Numbers 30:2: “If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.”

February 9th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

God places great importance on the words that come out of our mouths. Here in Numbers it says everything a person says is important: “all that proceeds out of his mouth.” The Apostle Paul picked up on this theme when he said:

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9­–10).

How do we believe on Jesus Christ? Paul says it is “with [our] hearts.” What do we do when we believe in our hearts? We are to “confess with [our] mouths.” We are to make a vow, which is what confessing with our mouths means. It is a verbal testimony, a statement of what we believe in our hearts to be true. The two are connected; the mouth must sing in harmony with what the heart believes. Confession has to do with agreeing with a subject. When we confess that Jesus is Lord, we are agreeing with what God says about Jesus, and with what Jesus says about Himself.

Here in Numbers 30 we find this to be true about all vows that are made. The heart, mind, and mouth must all be in agreement. And when they are all in agreement, God listens and so do other people. God is emphasizing the fact that what we say really does matter.

“LORD, we want to speak the truth this day in agreement with what our hearts know to be right. May our words be filled with Your power and Your authority so that others may come to know You though our lives.”