Tuesday, September 19: Nehemiah 10- Vows.

The people made vows to the Lord and sealed it with their names. All these [those whose names are recorded] now join their fellow Israelites the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the LORD our Lord.

“We promise…

There is a power and permanence to a signature. Just the other day a couple came into the office to have our administrator, who is a notary, notarize some contracts they had to sign. Mortgages, adoption papers, marriage certificates, gym memberships all require our signature. Our signature makes them legally binding, that is until we break them.

Putting your signature on a document, vow or contract does ramp up its significance.

In a court room, witnesses don't sign a paper but they do ‘solemnly swear to tell the truth,  the whole truth, so help me God’ and this is recorded by the court recorder. Again the point is to solemnize the importance of the proceeding and bind one to his or her testimony.

I give something extra thought before I sign it…

Vows are significant.

Israel vowed to follow the Lord. In reality this was a renewal of their circumcision vows and their priestly consecration for those who were priests.

These vows will not guarantee compliance but they do seal this moment of dedication and renewal.

I am wondering about vows I have made to the Lord and also about moments of dedication and rededication to the Lord. Those are powerful moments often sealed with a signature or a verbal statement to others.

Every time a new member stands before the church or a family comes forward for baptism we, the congregation, have an opportunity to renew our vows to the Lord as we make a vow to support those who stand before us.

Vows are important markers… and today I vow:

To be faithful to the Lord, to serve Him and Him alone as my Lord and Savior. To follow Jesus and to dedicate my life to His service. I vow to honor  God –Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit –with my living to the best of my ability. By God’s grace and through Jesus’ name I make this vow and prayer. Amen.