Vow

1 Samuel 1:11 – And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”

Genesis 17:1 – When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless.

Genesis 8:1 – But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.

Numbers 6:2-3 – “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of dedication to the Lord as a Nazirite, they must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins.

Genesis 28:20-22 – Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”

Psalm 50:14-15 – “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

Application:

• ·         The Hebrew for “God Almighty” (El-Shaddai) perhaps means “God, the Mountain One”, either highlighting the invincible power of God or referring to the mountains as God’s symbolic home. It was the special name by which God revealed Himself to the patriarchs.
• ·         To “remember” in the Bible is often not merely to recall people to mind but to express concern for them, to act with loving care for them. When God remembers His children, He does so “with favor”.
• ·         The Nazirite vow not just a vow of personal self-discipline; it was an act of total devotion to the Lord.
• ·         “Of all that you give me I will give you a tenth” was a way of acknowledging the Lord as his God and King.
• ·         “Your vows” were vows that accompanied prayer in times of need, usually involving thank offerings, always involving praise of the Lord for His answer to prayer.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV