Please help to make sense of the following scriptures -- how they relate to one another and should be applied. Numbers 30:10-12: "Suppose a woman is married and living in her husband's home when she makes a vow or pledge. If her husband hears of it and does nothing to stop her, her vow or pledge will stand. But if her husband refuses to accept it on the day he hears of it, her vow or pledge will be nullified, and the Lord will forgive her" (Matthew 5:33): "Again, you have heard that the law of Moses says, 'Do not break your vow; you must carry out the vows you have made to the Lord." What if the wife has decided and committed to do something (not sinful). She should have spoken to her husband but didn't, thinking that it wouldn't be an issue since it's a spiritual activity. She tells the husband later and he says no for whatever the reason. We'll assume it's a good reason but unknown to the wife at that time. Since she has made the commitment she stands on Matthew 5:33, and she must keep her word. Yet in the OT God appears to have given authority to the husband to nullify her vows after she has made them and she is promised forgiveness. -- Rachel Tingle-Sales
Something has changed between the testaments. Oaths were not uncommon in the O.T. Jesus Christ, as the old covenant was fading and the new covenant was about to be initiated, discourages oaths altogether. Or, more to the heart of the matter, he suggests that we are to be such men and women of our word that no oaths should be necessary. (I am aware that there are differing interpretations of what exactly our Lord meant, and we will not explore them at this time.)
In O.T. society, a Jewish husband could, if he acted quickly, "override" his wife's or unmarried daughter's promise. The legislation regarding oaths in Numbers does not apply today. Like much of the O.T. law, it has been fulfilled in Christ. There is much to learn from it, but we are no longer bound by the rules of the Torah. (And I doubt that you have been sacrificing any pigeons or goats recently -- right?)
The difficulty you are considering merely points up an important truth: that God is doing -- and saying -- something new in Jesus Christ. My advice: be careful. Do not indiscriminately blend the covenants. This is highly problematic. (For more on the nature of the two testaments, please see the Foundations for Faith: Old Testament Survey, available at this website).
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