Vow נֶ֫דֶר

We are moving into chapter twenty-seven of Leviticus with our word for today. נֶ֫דֶר vow. It is used 60 times in the Old Testament. Our word is used in the sense of vow offering, an offering associated with the making of a vow. Numbers 29:39 In addition to מִנִּדְרֵיכֶ֜ם what you vow and your freewill offerings, offer these to the Lord at your appointed festivals: your burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings and fellowship offerings. 1 Samuel 1:21 When her husband Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to נִדְרֽוֹ fulfill his vow. Most of the uses of our word are used in the sense of vow, a solemn pledge to do something or to behave in a certain manner. Genesis 28:20-22 וַיִּדַּ֥ר יַעֲקֹ֖ב נֶ֣דֶר [literally and vowed Jacob a vow] Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” Notice in the next use of our word that God remembered that Jacob made a vow to him. Genesis 31:13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where נָדַ֥רְתָּ לִּ֛י שָׁ֖ם נֶ֑דֶר [literally vow to me you vowed] you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land. We find our word used of specific kinds of vows such as a Nazarite one. Numbers 6:1-3, 21 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of dedication to the Lord as a Nazirite, they must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or other fermented drink … This is the law of the Nazirite who יִדֹּר֒ [this is another form of our word from the same root word] vows offerings to the Lord in accordance with their dedication, in addition to whatever else they can afford. They must נִדְרוֹ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִדֹּ֔ר [this is literally vow which they vowed] fulfill the vows they have made, according to the law of the Nazirite. This is how our word is used in our chapter today. Leviticus 27:1-8 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, If anyone makes a special נֶ֑דֶר vow to the Lord involving the valuation of persons, then the valuation of a male from twenty years old up to sixty years old shall be fifty shekels of silver. So we see this idea of an offering vow is a big part of the opening of our chapter. We will look more into this idea tomorrow when we look at our word for valuation and value. For today well look at the basic idea of a vow as promising to keep your word. We see God taking these vows seriously in that he holds people to what they promise him. Deuteronomy 23:21 If you make a נֶ֙דֶר֙ vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the Lord your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. Psalm 56:12 I am under נְדָרֶ֑יךָ vows to you, my God; I will present my thank offerings to you. Binding ourselves to God is seen as a good thing and part of worship. Psalm 61:8 Then I will ever sing in praise of your name and fulfill נְדָרַ֗י my vows day after day. Keeping our word is a huge priority to God. Ecclesiastes 5:4-7 When you make a נֶ֜דֶרvow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your תִּדֹּ֖ר [this is another form but from the same root word] vow. It is better not תִדֹּ֑ר to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God. We see Jesus teaching reaffirming this sermon on the mount. Matthew 5:33-37 Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. I’ll close with this great Psalm that identifies this idea of keeping your vows and your word as part of a person God accepts. Psalm 15:1-2, 4 O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart … who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind.