Day 8/31 – The Importance of a Vow

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Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man by Walter A Henrichsen (“Walt”)
The Importance of a Vow
Day Two Hundred Forty-three

“Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven, and you upon earth; therefore let your words be few. When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it; for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.” Ecclesiastes 5:3, 4, 5

Solomon talks about the folly of empty words. You are better served being a listener rather than a speaker. He warns, “be not rash with your mouth.” Reaction produces rashness. Your supervisor asks you why you have not performed according to company expectation. Not knowing what to say, you say the wrong thing and end up promising what you do not intend to fulfill. A rash commitment can be troublesome in any circumstance, but especially in your relationship with God. God is not quick in calling people “fools,” but the person who vows something to God and does not fulfill the vow; God calls him a fool.

When you vow and do not pay you do damage to your character. Guard against allowing promises to become a way of shirking responsibility or placating a tension or struggle with someone else. When you came to Christ, He asked only that you surrender, not that you make Him any promise. When you rashly promise something, it is you, rather than Christ in you, speaking. When you refrain from hasty speech you reverence Christ. Listen rather than speak, and when you do speak, make your promises few.

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Psalm 132-134 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 (New King James Version)

Psalm 132-134
The Eternal Dwelling of God in Zion
A Song of Ascents.
132
Lord, remember David
And all his afflictions;
2
How he swore to the Lord,
And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3
“Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house,
Or go up to the comfort of my bed;
4
I will not give sleep to my eyes
Or slumber to my eyelids,
5
Until I find a place for the Lord,
A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6
Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
We found it in the fields of [a]the woods.
7
Let us go into His tabernacle;
Let us worship at His footstool.
8
Arise, O Lord, to Your resting place,
You and the ark of Your strength.
9
Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness,
And let Your saints shout for joy.
10
For Your servant David’s sake,
Do not turn away the face of Your [b]Anointed.
11
The Lord has sworn in truth to David;
He will not turn from it:
“I will set upon your throne the [c]fruit of your body.
12
If your sons will keep My covenant
And My testimony which I shall teach them,
Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forevermore.”
13
For the Lord has chosen Zion;
He has desired it for His [d]dwelling place:
14
“This is My resting place forever;
Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15
I will abundantly bless her [e]provision;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16
I will also clothe her priests with salvation,
And her saints shall shout aloud for joy.
17
There I will make the [f]horn of David grow;
I will prepare a lamp for My [g]Anointed.
18
His enemies I will clothe with shame,
But upon Himself His crown shall flourish.”
Blessed Unity of the People of God
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
133
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
2
It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Running down on the beard,
The beard of Aaron,
Running down on the edge of his garments.
3
It is like the dew of Hermon,
Descending upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord commanded the blessing—
Life forevermore.
Praising the Lord in His House at Night
A Song of Ascents.
134
Behold, bless the Lord,
All you servants of the Lord,
Who by night stand in the house of the Lord!
2
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary,
And bless the Lord.
3
The Lord who made heaven and earth
Bless you from Zion!
Footnotes:
• Psalm 132:6 Heb. Jaar, lit. Woods
• Psalm 132:10 Commissioned One, Heb. Messiah
• Psalm 132:11 offspring
• Psalm 132:13 home
• Psalm 132:15 supply of food
• Psalm 132:17 Government
• Psalm 132:17 Heb. Messiah

1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Conduct at the Lord’s Supper
17 Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. 18 For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 19 For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be [a]recognized among you. 20 Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. 21 For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame [b]those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.
Institution of the Lord’s Supper
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, [c]“Take, eat; this is My body which is [d]broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
Examine Yourself
27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and [e]blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks [f]in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the [g]Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many [h]sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
33 Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come.
Footnotes:
• 1 Corinthians 11:19 Lit. manifest, evident
• 1 Corinthians 11:22 The poor
• 1 Corinthians 11:24 NU omits Take, eat
• 1 Corinthians 11:24 NU omits broken
• 1 Corinthians 11:27 NU, M the blood
• 1 Corinthians 11:29 NU omits in an unworthy manner
• 1 Corinthians 11:29 NU omits Lord’s
• 1 Corinthians 11:30 Are dead