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the 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 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
But why do you think it was so important for Joshua to honor the promise he had made to the deceitful Gibeonites over the promised he had made to God Himself to eradicate all of the peoples who occupied the promised-land? And the answer is in the character of God Himself. God is a promise-keeping God; and when He makes a promise to His people, He keeps it; and He expects the same promise-keeping character from His people which He models for us as a promise-keeping God.
And so, even though a mistake was made and the Gibeonites where able to pull a fast-one on Joshua, the Israelite leaders were bound to keep their vow of mercy to these specific people; and we are bound to keep our vows to God and to others, especially when we make a promise. Hopefully, two blogs full of this principle is enough for me to really get it and to live it as God intends for all of us to live … as His promise-keeping peoples.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me to be a promise-keeper - … ALWAYS! Amen
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
March 6, 2012 … Keeping Our Word
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Numbers, Chapters 28-30 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Numbers 30: 1-2: … [Taking Vows Seriously] … 1 Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: "This is what the Lord commands: 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. …”
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Deuteronomy 23: 21 – 23 … 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. 23 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.
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Ecclesiastes 5: 1 – 7 … 1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. 2 Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God.
God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. 3 A dream comes when there are many cares, and many words mark the speech of a fool. 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? 7 Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God.
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Matthew 5: 33-37 … [Jesus speaking] … 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.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the 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 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
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James 5: 12 … 12 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.
My Journal for Today: Today in my chronological trek through the Bible, I was led to read/study/meditate in Numbers, Chapters 28-30; and there’s a lot in these chapters about the methods of offering and corporate worship of God; but when I got to Chapter 30, Moses’ discussion concerning vows jumped out at me for my blogging this morning. And so I did my own personal cross reference study today; and I have taken the liberty to copy/paste some passages from the Old and New Testament writings which forcefully - and clearly - discuss the seriousness of making and keeping vows.
And because just reading/meditating on those passages above is so clear, and being the very word of God, there is little that I can add to what God so repetitively and forcefully teaches from His truth. So, I’m not going to add very much to what you can read and glean above from God’s word. And I hope that we remember that when God says the same thing over and over again, especially through many of His authors, and most especially from God, The Son, we should pay attention – BIG TIME!
I WILL say, though, that I would bet you agree that we, in our post-modern culture, don’t take the making and keeping of vows all that seriously. How often are marriage vows made and broken these days? How often do we “Christians” make bargains with God and then when we’re blessed by God’s mercy, we forget and break our part of the bargain? How often do we sign contracts, which are legal as well as spiritual vows, and we hedge or break the contract?
Well, if God’s word above speaks as loudly to you as it did to me today, what more could Bill Berry add that would help us keep our word more reliably and vigilantly than we do? So … let God’s word on keeping our word be His directive to us this day.
My Prayer Today: … And, Lord, I pray that my “yes” will be ‘yes’ and my “no” will be ‘no,’ … always keeping my promises to You and to others. Amen
Numbers 30: 1-2: … [Taking Vows Seriously] … 1 Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: "This is what the Lord commands: 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. …”
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Deuteronomy 23: 21 – 23 … 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. 23 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.
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Ecclesiastes 5: 1 – 7 … 1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. 2 Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God.
God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. 3 A dream comes when there are many cares, and many words mark the speech of a fool. 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? 7 Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God.
==========
Matthew 5: 33-37 … [Jesus speaking] … 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.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the 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 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
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James 5: 12 … 12 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.
My Journal for Today: Today in my chronological trek through the Bible, I was led to read/study/meditate in Numbers, Chapters 28-30; and there’s a lot in these chapters about the methods of offering and corporate worship of God; but when I got to Chapter 30, Moses’ discussion concerning vows jumped out at me for my blogging this morning. And so I did my own personal cross reference study today; and I have taken the liberty to copy/paste some passages from the Old and New Testament writings which forcefully - and clearly - discuss the seriousness of making and keeping vows.
And because just reading/meditating on those passages above is so clear, and being the very word of God, there is little that I can add to what God so repetitively and forcefully teaches from His truth. So, I’m not going to add very much to what you can read and glean above from God’s word. And I hope that we remember that when God says the same thing over and over again, especially through many of His authors, and most especially from God, The Son, we should pay attention – BIG TIME!
I WILL say, though, that I would bet you agree that we, in our post-modern culture, don’t take the making and keeping of vows all that seriously. How often are marriage vows made and broken these days? How often do we “Christians” make bargains with God and then when we’re blessed by God’s mercy, we forget and break our part of the bargain? How often do we sign contracts, which are legal as well as spiritual vows, and we hedge or break the contract?
Well, if God’s word above speaks as loudly to you as it did to me today, what more could Bill Berry add that would help us keep our word more reliably and vigilantly than we do? So … let God’s word on keeping our word be His directive to us this day.
My Prayer Today: … And, Lord, I pray that my “yes” will be ‘yes’ and my “no” will be ‘no,’ … always keeping my promises to You and to others. Amen
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
February 14, 2012 … Don’t Make Promises Lightly!
BLOGGER'S REMINDER: HEY GUYS ... go and do something VERY SPECIAL for your lady today ... for you Sisters ... get your man something macho! ;>)
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Leviticus, Chapters 5-7 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Leviticus 5: 4-6 … : … [Making Vows] … 4 or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt— 5 when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned. 6 As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the LORD a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for them for their sin..
My Journal for Today: Have you ever made a vow or a promise to someone and later realized that you promised too much or made too great a commitment? I know I have; what about you? Well, according to the passage I’ve been shown to highlight and comment on today, making vows is serious business and requires us to take care when we promise to do something and then recognize later we’ve fallen short with our vow.
There are several OT passages which reinforce, by repetition, God’s command to His people about the seriousness of making promises or vows. In Numbers 30: 1, God, through Moses, said to His people, … “This is what the LORD commands: 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.” In Deuteronomy 23: 21 – 23 God’s word repeats, … 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. 23 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.
So, I hope we can see from God’s redundancy of teaching in the Old Testament that when we make/break vows or promises of commitment, that’s an affront – not only to the person to whom we’ve made the vow – but also to God Himself. And certainly this is just an Old Testament command. Jesus, the Messiah Himself, the fulfillment of all of God’s promises from the Old Covenant, Who was the New Covenant to God’s people, taught about making vows as well. In His famous “sermon on the mount,” Jesus taught (in Matt. 5: 33-37), ... 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.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the 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 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
Are we getting it? I certainly am convicted. How many times have I said to someone – all too casualty – as they seriously asked me to pray for them, “Sure, I’ll pray for you.” And then what did I do … NOT! What about all those years which I was unfaithful to my wife secretly delving into p0rnography, hiding it from my wife, with whom I had made vows of faithfulness in a church before God, family, and friends. And I expect there may be some reading here along with me that are convicted that we all too casually make promises to others upon which we don’t follow through; and sometimes we make such promises, knowing full-well – on the front-end - that we’re not going to keep them. My friends, if we don’t take our vows and promises seriously, we are sinning and are guilty before God’s throne of grace, … AREN’T WE?!!
So, what do we do about it? Well, our highlight passage gives us one follow-up command which we simply must follow when we realize that we’ve sinned by not keeping our promises; and that is to confess. Fortunately, if we are truly believers in the Living Christ; and we’ve come under His cleansing blood, we have the truth and promise of 1st John 1: 9, where God promises to cleanse us of any/all sin … IF … we come to Him with a truly repentant heart, confess, and ask for His forgiveness (and when God promises something we can take it to the heavenly banks). And also in God’s word (in James 5:16) we’re directed to confess to others when they are involved in our sin of broken promises.
