Thursday, February
14
Promise
Keeping
When you make a vow to God, do not
delay to pay it ... Better not to vow than to vow and not
pay.
Ecclesiastes 5:4-5
The
third of the Ten Commandments -- "You shall not take the name of the Lord your
God in vain" (Exodus 20:7) -- has been wrongly interpreted to mean using God's
name in a curse or profane statement (although that is certainly to be avoided).
Originally, it referred to making a vow or promise with God as your witness that
you would keep your word. If you failed to keep your promise, you were guilty of
using His name in vain. You had involved God in your deceit or unfaithfulness,
and God is not to be "used" by His people for their convenience in such a
way.
King Solomon wrote an
extended paragraph about the danger of making vows and promises to God and, by
extension, to others with God as our witness (Ecclesiastes 5:1-7). The apostle
James, following his half-brother, Jesus of Nazareth, went further: Don't make
vows at all. Just let your "Yes" mean yes and your "No" mean no (Matthew 5:37;
James 5:12). Instead of making a promise in God's name, we should let our
character serve as a guaranty for our word.
If you say "Yes" or "No"
today, follow through appropriately. Better not to promise than to promise and
not pay.
We must never promise ourselves any more than God has
promised us.
Matthew Henry
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