Keep a Promise to the Promise Keeper

As I read the scriptures more, I see the precepts and statutes laid out in the Word are not optional. When we read the Old Testament, we see a lot of times when the Israelites got themselves into spiritually sticky situations, it was because they didn’t do whatever the Lord called them to do (omission), or they blatantly disobeyed him (commission). 

Side note: whether it’s sinning blatantly or just failing to do right, it's still sin counted unto you as sin: 

James 4:17 NKJV

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

But as I was reading the other day, I came across something interesting in Psalm 65:

Psalm 65 NKJV

Praise to God for His Salvation and Providence

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.

65 Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion;
And to You the vow shall be performed.

2 O You who hear prayer,
To You all flesh will come.

3 Iniquities prevail against me;
As for our transgressions,
You will provide atonement for them.

4 Blessed is the man You choose,
And cause to approach You,
That he may dwell in Your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Of Your holy temple.

5 By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us,
O God of our salvation,
You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth,
And of the far-off seas;

6 Who established the mountains by His strength,
Being clothed with power;

7 You who still the noise of the seas,
The noise of their waves,
And the tumult of the peoples.

8 They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs;
You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice.

9 You visit the earth and water it,
You greatly enrich it;
The river of God is full of water;
You provide their grain,
For so You have prepared it.

10 You water its ridges abundantly,
You settle its furrows;
You make it soft with showers,
You bless its growth.

11 You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance.

12 They drop on the pastures of the wilderness,
And the little hills rejoice on every side.

13 The pastures are clothed with flocks;
The valleys also are covered with grain;
They shout for joy, they also sing.

So Psalm 65 is saying that praise is owed, due to God and that they will do it. Part of the reasoning to worship the Lord is because He is worthy and they list observations that declare the glory of the Lord. But I got stuck on one thing: the vow.  

What is the vow referenced here? To contextualize this, I had to do some research. In my research, I saw that one of those things the Lord required was offerings, praise, and worship (plot twist: it is still required of us today). We see in the Old Testament different types of sacrifices and offerings and times when they were expected to worship (see Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy for the introduction of these ordinances). 

The word vow used in Psalm 65 is “neder”. According to Strong’s topical lexicon, neder denotes a “voluntary, but binding, vow made to the LORD. It is an act of consecration, promising a gift, service, or abstention beyond what the law requires. Although optional to initiate, once uttered a neder is irrevocable without divine release” (Topical Lexicon). So essentially, the Israelites had made a promise to worship the Lord and it was time to deliver on that promise. 

Psalm 76:11 KJV 

Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared.

But what’s even more interesting is once again, the Lord is not asking something of us that He doesn’t do. He keeps His promises to us! 

Psalm 132:11 NKJV 

The LORD has sworn in truth to David; He will not turn from it: “I will set upon your throne the fruit of your body.

So what am I getting at? The Lord keeps His promises to us. The very least we can do is keep our promises to Him. If you make a vow to the Lord, KEEP it. As we see, there are no “takesies backsies” from God. Why? Because He doesn’t do that to us. More and more, I see the mirror image we are to have with the Lord and exude godly character, just as He does (see Ecclesiastes 5:4 AMP).

Keep your promises, beloved.