But we also should be as proactive as we can in our relationship with God and with others, which leads me to realize that I shouldn’t be telling someone I’m going to pray for them if I’m just trying to court their favor or good will with the baseless promise. No, I’ve learned a way to handle that; and let me leave you with this little discipleship tool. When you’re with someone who asks for your prayer; and you genuinely want to pray for them … BUT … you know that you have a tendency to be forgetful or weak later after you’ve promised you’d pray. Well, I’ve learned from my Pastor to stop right there, wherever you are, and pray for that person openly and verbally, at least fulfilling your desire to pray for them about their concerns. Yes, you might tell them that you’ll do your best to TRY TO pray for them in the future; but at least desiring to pray for them and doing it right there begins the process of bringing their concerns to God. You’ll feel better; and I know, from experience, that you’ll more likely remember to pray for them in the future if you’ve done so personally and verbally on the spot.
But we do need to take very seriously the vows we make to others; and if we’ve breeched those vows, we need to confess that to God and to those whom we’ve wronged with broken promises; … and … we need God’s cleansing grace … not the sacrifices offered in Leviticus … to have our sinful broken vows made right before God and man.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, let my word and promises be true to You and to others in my life. Amen
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Leviticus, Chapters 5-7 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Leviticus 5: 4-6 … : … [Making Vows] … 4 or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt— 5 when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned. 6 As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the LORD a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for them for their sin..
My Journal for Today: Have you ever made a vow or a promise to someone and later realized that you promised too much or made too great a commitment? I know I have; what about you? Well, according to the passage I’ve been shown to highlight and comment on today, making vows is serious business and requires us to take care when we promise to do something and then recognize later we’ve fallen short with our vow.
There are several OT passages which reinforce, by repetition, God’s command to His people about the seriousness of making promises or vows. In Numbers 30: 1, God, through Moses, said to His people, … “This is what the LORD commands: 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.” In Deuteronomy 23: 21 – 23 God’s word repeats, … 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. 23 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.
So, I hope we can see from God’s redundancy of teaching in the Old Testament that when we make/break vows or promises of commitment, that’s an affront – not only to the person to whom we’ve made the vow – but also to God Himself. And certainly this is just an Old Testament command. Jesus, the Messiah Himself, the fulfillment of all of God’s promises from the Old Covenant, Who was the New Covenant to God’s people, taught about making vows as well. In His famous “sermon on the mount,” Jesus taught (in Matt. 5: 33-37), ... 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.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the 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 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
Are we getting it? I certainly am convicted. How many times have I said to someone – all too casualty – as they seriously asked me to pray for them, “Sure, I’ll pray for you.” And then what did I do … NOT! What about all those years which I was unfaithful to my wife secretly delving into p0rnography, hiding it from my wife, with whom I had made vows of faithfulness in a church before God, family, and friends. And I expect there may be some reading here along with me that are convicted that we all too casually make promises to others upon which we don’t follow through; and sometimes we make such promises, knowing full-well – on the front-end - that we’re not going to keep them. My friends, if we don’t take our vows and promises seriously, we are sinning and are guilty before God’s throne of grace, … AREN’T WE?!!
So, what do we do about it? Well, our highlight passage gives us one follow-up command which we simply must follow when we realize that we’ve sinned by not keeping our promises; and that is to confess. Fortunately, if we are truly believers in the Living Christ; and we’ve come under His cleansing blood, we have the truth and promise of 1st John 1: 9, where God promises to cleanse us of any/all sin … IF … we come to Him with a truly repentant heart, confess, and ask for His forgiveness (and when God promises something we can take it to the heavenly banks). And also in God’s word (in James 5:16) we’re directed to confess to others when they are involved in our sin of broken promises.
But we also should be as proactive as we can in our relationship with God and with others, which leads me to realize that I shouldn’t be telling someone I’m going to pray for them if I’m just trying to court their favor or good will with the baseless promise. No, I’ve learned a way to handle that; and let me leave you with this little discipleship tool. When you’re with someone who asks for your prayer; and you genuinely want to pray for them … BUT … you know that you have a tendency to be forgetful or weak later after you’ve promised you’d pray. Well, I’ve learned from my Pastor to stop right there, wherever you are, and pray for that person openly and verbally, at least fulfilling your desire to pray for them about their concerns. Yes, you might tell them that you’ll do your best to TRY TO pray for them in the future; but at least desiring to pray for them and doing it right there begins the process of bringing their concerns to God. You’ll feel better; and I know, from experience, that you’ll more likely remember to pray for them in the future if you’ve done so personally and verbally on the spot.
