DO NOT DELAY TO PAY YOUR VOW

Read: Ecclesiastes 5:4-6

Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

MEMORISE: When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed (Ecclesiastes 5:4)

EXPOSITION

One of the ways to get God's attention, intervention and answer to our prayers is through payment of vow. You make a vow to challenge God to pay more attention to you and find solution to your problem. You make a vow to put God into action, because of your matter. People like Jephthah, Hannah, David, and lots more, made vows before God and got quick and direct answers from Him (Jdg. 11:30-32; 1 Sam. 1:11; Psa. 116:14).

What is dangerous about vow and its payment, is not fulfilling the vow. By the time God has fulfilled His own side of the responsibility, by answering your prayer, it then becomes a debt on your part to pay what you have vowed, and do it on time. That is why it is better for you not to vow than to vow and not pay, afterall, without your vows, your prayers according to His will, would still be answered. The Scripture warns, 'When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you. 22 But if you abstain from vowing, it shall not be sin to you' (Deut. 23:21-22).

There are principles guiding making vows before God. Never make a vow you cannot fulfill; avoid making a rash vow; be timely in the payment of your vow (Job 22:27). You are to give that which you promise to give; not the other way round. Finally, you are to pay your vow as you have promised to do it (Psa. 22:25; 116:14). Paying your vow, especially in due time, will attract more blessings (Psa. 50:14-15). Ensure you do not owe God and man, henceforth.

PRAYER POINTS

1. Lord, forgive me for my unfaithful attitudes to those vows I made in the past.

2. Give to me, O Lord, the faith to make vows, and the grace and remembrance to fulfil them promptly, in Jesus' name.

3. Lord, help Your Church to be more committed to the Great Commission that all true Christians commit to, in principle, at the point of accepting the Lordship of Christ.

EXTRA READING: Numbers 15 - 16 & Luke 23