Vows to the Lord
Open Your Bible
Leviticus 26:13-46, Leviticus 27:1-34, Psalm 116:12-14, 2 Corinthians 9:7-8
BY Erin Davis
“Cross my heart,
And hope to die.
Stick a needle
In my eye.”
Clearly, we’re all a little skeptical in the promises department. If someone commits to buying our house, we want collateral in hand and their signature in ink. If a man promises to love and cherish us for life, we want a diamond ring to back it up. And if someone on the playground vows to be our best friend for life, we want to know that they know there will be painful consequences if they break that promise. We earned our skepticism through experience. Most of us are more familiar with promises of the broken variety than the ones that are actually kept. The God of the universe can surely empathize.
He is, by nature, a covenant-seeking God. He placed a bow in the sky as a sign of His commitment to Noah that He would never again drown His creation (Genesis 9). He promised Abram descendants as many as the stars (Genesis 15:5) along with a vast new land to inhabit (vv.17–21). He promised David that He would establish his kingdom forever (2Samuel 7:13).
Each time, God set an expectation that the recipients of His divine promises would worship Him alone and keep His law. Each time mankind failed. It seems one of the ways sin has marred us is by making us prone to break our word. How many times have you promised that you’d turn from a certain sin, only to find yourself willingly partaking again? How many times have you vowed to embrace the disciplines of Bible study and prayer more consistently, only to choose the snooze button the next day? How often have you defaulted to fear when you know you serve a God who parts the waters?
My goal is not to shame you. Sister, I have no stones to throw. But when we consider how often we fail to do what we’ve promised, it makes His fidelity to us that much more remarkable.
The end of Leviticus can feel jarring. God made it clear that the Israelites’ failure to keep their promise to love and obey would bring consequences worse than a needle to the eye. What’s a promise-breaking sinner to do? Keep reading.
“Then I will remember my covenant” (v. 42).
Our unfaithfulness does not get the final word. Through Jesus Christ, God made a new covenant with humankind, promising to forgive our sin and restore our fellowship with Him (Luke 22:20). Though we are weak and willful, He is strong and fiercely committed to our redemption.
27 thoughts on "Vows to the Lord"
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I love this one so much!! ❤️
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I really enjoyed this study more than I had anticipated. Thank you ladies for your constant and deep reflections on the readings. Your passion and discipline to be in God’s Word each days has inspired me and held me accountable. This community is a treasure. Looking forward to studying Hebrews.
Susan – praying for you and your family
Praying for the other requests as well, for healing, harmony, restoration, peace from anxiety…
I saw my doctor virtually yesterday and he said I have a sinus infection. I’m feeling a little better each day and am hoping to be back to work next week. Thank you to those who prayed for me, for continued healing and that I will use this time to draw even closer to God. I’m learning to trust in Him more during this time of slowing down and resting, and not worrying about the things that may be piling up from my inactivity. Praise God that all things work out for His glory and our good. Lord, please teach me to trust in You even though I can’t see the whole picture in this moment.
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I love that even after everything that Israel did, God said he would forgive them if they repented. We serve a God of justice, but also a God who forgives. I pray that I would give God out of a cheerful ❤️.
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Wow, what an observation, “Though we are weak and willful, He is strong and fiercely committed to our redemption.” How weak yet willful we can be, seems contrary but all true. Painfully willful. To our own disadvantages. This chapter speaks a lot of heart-wrenching consequences of disobedience. And this prompts me to pray even more for yielding hearts for all in my families, for the lost, especially my little ones, for one day they will become teenagers, young adults, tossed in the relentless winds of temptations, may the prayer that I pray now, the Lord shall remember. For He remembers the covenant He makes and may He remember a pleading from a mother’s heart when her children are still yet little. Let His will be done. Let my children have humbled hearts, circumcised by the Holy Spirit, that they may learn wisdom and hearken unto your voice, treasure your teachings like gold and silver. Despite my best efforts, and only by His grace. May you remember Lord the earnest pleading from a mother’s heart today. Don’t let this world have my children. Don’t let me watch the consequences. But have mercy on them like You have mercy on me. Let the consequences be far from them, all the days of their lives. Wield their hearts that they may take refuge and find identity in You dear Lord, in You alone. Let this fragile heart of a mother find rest in the assurance of Your Promise. Glory be to You Father now and forever. Amen.
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SO GOOD!!! We serve such an awesome, faithful God, so worthy of all our praise & adoration!!
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Our unfaithfulness does not get the final word. Through Jesus Christ, God made a new covenant with humankind, promising to forgive our sin and restore our fellowship with Him (Luke 22:20). Though we are weak and willful, He is strong and fiercely committed to our redemption.
SRT and She’s: Thank you for making Levitcus not a book to skim over and dread (this is how I felt before) but a book to love and see how much God wants to be near to us. Set apart. Such a beautiful thing <3
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Always loving, always gracious, always redeeming – that’s my God!
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“Then I will remember my covenant” (v. 42).
Our unfaithfulness does not get the final word. Through Jesus Christ, God made a new covenant with humankind, promising to forgive our sin and restore our fellowship with Him (Luke 22:20). Though we are weak and willful, He is strong and fiercely committed to our redemption.
I’m so very thankful for the forgiveness we receive. How unforgiving am I towards those that have hurt me?
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