Numbers 30:1 - Meaning and Application

This law was given to the leaders of the tribes so they could teach it to the people under their care. They were to explain the law, warn them as needed, and hold them accountable if they broke their vows. Perhaps the tribal leaders had brought a case like this to Moses in an emergency and asked him to find out God’s will. Now they are given the answer: “This is what the Lord has commanded about vows,” and this command still stands.

1. The case being considered is when a person makes a vow to the Lord, so God is made part of the promise and the person means to honor Him through it. The vow is assumed to be about something lawful, because no one can promise to do what God has already forbidden. It is also assumed to be something that was not already required in that exact form before the vow. A person might vow to offer certain sacrifices at set times, give a certain sum or share to the poor, avoid some foods or drinks that the law allowed, or fast and humble himself at other times besides the Day of Atonement.

People might make such vows in a time of strong zeal, in sorrow for sin, to guard against sin, to seek a mercy, or to thank God for a mercy already given. Such vows can be very useful, if they are made honestly and with care. Jewish teachers said vows are a hedge of separation, meaning a fence that helps protect religion. The one who vows is said to bind his soul with a bond. Since the vow is made to God, who is Spirit, it is the soul, with all its powers, that must be bound to Him.

A promise to another person binds a person’s estate, but a promise to God binds the soul. Our vows at the Lord’s Supper, by which we bind ourselves to nothing more than our duty already required, and which neither father nor husband can cancel, are bonds on the soul. By them we should see ourselves as bound away from all sin and bound to do the whole will of God. Our occasional vows about things that were formerly within our own choice (Acts 5:4), once made, are also bonds on the soul.

2. The command is that such vows must be carefully kept. A person must not break his word, even if he later changes his mind, but must do what he said. The margin note says, “He shall not profane his word.” Vowing is an ordinance from God, and if we vow falsely, we dishonor that ordinance. Scripture makes it plain: “It is better not to vow than to vow and not pay” (Ecclesiastes 5:5). “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked.” His promises to us are yes and amen, so let ours to Him be yes and no, not yes and no.