But we do need to take very seriously the vows we make to others; and if we’ve breeched those vows, we need to confess that to God and to those whom we’ve wronged with broken promises; … and … we need God’s cleansing grace … not the sacrifices offered in Leviticus … to have our sinful broken vows made right before God and man.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, let my word and promises be true to You and to others in my life. Amen
Sunday, March 21, 2010
2010 – Mar. 21 – When Vows Become Shibboleths
Study from God’s Word… Judges 10 – 12: 15 … Passage for Reflection: Judges 11:35 … NIV 35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, "Oh! My daughter! You have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow to the LORD that I cannot break."
My Journal for Today: Do you have faith in God? Well, most of those who read this, knowing who I am and who you are, will likely respond “Yes,” to that question. But what if I were to ask, “Are you faithful to God?” What would your response be then?
There is a difference between “having faith” and “being faithful,” isn’t there? And we saw that difference on trial in the story, in Judges 11, of Jephthah, who made a vow to God; and then this man of God had to carry out that vow when it ultimately meant him having to sacrifice his own daughter as a signature of his faith. Jephthah had to not only have faith in God, but he had to show his faithfulness to God by carrying out a vow which was tested much as the test used in Judges 12 where certain people had to declare their allegiance to God by their pronunciation of the word “Shibboleth.” And like those tests, when God lays a test of faith before us, we may not ignore it; and we’ll have to show our faithfulness openly by our actions.
No, the only way we can show our faith at times of testing is by living up to the values we hold as believers. If we have faith, we often are asked to show that faith by living up to what we believe with actions. Life will challenge us, … God will challenge us; … and we’ll have to declare whom we follow by the choices we make and the actions which show who we are. In Judges 12 one people, the Ephraimites, wanted to cross the Jordan to Ephraim, and the Gileadites would ask them to pronounce the word “Shibboleth,” and if they said “Sibboleth,” it showed them to have allegiance to pagan gods; and they would be killed.
I know that this reads as cruel and unusual; but in that day it showed that – and carrying over into our day – beliefs are critical. And how we demonstrate our beliefs is even more important. Jephthah certainly passed his own “shibboleth,” when he fulfilled his horrible vow to the one true God which involved the life/death of his daughter. The question becomes, do I pass the faith test when I live as Christian. Is my life a “shibboleth” or a “sibboleth.” When I’m tested to cross my Jordan of faith, do my actions match up to my words of faith? I say I’m a “Christian.” When you see me living, do my choices and actions give me away; or do I fail the test with my actions not living up to my words? Only you who know me can be my judge in this life; but God is certainly my Judge for eternity; and I can only pray that my declared faith is my actual faithfulness in real life.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I say, “Shibboleth!” Amen
My Journal for Today: Do you have faith in God? Well, most of those who read this, knowing who I am and who you are, will likely respond “Yes,” to that question. But what if I were to ask, “Are you faithful to God?” What would your response be then?
There is a difference between “having faith” and “being faithful,” isn’t there? And we saw that difference on trial in the story, in Judges 11, of Jephthah, who made a vow to God; and then this man of God had to carry out that vow when it ultimately meant him having to sacrifice his own daughter as a signature of his faith. Jephthah had to not only have faith in God, but he had to show his faithfulness to God by carrying out a vow which was tested much as the test used in Judges 12 where certain people had to declare their allegiance to God by their pronunciation of the word “Shibboleth.” And like those tests, when God lays a test of faith before us, we may not ignore it; and we’ll have to show our faithfulness openly by our actions.
No, the only way we can show our faith at times of testing is by living up to the values we hold as believers. If we have faith, we often are asked to show that faith by living up to what we believe with actions. Life will challenge us, … God will challenge us; … and we’ll have to declare whom we follow by the choices we make and the actions which show who we are. In Judges 12 one people, the Ephraimites, wanted to cross the Jordan to Ephraim, and the Gileadites would ask them to pronounce the word “Shibboleth,” and if they said “Sibboleth,” it showed them to have allegiance to pagan gods; and they would be killed.
