November 20, 2024
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Numbers and 1 Corinthians? Here’s today’s reading:
Numbers 30 (NIV)
Vows
1 Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: “This is what the Lord commands: 2 When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.
3“When a young woman still living in her father’s household makes a vow to the Lord or obligates herself by a pledge……Continue Reading
Numbers 29 and 30
Most likely not a popular idea in todays society, but God provides protection for women by having the male in her life superintend her vows and commitments. It makes sense that he would only be responsible for what he hears and is aware of. But once he does hear, he can accept or reject it. All this does reenforce the idea of male leadership in the home. Principles meant to provide for women, it is terribly unfortunate when they have been used to harm them.
This chapter demonstrates God’s plan for relationship. That husband/father would be head of his household and he would lead that household under God. The ideal is that he would hear from God and make decision for his family based on what God wants for them.
We have come so far away from this idea that you read chapters like this today and think how unfair for that woman, however, we must remind ourselves that it is sin that has set us so far off course. With the more common practice becoming men abusing or abandoning their position in a relationship and then women not submitting and fulfilling their part of the relationship it has left us struggling to see how it all should and could even work. God’s plans always involve seeking Him first in all things and when we are doing that and following it does all work, just another example of us going it alone and becoming our own worst enemies.
Men and women must keep their vows. I know it is an unpopular thought for a man to overrule (or be held responsible for) a woman’s oath, but I can see why. I think we are such individualistic that we are not recognizing the corporate nature of marriage. A vow that either party makes could dramatically impact the other. Consider large expenditures or time commitments or moving, a “vow”‘or commitment without agreement among spouses can lead to severe division or consequences for the other. Some will say, “why can’t the woman be the deciding party?” Well if the roles of marriage, submission and love, prescribed in Ephesians are followed then the correct and best decision should be made for both.