Vows

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Ryan&Amber2013

Puritan Board Senior
For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
Psalms 61:5 ESV

What is a biblical vow? Do we hope God will answer a prayer by making a vow? Is it meant to be two way or one way? Thank you.
 
An oath is to be taken in the plain and common sense of the words, without equivocation, or mental reservation. It cannot oblige to sin; but in any thing not sinful, being taken, it binds to performance, although to a man's own hurt.Not is it to be violated, although made to heretics, or infidels.

A vow is of the like nature with a promissory oath, and ought to be made with the like religious care, and to be performed with the like faithfulness. It is not to be made to any creature, but to God alone: and that it may be accepted, it is to be made voluntarily, out of faith, and conscience of duty, in way of thankfulness for mercy received, or for the obtaining of what we want, whereby we more strictly bind ourselves to necessary duties: or, to other things, so far and so long as they may fitly conduce thereunto. No man may vow to do any thing forbidden in the Word of God, or what would hinder any duty therein commanded, or which is not in his own power, and for the performance whereof he has no promise of ability from God.
 
From Fisher's Catechism, under question 53:

Q. 16. What are the ordinances in which the name of God is more immediately interposed?

A. The name of God is more immediately interposed in oaths, vows, and lots.

Q. 17. What is an OATH?

A. It is an act of religious worship, in which God is solemnly invoked, or called upon, as a witness for the Confirmation of some matter in doubt.

Q. 18. Why is it said to be an act of religious worship?

A. Because there is, or ought to be in every formal oath, a solemn invocation of the name of God, Deut. 6:13 -- "Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God -- and shalt swear by his name."

Q. 19. What is imported in calling upon God as a witness in an oath?

A. It imports, that we acknowledge him to be the infallible searcher of our hearts; the powerful avenger of all perjury and falsehood; and at the same time to be infinitely superior to us; "for men verily Swear by the greater," Heb. 6:16.

Q. 20. In what cases should an oath be required?

A. Only in cases that are doubtful, when the truth of things cannot be known with certainty any other way.

Q. 21. What is the end of an oath in a lawful judicature?

A. It is for confirmation of the truth formerly doubtful; and for terminating strife and contradiction among men. "An oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife," Heb. 6:16.

Q. 22. What are the necessary qualifications of a lawful oath?

A. That we swear -- "in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness," Jer. 6:2.



Q. 55. What is a vow?

A. It is a voluntary and deliberate engagement to God only as party, and that respecting matters of a sacred or religious character, Psalm 132:2-6.

Q. 56. What is the difference between an oath and a vow?

A. In an oath, man is generally the party, and God is brought in as the witness: but in a vow, God himself is always the sole party, besides his being a witness, Psalm 50:14. Isa. 19:21.

Q. 57. What is the subject matter of vows?

A. Only things religious; or such as relate immediately to the glory of God, and the salvation of our souls.

Q. 58. How ought vows to be entered into?

A. In the exercise of faith; or, in the strength of the grace that is in Christ Jesus, John 15:5; without which there can be no performance, Phil. 4:13.

Q. 59. How many kinds of vows are there?

A. Two; personal and social.

Q. 60. What is a personal vow?

A. It is the act of an individual, or single person, taking hold of God's covenant of grace, or acquiescing in it as made with Christ, who is the all of it and thus engaging to be the Lord's, and to essay the practice of all duty in his strength. Is. 44:5 -- "One shall say, I am the Lord's," Psalm 119:106 -- "I have sworn, and will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments."[68]

Q. 61. What is a social vow?

A. It is the joint concurrence of several individuals in the same exercise as in a personal one, openly avouching the Lord to be their God, Deut. 26:17; where Moses, speaking of all Israel, says, "Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God, to walk in his ways," &c.
 
As Hodge wrote:1
The vow is a promise made to God. In the oath, the parties are both men, and God is invoked as a witness.
In the vow, God is the party to whom the promise is made. It is of like nature with an oath, because we are bound to observe them on the same grounds -- because of our obligation to truth, and because of our obligation to reverence God. Lightly to vow on a trifling occasion, or having vowed to fail t o keep it, is an act of profanity to God
...
When the matter of the vow is not unlawful, but morally indifferent, the vow is binding; but experience abundantly proves that to accumulate such obligations is very injurious. The Word of Go d in the Scriptures imposes upon us by his authority all that it is his will or for our interest for us to observe. The multiplication of self - imposed duties dishonors him, and greatly harasses us and endangers our safety. Vows had better be restricted to the voluntary assumption and promise to observe, with the help of divine grace, duties imposed by God and plainly revealed in the Scripture.

1 Hodge, A. A. The Westminster Confession, A Commentary 1869
 
What is a biblical vow?

Below are most of the Questions on Vows from Fisher's Catechism.

Under the Second Commandment:

Q. 29. To whom are vows to be made?
A. To God alone, as the only party and witness in the making and performing of them, Psalm 76:11 — “Vow and pay unto the LORD your GOD.”

Q. 30. What should be the subject matter of our vows to God?
A. Nothing except what may tend either to promote the practice of commanded duty, Psalm 119:57, or prevent the commission of any sin to which we are more ordinarily inclined and addicted, verse 106.

Under the Third Commandment:

Q. 55. What is a vow?
A. It is a voluntary and deliberate engagement to God only as party, and that respecting matters of a sacred or religious character, Psalm 132:2-6.

Q. 56. What is the difference between an oath and a vow?
A. In an oath, man is generally the party, and God is brought in as the witness: but in a vow, God himself is always the sole party, besides his being a witness, Psalm 50:14. Isaiah 19:21.