I know that this reads as cruel and unusual; but in that day it showed that – and carrying over into our day – beliefs are critical. And how we demonstrate our beliefs is even more important. Jephthah certainly passed his own “shibboleth,” when he fulfilled his horrible vow to the one true God which involved the life/death of his daughter. The question becomes, do I pass the faith test when I live as Christian. Is my life a “shibboleth” or a “sibboleth.” When I’m tested to cross my Jordan of faith, do my actions match up to my words of faith? I say I’m a “Christian.” When you see me living, do my choices and actions give me away; or do I fail the test with my actions not living up to my words? Only you who know me can be my judge in this life; but God is certainly my Judge for eternity; and I can only pray that my declared faith is my actual faithfulness in real life.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I say, “Shibboleth!” Amen
Friday, February 26, 2010
2010 – Feb. 26 – The Making/Keeping of Vows
Study from God’s Word… Deut. 23: 1-8; Num. 6: 1-21; Lev. 27: 1-34; Deut. 23: 21-23; Lev. 19: 1-2, 19; Deut. 22: 9-11… Passage for Reflection: Deut. 23: 23 … NIV 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. 23 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.
My Journal for Today: The making and keeping of VOWS has waned in our western culture. Certainly in the days I read about in today’s study, vows were considered very important; and that would be a definite understatement. When one made a vow to God in the days of Moses, under God’s law, he was expected to keep that vow as a sign of surrender to God and man’s attempt to be holy just as God is Holy (see Lev. 19: 2 or 20: 7 in today’s OT readings or 1st Peter 1: 15, 16, repeated in the New Testament]. Today, I’m afraid that our use of vows has become far too superficial, even such ceremonial vows as marriage, which we know, in commitment and reality, only last about half the time.
Under the Old Covenant, the making and keeping of vows was serious business; and Nazirite vows were good examples of that. When a Hebrew man took a Nazirite vow, he vowed to separate himself in holiness so as to be used by God. Examples of those who took Nazirite vows in the Bible were Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist; and in those days, these Nazirites vowed to let their hair grow and abstain from wine as signs of their intent and commitment to separate themselves unto holiness. Well, we know what happened to Samson, who definitely had trouble keeping his vows. Today, about as close to making vows as most of us get is in making New Year’s resolutions; and I think we know how often these fall by the wayside when it comes to keeping them.
This year, I have undertaken to make, and prayerfully keep, some commitments that are more like vows than resolutions. I began the year attempting to activate or maintain a series of behavioral commitments which I felt were those things which helped me to deepen my desire toward becoming a “living sacrifice,” as spelled out in Romans 12: 1-2. My initial surge was a 40 day commitment to maintain these habits and record these commitments to/for God; and I was able to go through those 40 days at the outset of this year, keeping – and even reporting my daily fulfillment. At the end of the 40 days, however, I realized that I needed to keep up the accountability and maintain my “vows” to God, which I felt were Spirit-led, anointed, and a calling to become more intimate in my relationship with my Lord. THEREFORE, I have surrendered myself to keep doing and reporting these vow-like commitments, at least for the remainder of this year. Those who are part of the ministry I lead [Battle Plan Ministries] see my logging of completion of these behaviors daily so that I might be accountable, somewhere, to someone, to document what I’m doing in surrender mode to God.
I don’t desire to be seen as being a “Nazirite” or something special because of my calling to pursue these commitments. I’m not doing these things to be seen as some kind of disciplined “Minister of commitment.” If anyone really knew me, they would know how far from that is from my normal, default, and very human mode of living. Bill Berry is naturally undisciplined, disorganized, and definitely selfish. Hence, this is my need to be more serious about going into and remaining in “surrender mode,” as I call it, to a Spirit-led life which allows me to deepen my relationship with Christ.
