If
her husband forbids her when he hears about it, he nullifies the vow that
obligates her.
(Numbers 30:8)
In
this passage Moses emphasizes the sanctity of a promise. He starts out saying a
man must absolutely keep his word to the Lord, and if he takes an oath he’d
better make good his pledge. He doesn’t stop at how important it is to keep a
promise already made; he also warns against making rash vows in the first place.
We’d
all be better off if everyone took promises as seriously as Moses.
The
rules are different when it comes to women. A young woman still living at home
can have her promises annulled by her father, and a wife can have her promises overruled
by her husband. But if the husband or father knows about the promise and says
nothing, the promise stands.
At
first glance, it might seem this passage is demeaning to women; however, that's
not the point. The purpose of this regulation is not to be condescending to
women, but to protect them. On the other hand, it also protects husbands and
families from being burdened with debts racked up by non-worldly wise wives and
daughters. These are not the arbitrary restrictions of a woman-hating God, but
the sheltering embrace of a benevolent parent.
As
an example of another biblical writer's honor and respect for successful
businesswomen, see Proverbs 31:10-31.
Have
you ever made a promise and later wished someone could get you out of it?
I am amazed at the vast number of sacrifices that were required. It would seem the priests would be doing nothing but sacrificing animal after animal every day of their life. How would they even attend to any other duties? I even wonder how they would have enough animals to fulfil all the required sacrifices - how would the animals ever reach 1 yr old -- it would seem that all the 1-yr-olds would be sacrificed and there would be none left to produce any further stock.
ReplyDeleteThe people also complained about having no meat to eat. Is this because they were not allowed to eat any of their stock? Was it only for sacrifices? I know the priests and their families ate some of the sacrifices, but not the rest of the people. Did they have such a vast number of stock with them? If so, how would all these animals survive in the dessert?