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The Scriptorium

Vow Wisely

Don't let your words be your downfall. Ecclesiastes 5.4-7

Ecclesiastes 5 (3)

Pray Psalm 25.10, 11.
All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth,
To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.
For Your name’s sake, O LORD,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

Read Ecclesiastes 5.4-7.

Prepare.
1. What is a vow? Did Solomon think we should take vows seriously?

2. Who doesn’t take vows seriously? How does God look upon such people?

Meditate.
We might be surprised to discover how frequently we break the vows we have made, not merely before God, but actually to Him.

A vow is a solemn declaration, based on the evidence or promise of God’s goodness, of something we intend to do as a result to show our gratitude to the Lord for His kindness to us. For Christians, the most common vows are those we take during the marriage ceremony, and those we take upon becoming church members. You might like to pull those out some time and consider to what extent you are living faithfully according to what you have solemnly vowed to God.

To break a vow is to sin, and even (v. 6) to risk the anger of God against our works. Words come easy to us, and so we don’t always say what we mean or mean what we say. We shouldn’t expect to be able merely to rationalize them away when confronted by someone in a position to call us to account (“the messenger”).

Precisely because words do come so easily, we must be very circumspect about the words we speak, especially when those words relate to our worship and vows before the Lord. The proper attitude for taking a vow is fear of God, not simply to satisfy the expectations of others.

Rehoboam would take a vow upon becoming king over Israel. He must think very carefully about what it means to vow, and what can happen when we break our vows.

These first seven verses are a masterful construction on Solomon’s part. They appear to get right at the heart both of Rehoboam’s “religion” and of his need. Those – like Rehoboam – whose piety is merely a shell and a façade may think they’re getting by all right with God and men; in fact, they are living in sin and setting themselves up for judgment from God.

The point of this interlude is to enlarge on Solomon’s earlier comments about living “under heaven”. This is not a calling we can fulfill in merely superficial ways. We must nurture true and genuine fear of God, as Solomon will remind us at the end of his book as well. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom; without the fear of God not only is there no wisdom, there is no true religion either.

And without the fear of God, we place ourselves at risk of His anger.

Reflect.
1. When do we take vows in church? Why do we do this? Do you think it would be a good idea to review our vows from time to time? Explain.

2. To make a vow then fail in carrying it out is to show oneself to be a fool (v. 4). Why does God have “no pleasure in fools”?

3. The mention of a “messenger” suggests some means of exercising oversight of God’s people in Solomon’s day. Why do God’s people need someone watching over them? Whose job is this in the church today? How should they do this? Do we have some overseeing responsibility toward one another? Explain.

For as unbounded glory hereafter is promised to those who faithfully serve God and cleave to him according to the rule of this system, so the severest penalties are in store for those who have carried it out carelessly and coldly and have failed to show to him fruits of holiness corresponding to what they professed or what they were believed by people to be. John Cassian (360-432), Institutes 4.33

Help me to be faithful in keeping my vows, Lord, especially today, as I…

Pray Psalm 25.8-10.
What vows have you taken unto the Lord? Use this time to review and renew them, and to prepare for living them more faithfully throughout the day.

Sing Psalm 25.8-10.
Psalm 25.8-10 (Festal Song: Revive Thy Work, O Lord)
Upright and good are You, You lead us in Your way;
The humble You instruct in truth and guide him day by day.

The paths of God are all of love and faithfulness;
All they who keep His covenant the Lord will surely bless.

T. M. Moore

 

Where does the book of Ecclesiastes fit in the overall flow of Scripture? Our series of studies, God’s Covenant, can show you, and help you discover the great beauty of the unity and diversity of Scripture, and how it all points to Christ. To order your copy of this important workbook, click here.

You can download all the studies in this series on Ecclesiastes by clicking here. If you value Scriptorium as a free resource for your walk with the Lord, please consider supporting our work with your gifts and offerings. You can contribute to The Fellowship by clicking the Contribute button  at the website or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 360 Zephyr Road, Williston, VT 05495.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from
The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006). All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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