Numbers 30:2 (NASBStr)
If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or takes an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.
The commitments we make matter to God. The same principle and truth given in the above passage to Moses by God was stated by His Son in the book of Matthew:
Matthew 5:33 (NASBStr)
“Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘ You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.
Since God keeps His Word He expects others to do so, as well. That is what it means to keep the character of God. However, what began to happen as a result of this text was the silly commitment of vows and the over emphasis of it as a means to demonstrate my holiness. The larger the vow, the more rash, the more I appeared holy and religious. That is why Jesus added the following teaching in His sermon on the mount:
Matthew 5:34-37 (NASBStr)
But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes ’ or ‘No, no ’; anything beyond these is of evil.
What God in Numbers to Moses and Jesus in Matthew to His disciples was trying to tell us was that our commitments and our words reflect our character. When we make a promise to God we are to keep it because He is God, not because we are special. Our words and our promises should carry the character of God. When we fail to keep our word, or we make an overstatement of promise, we do not demonstrate the character and person of God. When Christ reigns in us we are to speak the truth in love because Christ is truth. Falsehood, in any form, does not reflect our relationship with God in Christ.
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