Numbers 30:2

The Israelites were not told to make vows, but if they voluntarily made them, God said they must conscientiously perform them. Man is ever ready to boast of his strength, not being conscious of his own weakness. Israel, on hearing the law, did not hesitate to say, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do," but they miserably failed. The law made vows binding, and gave directions for exceptional cases where it was impossible to perform them.

Such was the law about vows. There was no relief for the man. He was bound to go right through with whatever had proceeded out of his mouth. Whatever he undertook to do, he was solemnly and irreversibly held to it. There was no back door, as we say — no way of getting out of it.

Do we not know who this is? We know the One who never needs to recall a word: indeed, there is none other. His word stands; we can trust it without fear.

Now we know who took this position in perfect grace. He freely bound Himself to do the will of God, whatever that will might be. We know who it is that says, "I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people." He is "the man Christ Jesus." Having taken the vows upon Him, He carried them out perfectly, to the glory of God and the eternal blessing of His people. There was no escape for Him. We hear Him crying out, in the deep anguish of His soul in the garden of Gethsemane, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from me." But it was not possible. He had undertaken the work of man's salvation. He had to go through the deep and dark waters of death, judgement, and wrath, and fully meet all the consequences of man's condition.

Some have pointed out that in Scripture a woman often stands figuratively for a system or a community, and it may be so here. Israel as a community pledged themselves to obedience to the law of God. This vow of theirs was not disallowed, and to this day they suffer the governmental consequences of their failure. On the other hand, when our Lord said, "Behold, I have come to do your will, O God," there could be no annulment, had He wished it.

He acted in the power of His own grace, and therefore disallowed what was wrong, not binding the foolish vow on her who spoke so rashly with her lips. He let her words pass away, to be broken, to have no binding force. How gracious is the Lord! On the other hand, dealing in His governmental wisdom, He might allow the foolish one to prove her own folly; and so He did. But the day is surely coming when He will act in the fullness of His grace, and all that is foolish will be as unheard, unregistered, and blotted out for ever.

How blessed that he had, and that we have, to do with One who does not stay silent and so leave the soul bound! He knows when and how to set aside the foolish and even God-dishonouring word, so that it does not stand and the soul is forgiven! (See Numbers 30.)

Under the law, such an oath or vow was permissible and intended. But an oath follows the legal principle: I take on a task, I assume I have the strength to do it, and I make a vow to match. Whenever a man made such a vow, he came under an absolute obligation to do what he had promised (Numbers 30:2). As a Christian one should not do such a thing. Our word should always be trustworthy.