Q. 57. What is the subject matter of vows?
A. Only things religious; or such as relate immediately to the glory of God, and the salvation of our souls.

Q. 58. How ought vows to be entered into?
A. In the exercise of faith; or, in the strength of the grace that is in Christ Jesus, John 15:5; without which there can be no performance, Phil. 4:13.

Q. 59. How many kinds of vows are there?
A. Two; personal and social.

Q. 60. What is a personal vow?
A. It is the act of an individual, or single person, taking hold of God’s covenant of grace, or acquiescing in it as made with Christ, who is the all of it and thus engaging to be the Lord’s, and to essay the practice of all duty in his strength. Is. 44:5 —“One shall say, I am the Lord’s,” Psalm 119:106 — “I have sworn, and will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.”72

Q. 61. What is a social vow?
A. It is the joint concurrence of several individuals in the same exercise as in a personal one, openly avouching the Lord to be their God, Deut. 26:17; where Moses, speaking of all Israel, says, “Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God, to walk in his ways,” &c.

Q. 62. When doth such a social vow commonly get the name of a NATIONAL COVENANT?
A. When the representatives of a nation, or the better part of them, concur in a covenant of duties, as ingrafted upon the covenant of grace, Jer. 50:4, 5 — “The children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, — saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.” See also Neh. 9:33, and 10:1, 30.

Q. 63. How do you prove that national covenanting is a warrantable duty under the New Testament?
A. From its being promised in the Old Testament that this shall be a duty performed under the New, Isaiah 19:21 — “The Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day, and — they shall vow a vow unto the Lord, and shall perform it.” Besides, if it was a moral duty upon special occasions, under the Old Testament (as appears from 2 Chron 15:12, and 34:31, 32; Neh. 9:38), it must remain to be the same, upon the like occasions, still; because Christ came not to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfil them, Matt 5:17.

Q. 64. Is our obligation to moral duties increased, by our vowing or engaging to perform them?
A. Although it is impossible that our obligation to moral duty can he increased by any deed of ours, beyond what it is already by the law of God, which is of the highest authority; yet by reason of our own voluntary and superadded engagement, this obligation from the law may make a deeper impression than before, Psalm 44:17, 18, and our sins receive a higher aggravation, if we either omit the duty engaged to, or commit the evil opposite to it, Deut. 23:21, 22.

Q. 23. How is the name of God profaned by sinful vows?
A. Either when we solemnly enter into a resolution to do what is absolutely unlawful as Jezebel did, 1 Kings 19:2; or when we come under engagements to duty, and against sin, in our own strength, without a due dependence on the grace of God, as the greater part of the Israelites did, Deut. 5:27, 29; or, when we vow, and are not resolved to perform, as Johanan and his confederates did, Jer. 42:5, compared with verse 20.
 
Thank you for the good responses. So would this be considered a vow? "Lord, I will serve You all the more passionately for the rest of my life if you will provide me with enough money to complete my education".
 
"Lord, I will serve You all the more passionately for the rest of my life if you will provide me with enough money to complete my education".

It's not a vow I would make. I think it is too vague and to presumptive of God's providence and grace, and beyond your power to fulfill. Besides, we already have commands that we love God with all our heart and soul (Deuteronomy 11:13) and that we must be perfect even as God in Heaven is. (Matthew 5:48) A vow like this would be tough to measure, and since it would depend on his grace, impossible humanity to fulfill.

1 Corinthians 15:10
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Deuteronomy 11:13
And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
 
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Just a word on the Scripture text posted as a lead-in to the q. about vows: this is Christ speaking in Psalm 61:5, as in several other places in the Psalms where he speaks of vows made to the Father in regards to his incarnation, his humiliation, and his victory and the results of it. Just noting that!


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What would be an example of a vow?

Here's a couple of thoughts that came to mind.

The Nazarite Vow (Numbers 6:1-21) teaches us at least things two things:
1. Vows should usually not be open-ended. There should be a time to start and a time to end.
2. Vows should only be made for things that you believe are in your power to do. In the Nazarite vow, the subject could not drink wine or anything related like grapes. In making a vow like this, you should remember to exclude the wine of the Lord’s Supper. The Nazarite could not cut his hair. Again, this is a stipulation that you could keep without presuming on the Providence or Spirit of God for special help.​

Example: A vow to fast from all but water for three days is something most people could do. But you should consider (know) your weaknesses before making a vow that experience has taught you that you are likely to break. On the other hand, a vow to fast could help you keep your promise to God.

I am still trying to think of a vow that is very similar to the one you mentioned. Maybe someone else will do it better than I could.
 
I Samuel 1:11
And she vowed a vow, and said: 'O Lord of hosts, if Thou wilt in-deed look on the affliction of Thy handmaid and remember me, and not for-get Thy handmaid, but wilt give unto Thy handmaid a man-child,
then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.'

So would this kind of vow be unlawful? Basically saying "Lord if You provide for me in this way or get me out of this situation, then I will devote my life to serving the poor, etc."
 
So would this kind of vow be unlawful? Basically saying "Lord if You provide for me in this way or get me out of this situation, then I will devote my life to serving the poor, etc."

I guess I'm a little leery of any vow that is made to get you out of a jam. Especially when there are life-long terms. Can't prove it, so you can take most of what I say as my opinion. I have heard of vows of desperation not being paid. So be careful. Consider the following warnings:

Ecclesiastes 5:4 (KJV)
When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

Ecclesiastes 5:5 (ASV)
Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

Deuteronomy 23:21 (KJV)
When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.
 
A marriage vow is a lawful vow that is common, and common also are the vows many churches require upon membership.
 
Exodus 24.3 And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do.
 
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