Vows

“It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfil it.” Ecclesiastes 5:5
There are a few passages in the Bible, both Old and New Testament, concerning the making of vows. To sum them all up, making vows is not wrong, but we need to be careful when we do make vows, that we keep our word. Also, we shouldn’t be people who have to make an oath every time we promise to do something – our word should be enough (Matt. 5:33-37).
If we do make a vow and fail to keep it, it is worse than if we had not made the vow in the first place. I’m reminded of the parable Jesus told of the two sons in Matt. 21:28-31. He asked both sons to go and work in his vineyard. The first said he wouldn’t, but later did. The second said he would, but did not. Both ended up not doing what they said, but it is better to be in the first situation than the second.
We might not make many oaths or vows today; those are generally reserved for solemn occasions such as giving evidence in court or getting married. But on top of these, there are many occasions every day where we make a promise to someone, saying ‘I’ll do that when...’. So make sure you do!