I know that only when I make habitual choices to follow Christ will I be able to receive His enabling grace and then to become fruitful for His Kingdom. Allowing myself to go into my default, natural mode of fulfilling my fleshly tendencies, I would become useless for God. And in the spirit of self analysis (which is exhorted by God’s word in 2nd Cor. 13: 5), I would charge you to take an inventory of your commitments to God (i.e., your vows of holiness); and decide which areas you might “tune up” for God’s glory. Then, write down those commitments (“goals,” if you will); and finally develop some way to be accountable for your commitments. And this needs to be far above any new year’s type resolutions. These need to be “VOWS” in the sense of today’s highlight verse; and I think you know which ones need to be made, recorded, and maintained for God’s glory.
I know that doing what I’ve been doing thus far this year has deepened my intimacy of relationship with Christ; and that is well worth any brief failures I’ve experienced during this year.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I pray that I can keep on keeping on in my desire and intent to be more holy and follow You. Amen
My Journal for Today: The making and keeping of VOWS has waned in our western culture. Certainly in the days I read about in today’s study, vows were considered very important; and that would be a definite understatement. When one made a vow to God in the days of Moses, under God’s law, he was expected to keep that vow as a sign of surrender to God and man’s attempt to be holy just as God is Holy (see Lev. 19: 2 or 20: 7 in today’s OT readings or 1st Peter 1: 15, 16, repeated in the New Testament]. Today, I’m afraid that our use of vows has become far too superficial, even such ceremonial vows as marriage, which we know, in commitment and reality, only last about half the time.
Under the Old Covenant, the making and keeping of vows was serious business; and Nazirite vows were good examples of that. When a Hebrew man took a Nazirite vow, he vowed to separate himself in holiness so as to be used by God. Examples of those who took Nazirite vows in the Bible were Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist; and in those days, these Nazirites vowed to let their hair grow and abstain from wine as signs of their intent and commitment to separate themselves unto holiness. Well, we know what happened to Samson, who definitely had trouble keeping his vows. Today, about as close to making vows as most of us get is in making New Year’s resolutions; and I think we know how often these fall by the wayside when it comes to keeping them.
This year, I have undertaken to make, and prayerfully keep, some commitments that are more like vows than resolutions. I began the year attempting to activate or maintain a series of behavioral commitments which I felt were those things which helped me to deepen my desire toward becoming a “living sacrifice,” as spelled out in Romans 12: 1-2. My initial surge was a 40 day commitment to maintain these habits and record these commitments to/for God; and I was able to go through those 40 days at the outset of this year, keeping – and even reporting my daily fulfillment. At the end of the 40 days, however, I realized that I needed to keep up the accountability and maintain my “vows” to God, which I felt were Spirit-led, anointed, and a calling to become more intimate in my relationship with my Lord. THEREFORE, I have surrendered myself to keep doing and reporting these vow-like commitments, at least for the remainder of this year. Those who are part of the ministry I lead [Battle Plan Ministries] see my logging of completion of these behaviors daily so that I might be accountable, somewhere, to someone, to document what I’m doing in surrender mode to God.
I don’t desire to be seen as being a “Nazirite” or something special because of my calling to pursue these commitments. I’m not doing these things to be seen as some kind of disciplined “Minister of commitment.” If anyone really knew me, they would know how far from that is from my normal, default, and very human mode of living. Bill Berry is naturally undisciplined, disorganized, and definitely selfish. Hence, this is my need to be more serious about going into and remaining in “surrender mode,” as I call it, to a Spirit-led life which allows me to deepen my relationship with Christ.
I know that only when I make habitual choices to follow Christ will I be able to receive His enabling grace and then to become fruitful for His Kingdom. Allowing myself to go into my default, natural mode of fulfilling my fleshly tendencies, I would become useless for God. And in the spirit of self analysis (which is exhorted by God’s word in 2nd Cor. 13: 5), I would charge you to take an inventory of your commitments to God (i.e., your vows of holiness); and decide which areas you might “tune up” for God’s glory. Then, write down those commitments (“goals,” if you will); and finally develop some way to be accountable for your commitments. And this needs to be far above any new year’s type resolutions. These need to be “VOWS” in the sense of today’s highlight verse; and I think you know which ones need to be made, recorded, and maintained for God’s glory.
