Promise Keepers
- This chapter is all about keeping your promises. That's right. God is very firm with his "no backsies" policy.
- When a guy makes a vow (like a vow to be a Nazirite) or pledges to God that he will do something, he has to do it. That's it. End of story.
- Same thing is true for a woman who makes a promise to God. With a few exceptions…
- Let's say the lady in question is young and still lives with her dad. If she makes a vow and he doesn't like it, he can veto it. All he has to do is speak up when he first hears that she's made the promise and the whole thing is over with. Hear that, ladies? Father does know best.
- Same thing with a married woman. If her husband hears that she's vowed to be a Nazirite for the next two months, but he needs her help in the vineyard, he can nix that as well. Doesn't every lady need a big strong man to tell her what she can and can't do?
- But this only works if the authoritative man in question speaks up right when he first hears about the vow. If the husband decides that this whole Nazirite thing isn't working out after two weeks, he can't force his wife to quit without getting some major stink eye from God.
- Widows and divorced women? Good news! None of this applies to you. Since, they're not under the control of any man, these ladies can make pledges whenever they want. We just hope their tiny lady brains can handle it.