Numbers 30, 31, Luke 4:1-20, Psalm 63, Proverbs 11:20-21

Numbers 30, 31, Luke 4:1-20, Psalm 63, Proverbs 11:20-21

 

            This summer Divan and I will celebrate five years of being husband and wife.  The day of our wedding was pretty much amazing, shared with family and friends…looking back at it I wouldn't change too much.  My best friends stood beside me, and I'm thankful to be apart of their weddings.  There are a little couple things, however, that I would change including having mariachis play, making sire the appetizers were not forgotten, and that we wrote our own vows.  We made our vows in that chapel, but used the traditional script because I was following the book, and thought it would be too hard or stressful to write our own.  In 2010, one of my bff's, Bekah, married Josh and they shared their vows, making us all laugh and cry.  Bekah vowed to learn how to love and appreciate music, wine, and NPR, promising to be his biggest fan even during the hard times.  Josh promised to "fold [her] socks the way that [she] likes, in little balls," keep his receipts for all purchases because he knew how much she liked balancing the checkbook, and to support and love her always.  Even though Divan and I didn't write our own vows, we still have promised to take care of each other and we still make toasts to the traditional vows we have made to each other.    

 

            Number 30 talks about vows in the Hebrew culture.  There are many parts of these laws that don't necessarily relate in today's culture, but it demonstrates the sacredness in making a vow to God.  Our Omniscient God – who knows and remembers everything – He never forgets a promise.  As we continually read, His promises are always kept.  It is commanded that if one makes a "vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bing himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth, " (Numbers 30:2)  I was thinking to day how many promises, vows, agreements, etc. I have made to others and to God that I have not kept….how I fall short of His glory.  How many times in the movies, in history, in our own lives have we utter the words, "God if you let…happen, than I PROMISE/VOW to …"  and then FAIL…doesn't happen.  In Matthew 5:33-37, Jesus teaches about oaths saying, "Let your yes be yes and your no be no…"  Stay true to your what you say and your word. 

 

            I can remember times that I asked God for favors with promises tied to them…I asked for good grades, getting to the gas station in time before I was stuck, health or loved ones.  I think we have all made some sort of vow or promise.  The greatest vow I made to God, was when I was 16 on my parents roof.  I have shared this before.  But my vow to God that night was not tied to a request.  It was a commitment, oath, promise, and vow to God that I would serve Him continually and be a light that never ceased to all people of the world…that the light I had through Him would shine on a dark world.  That vow became my personal mission statement and I have failed.  I am not that light all the time, sometimes being the darkness itself…focused on sin.  This passage in Numbers reminds me of that vow I made at 16 and the commitment I made to follow Christ.  Just like in any relationship we don't always live by those vows, I don't always live up to my vow, but that's why we have God's grace and mercy.  It's a reminder, however, to strive to live my vow and shine…to live with a thirst and passion we read in Psalm 63: seeking, thirsting, and yearning for our God.