Day 69/365- Numbers 30:16

"DisaVOWed"

These are the regulations the Lord gave Moses concerning relationships between a man and his wife, and between a father and a young daughter who still lives at home. (Numbers 30:16 NLT)

Wedding vows are the most common use of vows we have today. Vows are meant to be legally binding promises of sorts. Vows are not made hastily or everyday. It takes a special occasion to warrant a vow.

Here in Numbers God gives some basic instructions on how vows are to be fulfilled in the context of the home. The emphasis here is not on making & keeping vows as much as how vows & the home interact.

When a woman makes a vow, the keeping or nullifying of that vow is based on if she is married or still living in her father's household. Her father or husband are giving the prerogative to nullify the vow or allow her to keep it. The man of the house determines this practice.

Does this sound chauvinistic to you? Is this a man's world, man's culture? Is this an archaic way of men dominating the lives of women?

These are good questions for the Bible here. I don't think the Bible here is promoting the dominance of women by their husbands or fathers. Even though the culture here is highly patriarchal, there is a clear application for us highlighted here.

God has ordained the head of the household to be the man. Fathers & husbands are to lead their households in a way that is pleasing to God. This does not mean that husbands & fathers are to dominate their wives & daughters. But, it does mean that God ultimately holds men responsible for how they lead their household.

When Eve sinned against God in the garden, God did not come looking for her. God did not call her into account for her actions. God did not call for her first. God called for Adam. God asked Adam the reason for their sin & rebellion against him, not Eve. Again, the emphasis here is not that women can't make their own decisions. Surely they can. However, the Bible is clear in Genesis & further highlights here in Numbers that God has ordained fathers & husbands to be the spiritual leader of the household. This does not mean the servitude or abuse of women. It does not hinder the lack of ingenuity & working of women (see Proverbs 31). It does however say that men will be held accountable to God not just for themselves but for their home.

All that said, men, how are you leading your home? How are you loving & leading your wife? Do we love our wives like Christ loved the church & gave himself for her? Are we leading our daughters in a way that is godly? Do they know & love Jesus because of us? Do they know how to live godly lives & make godly decisions because of our godly leadership? Are our kids more concerned about loving Jesus than any other pursuit in their lives?

This may seem like an overwhelming interrogation but this text shows us that we would do well to consider the implications of this passage. We will give account to God about how we lead our households. If we stood before him today, what would be the result? It's never too late to change. Let's be the men of God that God is calling is to be.