This passage opens with the importance of the spoken word. Specifically, this passage starts with vows. I find it's only fitting to wonder about vows when I am performing a wedding tomorrow.
I remember as a child that there were two tiers of truth-telling. There was talking to someone normally, and there was adding "I promise" at the end. In fact, I remembered a conversation with a friend where he said to me "You know I'm telling the truth because I said 'I promise.'" It was as though without those two little words, there was a license to lie.
The spoken word is very important to God, though, especially in a world where so many words are spoken. We have hundreds of TV stations firing words at us, selling products to us and promising all sorts of instant and glorious results. At some point or another, in this gluttony of words, we stopped expecting the truth. We expect to be lied to, and our world hungering for community (see yesterday's post) also hungers for truth-tellers.
I believe this chapter challenges us to choose our words carefully, to listen more than we speak, and to tell the truth. And, of course, to stand in awe of an awesome God.
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