30:6-8
A similar situation applies to a married woman. So if the husband is aware of the vow and says nothing, the woman is bound by the vow. He could also nullify a vow she made before she got married. It is interesting that it refers to her making a “rash promise”.
30:9-16
A widow or divorced woman was assumed to be responsible for herself, so any vow she made she was expected to keep.
We then come to wives again. The previous section seems to refer mostly to a bride bringing “vows” with her. Here we have a more settled situation. The situation is similar to a woman living with her father. The default position is that the vow stands, i.e. the husband has to forbid the vow. He must also do this quickly. If he decides at a later date to forbid the vow, then he is guilty of breaking the vow.
The final verse says: “These are the regulations the Lord gave Moses concerning relationships between a man and his wife, and between a father and his young daughter still living at home.” It is perhaps noteworthy that there is no mention of “vow” in this verse. Truthfulness and reliability of our word is to be a fundamental part of our relationships.
No comments:
Post a Comment