To Vow or Not To Vow? Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

The Answer- Deuteronomy 23:21-22-When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.

Promise– vow; to assure somebody that something will certainly happen or be done Vow-a solemn promise or assertion; specifically :   one by which a person is bound to an act, service, or condition

At some phase in our lives, every one of us have made and broken many promises. Promises that were broken, due to carelessness, forgetfulness, anger issues, and/or circumstances beyond our control are still promises…right? I also believe that most promises are broken because of a person’s heart condition and mistrust aka missed trust that evolved between parties. This post will not focus on vow/promises made to one another. Its focus will be on vows/promises made to God. Studying this I began to ponder…What is the value of a vow? What initiates a vow? Can mistrust exist between us and God?

Solomon tells us to fear God and keep our vows made to God. He has given us clear instructions on the matter of handling vows made to God. His writings are from his life experiences. And so, I must agree with Solomon, per my life experiences and in seeing the life experiences of others that we must (and I paraphrase):

• Tread lightly and prepare yourself to hear when you go to the house of God.
• Be seen and not heard until your heart is in alignment with God’s will.
• Pay as you vow. God does not have a pay as you go cell phone plan, nor a pay as you earn plan like Obama’s pay as you earn (PAYE) plan for student loans.
• Do not make vows to God when you KNOW you are not able to do so.
• “Don’t let your mouth overload your capabilities” per Dolly Parton and don’t make any excuses because “There is a lie in between a promise and many excuses.” ( Toba Beta)
• Fear God so that you are more likely to keep your word uttered from a rented heart. Did Pharaoh fear God?

 No pinky swearing is allowed between us and God.

I have received the answers to my questions above. I pray that you get an understanding of the verses presented.

1. What is the value of a vow? It depends on how much we fear God. (TYHS) Read Matthew 10:28-29.
2. What initiates a vow? It begins with God’s will and your acceptance to do His will. (TYHS) Read Exodus 23:20-33 and Exodus 24:1-8.
3. Can mistrust exist between us and God? Yes, when we do not believe in Him or His word. We cannot serve nor believe in two masters if our trust is in God. (TYHS) Read Matthew 6:24.

 

I just had a thought that some may be offended by the lyrics from the songs that come to mind while I am writing. If so, please accept my apology. Trust! The Lord works with me in mysterious ways and often it is through the words of songs I have heard of old. He leads me to see in a different sense with the focus being on Him. I am thankful to have been blessed with the gift of hearing, not listening, with a deeper sense of words spoken that most never pay attention to.

Songs are poetry turned into words with a beat. That belief could have come from my dad’s poetry writings… making us girls sing what he wrote and turned into music at a moment’s notice. I always had to voice my opinion about a song, because to me, the words didn’t make sense.

It was not a good thing to be yelled at and made to sing his musical notes when we didn’t even know how to read music. We did not know what that big cursive S, d’s and p’s were on five lines.  I guess that is why we were then forced into taking piano lessons.

It is so true, that most things we are taught to do as a child will drop off to the wayside for a time. As we grow older and older, the time comes back to haunt us. On that note, I’ll leave you with this poetry titled Promises, Promises from an old 90’s group-Naked Eyes:

Never had a doubt in the beginning

Never a doubt

Trusted you true in the beginning

I loved you right through

On and on we laughed like kids

At all the silly things we did

You made me promises, promises

Knowing I’d believe promises, promises

You knew you’d never keep

Second time around, I’m still believing

The words that you said

You said you’d always be here

And love forever still repeats in my head

You can’t finish what you start

If this is love it breaks my heart

We do break God’s heart when we do not fulfill a vow made to him. And let us not forget what Jesus said, “Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”- Matthew 5:33-37

 

 

Time (A Clock Of The Heart) Ecclesiastes 3

Let’s sing!

Don’t put your head on my shoulder

Sink me in a river of tears

This could be the best place yet

But you must overcome your fears

In time it could have been so much more

The time is precious I know

In time it could have been so much more

The time has nothin’ to show we got

Time won’t give me time

Don’t make me feel any colder

Time is like a clock in my heart

When we think about time, most of us think about a mechanical or solar powered clock or watch to see what time it is, and we use a calendar to see dates in time. Not today! Today, we are going to go out there- expand our thinking with the Spirit of God.

When studying this chapter, the old eighties tune by Culture Club was singing in my head. A lot of us don’t pay too much attention to the words of a song, some just love the music. I love both. I always find something else in the words that are relative to my time with God. This was a favorite song of mine during that TIME, yet the words ring so true to me at this TIME.

The words “Clock of the Heart” was laid on my heart during this time with the Holy Spirit. We or at least I have never thought about time being a clock of the heart. I must now agree that it is indeed that.

On a medical note…when our heart stops, we have learned through scientific evidence that major internal organs IN our bodies began to shut down like a domino effect and then there is death. In some cases, the heart can be revived and there is some damage done to the other organs. In some cases, when the heart can’t be revived, nor replaced, time as we know it stops…death. This blog is not about death, so I won’t place any focus there. However, in death, there is only ONE that can resurrect in His time. (TYHS)

Beginning in this chapter Solomon goes over a listing of “a time to” everything that happens in this world. We have all experienced, seen, or have heard of these things beginning with verses 1 thru 8. We also know that time “is precious.”

The title borrowed from the Culture Club song came more into view when I was reading verses 10 thru 14. The key verse 10(NIV): “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

(TYHS) Let’s rewind… He has also set eternity in the human heart;

Rewind Again… He has also set eternity in the human heart;

I found the perfect synonyms for eternity: time without end; forever.

Are most of us even aware that God has set time without end in our heart? (Whoa! PTL! TYHS! ) This was a powerful message to me to share with you. Excuse me while I dance and shout! Ok, done.

Solomon goes on to say in verse 14: “I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will revere him.” (Ok, let us all dance and shout !)

Courtesy-upperstatestreet.com

In between verses 10 thru 14, he reminds us of two things we should already know or have experienced: (1) there is nothing better for us than to be happy and do good (well) while we live; (2) that we all may eat, drink and find satisfaction in our toil- for it is the gift of God. Wow!

So you see, as Boy George said: (Let’s sing again!) 

In time it could have been so much more

The time is precious I know

In time it could have been so much more

The time has nothin’ to show we got

Time won’t give me time

Even though Solomon “thought” in his “heart”, we know in our hearts that God will, “In time” AND IN His time ONLY “bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a TIME for every activity, a TIME to judge every deed.”(Ecc.3:17) During our judgment time, most of us might start singing “In time it could have been so much more”, my time “has nothin’ to show” I “got” because “time won’t give me time”

If we take a look back at things and people who have pass through in our lives, some will discover that there was a “lost” connection “from the start.” I believe this to be, because God did not want the clock of our heart to be wasted on anything or anyone that was not going to be beneficial to us for whatever reason he deemed fit at that time.

Not to mention, God knew that those things and people were not beneficial to His Kingdom. So, count your blessings for those things and people who were not a connection that have come and gone at a moments notice in your life.

So beloved, now that you have been notified via Culture Club’s song, Time (A Clock of the Heart)– might I add…A Clock of the Heart that God has set time without end in, I must put forth Solomon’s question to you “…For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?”

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:” from birth to death.

Insight – We are ALL on God’s time. It is NOT “Our time.”

Blessed Hope and Peace