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This weeks Torah portion is Mattot, meaning “Tribes” and spans Numbers chapters 30-32. Here in chapter 30 Moses has summoned the leaders of the tribes and has important instructions to give them, specifically about the sacredness of fulfilling one’s vows. God commands the absolute necessity of making good on our oaths when invoking His name, and makes provision for the annulment of a woman’s vow, if necessary, either by a father or husband, due to her impulsiveness.

You might wonder why these commandments come right in the middle of Numbers, which is otherwise an extended narrative. Of course, the making of promises isn’t something to be taken lightly. After all, how can you have any semblance of an organized society if nobody can be trusted in what they say? Psalm 15 opens with the question: “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle; who may dwell on Your holy hill?” And what follows is a description of the godly man. And in verse four it says, “He swears to his own hurt, but does not change.” In other words, even if something he promised will require him to take a loss, he’ll make good on it.

But why insert a statute about fulfilling or nullifying oaths here? Well, you see, not only is the principle of fulfilling our vows a matter of integrity before God (and Israel was to reflect God’s holiness by their conduct), but the taking of vows affects the lives of others.

One possibility that’s been suggested for this annulment clause is that some of Israel’s young, unmarried girls were taking vows of lifelong celibacy out of their disgust over the behavior of the Israeli men in the Ba’al-Peor fiasco. Many Israeli men had been seduced by the Moabite women, and willingly took part in their filthy and repulsive sacrifices. But if an unmarried girl were to take a lifelong vow of celibacy, it would require her father to support her for the rest of her life. That’s an enormous financial and emotional burden. Such a vow, left intact, might also mean no grandchildren, which impacts on the very continuity of the family, not to mention property and land inheritance.

Those who bristle at the idea of men having authority over women in the annulment of vows might want to bear two things in mind: 1) no such provision existed for men. If a man took a vow in the name of the Lord, he could never be released from it without incurring guilt – he was bound by it, no matter how difficult the vow proved to be; and, 2) Moses prefaced this by saying, “This is the word which the Lord has commanded…” You may not like it, but God isn’t asking for your approval of His commandments, statutes and ordinances.

Messiah Yeshua warned us against swearing oaths. He said, “…You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ But I say to you, make no oath at all… But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; and anything beyond these is of evil (Matthew 5:33, 34, 37). I suggest that this principle transcends the issue of fulfilling our vows.

Let’s take it two steps further.

First, we need to watch what we say in general, and at all times. We are Messiah’s ambassadors, and our conduct and speech reflect on Him, for better or worse, in the sight of other people. Wise King Solomon once wrote, “Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in Heaven and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:2).

Second, we should be faithful to make good on our word without having to take vows. If we say we are going to do something, we need to do it. Some people are so reliable that when they tell you they’ll do something you don’t have to give it a second thought. Others are so untrustworthy, that even with a 30-page signed contract you don’t sleep very well. What kind of person are you when it comes to fulfilling your agreements?

In chapter 31 God commands Israel to exact what He calls His vengeance on the Midianites. They were to be annihilated and their cities burned. Why? Because they had soughtIsrael’s demise. It was the Midianites who had conspired with Moab to lure Israel by sending out beautiful women to entice them to sacrifice to Ba’al. That idea came courtesy of Balaam, for which he is remembered in the Scriptures for all time as a wicked man! We find out in this chapter that Balaam was put to death in the course of that battle. He had allied himself with Israel’s enemies, and justly suffered their fate. We should emphasize to our children the importance of wisely choosing their friends. For better or worse, our friends and associates influence us, and to a great extent they help set the trajectory of our future.

In the aftermath of that battle, our people gathered a staggering amount of plunder. But the most startling fact of all was that Israel did not lose a single soldier! There was no doubt in anybody’s mind that this was the hand of God. Despite Israel’s great sin at Ba’al Peor, God did not abandon us. We were given a fresh opportunity to serve Him. In gratitude for these things our people brought a lavish offering to Adonai, which was the proper thing to do. It’s right to show appreciation when you are helped. How much more so when you are rescued from your enemies? And how much more than that when rescued from sin and death and an eternity of disgrace? Are you demonstrating genuine thankfulness to God for what He has done for you?

In chapter 32 the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh ask to settle in the land east of the Jordan. Their apparent reluctance to cross over and join their brothers in subduing the Canaanites angered Moses. Such a request might have the same disheartening effect of the ten faithless spies who brought a discouraging report. But an agreement was reached: Moses said that they could set up their homesteads there, and leave their wives and children and livestock there. But he insisted that their men of fighting age accompany their brothers across the Jordan and help them drive out the Canaanites. Afterwards they could return and settle in Gilead. The 2 ½ tribes agreed to those terms.

Looking back, the Midianites, the Moabites, Balak and Balaam all made the same fatal mistake: they took sides against the descendants of Abraham. They chose to be adversaries to God’s people. There are nations and leaders even today, both religious and secular, making the same mistake. For some, it is an indifferent, uncaring attitude toward Israel and the Jewish people (including, sadly, some prominent Christian leaders). Others actively seek Israel’s destruction and even boast about it. We are seeing it played out in the news daily. Evidently, those who would destroy the Jewish people haven’t read Moses and the Prophets. Just as God would have us be faithful to our vows, He intends to be faithful to His, and He has promised that Israel will never cease to be a people before Him. Those who imagine otherwise are facing a rude awakening from the hand of an unchanging God, whose gifts and callings are irrevocable.

I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes on the Day of His Reckoning.