I know that doing what I’ve been doing thus far this year has deepened my intimacy of relationship with Christ; and that is well worth any brief failures I’ve experienced during this year.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I pray that I can keep on keeping on in my desire and intent to be more holy and follow You. Amen
Monday, February 09, 2009
2009 - Day 39.Feb.9 - Final Promise
2009 – Day 39.Feb.9
Passage of the Day: Genesis 45: 8 – 9 … 27 So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years. 29 When the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Now if I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” And he [Joseph] said, “I will do as you have said.” 31 Then he [Jacob] said, “Swear to me.” And he [Joseph] swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.
My Journal for Today: As Swindoll points out in his devotional for today, deathbed promises are not that uncommon; but in this text for today we read of a rather bizarre custom that apparently was a serious way to take oaths in those days in the middle east.
Jacob asked his son to promise him that he’d make sure old “Israel” was buried in Canaan, the Promised Land, … not in Egypt, where the family had migrated to stay alive and be with Joseph. And he asked Joseph to make this vow by placing his hand under his dad’s buttocks. Sounds somewhat weird; doesn’t it? But we have similar funny ways of taking vows here. We ask the person taking the vow, “To swear on a stack of Bibles;” or maybe we say, “Cross your heart and hope to die.” This posture of “hand under my thigh” in those days would have been like the President putting his hand on the Bible and taking the oath of office. It was serious business; and Joseph pledged that he would insure that his daddy was buried back in his homeland.
Interestingly enough, this very day I leave, along with about 65 other pilgrims from our church, to see the very Holy Land to which old Jacob wanted to return to be buried. And I feel like God is saying to me that I’m blessed to go and see this “Promised Land,” to which Israel must return one day, especially when our Lord, Jesus, the very Messiah for which Jacob and Joseph longed, walked the earth, died, and was resurrected as the Redeemer of His people, … first the Jews and then for those, like me, who’ve been grafted into the Family of God.
I feel so blessed to be headed today to see that land to which Jacob longed to return.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, may our walking where Jesus walked help me to know You more deeply and serve you more powerfully. But I know that such a pilgrimage must begin in my heart and commence in Your presence. Amen
Passage of the Day: Genesis 45: 8 – 9 … 27 So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years. 29 When the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Now if I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” And he [Joseph] said, “I will do as you have said.” 31 Then he [Jacob] said, “Swear to me.” And he [Joseph] swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.
My Journal for Today: As Swindoll points out in his devotional for today, deathbed promises are not that uncommon; but in this text for today we read of a rather bizarre custom that apparently was a serious way to take oaths in those days in the middle east.
Jacob asked his son to promise him that he’d make sure old “Israel” was buried in Canaan, the Promised Land, … not in Egypt, where the family had migrated to stay alive and be with Joseph. And he asked Joseph to make this vow by placing his hand under his dad’s buttocks. Sounds somewhat weird; doesn’t it? But we have similar funny ways of taking vows here. We ask the person taking the vow, “To swear on a stack of Bibles;” or maybe we say, “Cross your heart and hope to die.” This posture of “hand under my thigh” in those days would have been like the President putting his hand on the Bible and taking the oath of office. It was serious business; and Joseph pledged that he would insure that his daddy was buried back in his homeland.
Interestingly enough, this very day I leave, along with about 65 other pilgrims from our church, to see the very Holy Land to which old Jacob wanted to return to be buried. And I feel like God is saying to me that I’m blessed to go and see this “Promised Land,” to which Israel must return one day, especially when our Lord, Jesus, the very Messiah for which Jacob and Joseph longed, walked the earth, died, and was resurrected as the Redeemer of His people, … first the Jews and then for those, like me, who’ve been grafted into the Family of God.
I feel so blessed to be headed today to see that land to which Jacob longed to return.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, may our walking where Jesus walked help me to know You more deeply and serve you more powerfully. But I know that such a pilgrimage must begin in my heart and commence in Your presence. Amen
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