Leviticus 27:2-3
“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, when a man makes a difficult vow, he shall be valued according to your valuation of persons belonging to the Lord. If your valuation is of the male from twenty years even to sixty years old, then your valuation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary.”
Here the Lord describes how anyone, who vowed to devote himself/herself to His service, but was unable to keep his vow (due to a change of heart, a physical disqualification, or because he was not needed) was to pay a price of redemption. The price was not based upon the value he/she held in God’s eyes, but upon how much work he was able to do.
Today, making a vow to God is still serious and should be followed through with, even if it was done in hast, in a panic or as a cry for help. We should never just leave it unredeemed, even if we are unable, or unwilling at the moment to follow through with it. Jon Courson writes, "One can still redeem the situation by supporting those who are called, those who are able and truly willing to serve."
The Truth
“When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed, better not to vow than to vow and not pay.” (Ecclesiastes 5:3-4)
