Matot and Masei are a double whammy this year. The two Torah portions combine to give us a powerful ending to the Book of Numbers. Starting in chapter 30:1, there is a lot to unpack. What begins our final narrative is an explanation of vows or oaths and their consequences. There is a book called The Four Agreements. I would say the Bible heavily influenced these agreements, as one of the agreements is to be impeccable with our word, an essential element to this particular faith walk. The ‘enemy’ referred to in these portions is the temptation to make vows we cannot or do not intend to fulfill.
In Numbers 30, Moses gives instructions on the power of our verbalized commitments. The one who makes an oath cannot break it, unless that is, a man referred to as an ishah annuls the vow. The Hebrew for ishah can translate into ‘her husband’ or ‘woman’. Ok, so a daughter or a wife makes a promise to do something that could be harmful to her or others. In the Hebrew culture, women were under the authority and protection of their husbands or fathers. If her husband or father hears her make this rash oath, they have a certain number of days to either confirm or annul it. They may have another option to be silent; however, silence turns out to be a passive confirmation. The thing is, if the husband, father, or woman annuls a vow, they bear its negative consequence. This knowledge teaches us that our words carry weight and we should think carefully before making commitments.
Numbers 30:16: These are the statutes which the Lord commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, and between a father and his daughter in her youth in her father’s house. But if her husband (ishah) makes them void on the day he hears them, then whatever proceeded from her lips concerning her vows or concerning the agreement binding her shall not stand; her husband has made them void, and the Lord will release her.
The Bible says that even God makes oaths and keeps them. Once spoken, He cannot break His word (John 10:35).
Hebrews 6:13: Now when God made His promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself.
Let’s review some vows gone awry in the Scriptures. Brace yourself.
Laban accuses Jacob of stealing his household idol. Jacob, unaware of Rachel’s actions, vows that the thief shall die. Tragically, Rachel dies shortly after, a stark reminder of the consequences of rash vows.
In Judges 11, we find a heart-wrenching story about a father who went to war and asked the Holy One for a victory, promising to sacrifice the first thing that came out of his house to meet him upon his return home. It was his daughter. Makes my stomach hurt just writing that.
In Acts 5, a husband must have made a vow to give to the community the proceeds of the sale of their property. The wife hears the vow (verse 2), does not annul it, and therefore confirms it. Remember, the word ishah can mean ‘her husband’ or ‘woman,’ as in wife. The elders of the community tell him and his wife that they have lied to the Holy Spirit in their hearts by only giving a portion of the sale and not the entirety of it. They made an oath, tried to be cheeky about it, and died.
These stories serve as powerful reminders of the weight our words carry and the absolute necessity of keeping our word. We should not enter into a contract or commitment if we know we have no intention of following through, if we cannot fulfill it, or if we have not thoroughly thought it through. The Book of Numbers warns us to avoid oaths that could have negative consequences.
Let’s do what I like to do and go back to the beginning. In the Garden, God tells Adam, ‘If you eat from this tree, you will surely die.’ (Gn 2.17) This statement is a declaration or an oath. Enter Adam. When Chavah looked at the fruit and said, This fruit looks good and can make us like God while offering it to Adam, he had the opportunity to annul or confirm her actions. He confirmed them, bringing a curse of death into the world. Israel entered into an oath with God on Mt. Sinai. After hearing the commandments, they said, ‘All that you say we will do.’ Enters Moses as the ishah or bridegroom. In this context, Moses is seen as a mediator between God and the people, representing the role of a bridegroom who offers to bear the consequences of Israel’s actions. He is trying to annul their oath to obey the commandments to avoid the negative impacts of not fulfilling their promise.
Exodus 19:8: Then all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord.
Exodus 32:32: Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.
The negative consequences of Israel breaking their oath on Mt. Sinai are the curses described in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. This understanding would make sense if we apply Galatians 3:14 to this concept: “Messiah liberated us from Torah’s curse, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree).” Enters Yeshua. Yeshua became the curse. In other words, He is the husband who bore the iniquity of the oath. He took upon Himself the result of a broken covenant, death being the ultimate consequence of sin. 1 John 3:4 defines sin as transgressing the Torah’s instructions. Yeshua is called the husband or the bridegroom of the believing community, who annuls or confirms our vow to be faithful to the Holy One. A husband or bridegroom describes one who draws near his wife and becomes emotionally, physically, and spiritually one with her. In Ancient culture, this would be the most excellent form of intimacy that produces life. The community of believers is the “wife” of Yeshua. He bears the consequence of our inability to live up to the covenantal contract, the curse of death. Now, we can walk in faithfulness with love, intention, honesty, and with a simple, yes, I would like to love God and my neighbor. Yes, I would like to honor others and the Holy One. Yes, I would like to pursue life and blessings. We can walk in the simplicity of trying, sometimes (most of the time) failing, re-adjusting, and trying again with mercy, grace, love, and forgiveness always within our reach.
Ephesians 5:29-32: For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it—just as Messiah also does His community, because we are members of His body. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is great—but I am talking about Messiah and His community.
Now that we understand the detrimental effects of rash commitments, let’s explore some ways we are encouraged to keep our mouths clean. Honesty and pure intentions are essential. We must speak from the heart, for it is the purity of our intentions that gives weight to our words and ensures the righteousness of our commitments.
Psalm 12:2 NIV: Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts.
Yeshua, as well as the author of James 5:12, encourages us to let our yes be yes and our no be no. This passage means that we should not swear by important things or lace our intentions with added words in an attempt to make our words heavier. Just do what you say and keep it simple. By keeping our speech straightforward and honest, we maintain a clear and transparent communication with others and with God.
Matthew 5:37: But let your word ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’—anything more than this is from the evil one. (Here, translators have added the word one, but ‘the evil one’ could refer to the evil inclination within us. It’s a reminder that we should not swear by things or make exaggerated promises, as these actions can lead us away from the truth and into the realm of deceit and falsehood.)
When we do make heavy declarations and we make a mistake, we take accountability and repair quickly. If Ananais and his wife had copped to their deceit, the Holy One would have likely forgiven them. Since we should not be so proud to think we know all of the variables of a situation, we should humbly say, I hope this will happen or I would like for this to be the outcome, but let’s think hard about declaring any absolutes. David prays, “Put a guard over my mouth,” which should be a personal mantra since I have lacked a filter for most of my life.
Psalm 141:3: Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.
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