Psalm 15:4(b) He swears to his own hurt and does not change.”
Observation: This short Psalm begins by asking who the Lord could receive as a guest in his dwelling place. The remaining four versus answer the question: “Those who walk in integrity and speak truth…those who don’t slander nor do evil (v 3), and then comes this: “He who swears to his own hurt and does not change.”
Application: What does it mean to swear to his own hurt and not change? For fuller understanding, there’s a story in Judges 11 of a man, Jephthah, whose band of followers was about to be attacked by Ammonites. Jephthah tried unsuccessfully to negotiate with them but when they demanded war to settle old scores, Jephthah went to the Lord and vowed “If you will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand, then whatever comes out of the door of my house when I return, I will offer it up as a burnt offering.” (Judges 11:30-31) He won the war only to find upon returning home his beloved and only daughter coming out the door to greet him. It would seem the better part of wisdom, if he was convinced of the need to vow at all, might have been to promise to fry whatever came out of his barn.
This is not the place to debate the wisdom of vowing, nor will I divert to admire this daughter of Israel who submitted willingly to the consequences set up by her father. The simple fact is he kept his vow and the psalmist celebrates that character as qualifying one to abide in the Lord’s tent or to dwell on the Lord’s hill. Ecclesiastes 5:5 points out the necessity of keeping vows before the Lord: “It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.”
And I wonder…does the cup of my life overflow with such integrity as Jephthah’s vow-keeping? I can remember times when I was all too willing to utter a vow under my breath hoping for quick rescue from a tough situation…a frightening medical diagnosis, a promise to stick to my diet (tomorrow, always tomorrow), or a pledge to quietly meet the Lord early each morning. My life is littered with vows and to my shame I know that some were so lightly made as to have been broken within minutes or hours or days.
But Psalm 11 shows the benefit of keeping vows even as Ecclesiastes 5 issues a sober warning about not taking them lightly. I should keep all this in mind.
Prayer: Lord Jesus it is by your grace that I experience any rescue at all. Keep me from vows, all of which seem to be motivated by fear, flesh or both. You are able, Lord, to preserve me and to deliver me out of all my fears. Turn my eyes toward you in every hard place of life. You offer my only rescue. In Jesus’ name, Amen.