Numbers 30:9 says, But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, wherewith they have bound their souls, shall stand against her. God next gave instructions for widows and women who were divorced concerning vows that they had made to Him. Verse ten adds, And if she vowed in her husband’s house, or bound her soul by a bond with an oath; This law concerned vows made while the widow or divorced woman was still married. She would have still fallen under God's order of family dynamics. Verse eleven continues, And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and disallowed her not: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she bound her soul shall stand. Moses stated that God said if the man did not say anything to stop from her vow, then she would be bound by it. Verse twelve states, But if her husband hath utterly made them void on the day he heard them; then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband hath made them void; and the LORD shall forgive her. Moses then said that God said that if the husband made the vows of the wife void the day that he heard them, everything she vowed would be made void. Matthew Henry says that God's plan for the structure of the family came before even individual vows. Moses said that under God's plan, that vows that would affect a woman's soul, or her relationship to God, could be made valid or void by the husband. As already stated, God sees the family dynamic as more important than individual vows that might be made outside of that dynamic. If the husband forbade the wife from fulfilling her vow to God, then God would forgive her for not fulfilling the vow. Verse thirteen adds, Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void. God said that the husband had to power to make every binding vow, vows that affected the soul, of the woman either valid or void. We may not like this, but it wasn't what Moses himself said, but what God said. As long as the husband and wife were acting under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, there should have been no problem, but if they weren't acting together under God's leadership, there would be. Verse fourteen says, But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day; then he establisheth all her vows, or all her bonds, which are upon her: he confirmeth them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them. God then said through Moses that if the man did not object to the wife making the vow on the day he heard it, that it would be valid. This is why it is important for a husband and wife to discuss vows that are made to God. They need to be on the same page concerning these vows. Verse fifteen adds, But if he shall any ways make them void after that he hath heard them; then he shall bear her iniquity. God also said that if the husband made void vows made to God by the woman, if they were were good vows to God, though the woman would be freed from guilt for not keeping the vow, the husband would take on the guilt for her not fulfilling it. We might think that the husband was given too much power, but we need to realize that he was also giving a great accountability before God. He was not to simply exert his power over the wife, but he was to follow God's leadership in this situation. Verse sixteen continues, These are the statutes, which the LORD commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between the father and his daughter, being yet in her youth in her father’s house. Moses said these were God's law concerning a husband and wife and even a father and daughter as long as the daughter lived in his house. As long as everyone living in the house was following God's direction, there should have been no problems, and there still shouldn't today.
No comments:
Post a Comment