When a person, asking for help from God, GIVES Him some kind of VOW - that is, a firm PROMISE to do something good, then the Lord, taking the person at his word, FULFILLS this prayer - HELPS the person.

Table of contents

• I. Biblical Examples of Vows Made to God
• II. Types of Vows
• III. Orders of the Old Testament Law on Vows
• IV. Vows to God and today

The explanatory dictionary gives the following definition of the word “vow”: A vow is a promise, a voluntary commitment to do something.

A vow to God is a promise made to God to do something for Him in return for His mercy, favor and blessings.

The first mention of a vow is in the book of Genesis. This is Jacob's vow to God at Bethel: “And Jacob made a vow, saying, If God will be with me and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, then I will return home in peace. my father, and the Lord will be my God, then this stone, which I have set up as a monument, will be the house of God; and of all that You, O God, give me, I will give You a tenth” (Gen. 28:20-22).

I. Biblical Examples of Vows Made to God

• Jephthah’s vow: “And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and said, If thou wilt deliver the Ammonites into my hand, when I return in peace from the Ammonites, whatever comes out of the gate of my house to meet me shall be unto the Lord, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering” (Judg. 11:30–31).
• Hannah's vow: “And Hannah arose after they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh. Elijah the priest was then sitting on a seat at the entrance to the temple of the Lord. And she was in sorrow of soul, and prayed to the Lord, and wept bitterly, and made a vow, saying: Lord of hosts! If You will consider the affliction of Your handmaid and remember me, and will not forget Your handmaid, and will give Your handmaid a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor will touch his head” (1 Samuel 1:9– eleven).
• Absalom’s vow: “After forty years of David’s reign, Absalom said to the king: I will go and fulfill my vow that I made to the Lord in Hebron; for I, your servant, while living in Geshur in Syria, made a vow: if the Lord brings me back to Jerusalem, then I will sacrifice to the Lord. And the king said to him: Go in peace. And he arose and went to Hebron” (2 Samuel 15:7-8).
• The vow of the pagans: “And these people feared the Lord with great fear, and offered sacrifice to the Lord, and made vows” (John 1:16).
• The vow of the Apostle Paul: “Paul, having stayed quite a few days, took leave of the brethren and sailed to Syria, and with him Aquila and Priscilla, having shaved his head at Cenchrea, according to a vow” (Acts 18:1.

Stack of sulfuric acid

The vow is made not only by people who drink (more on this below), but it is for them that its help is so important, for them it is sometimes vital.
“I look at those who simply decided not to drink,” says Tatyana, who took a vow of sobriety for life ten years ago, “it’s like they’re carrying some kind of burden, but we, on the contrary, have thrown it off.” Dmitry (9 years of vow) expresses himself differently: “harsh chains of grace.” Oleg (12 years old) compares himself to “a ship that does not call at foreign ports”: the wine departments in stores simply ceased to exist for him, as if they did not exist. How does this happen? How does a vow work? Father Igor Bachinin gives his own analogy: “I will not drink sulfuric acid - under no circumstances, there is nothing to even think about. It is the same with a person who has taken a vow of sobriety. Even if thoughts about alcohol arise, he does not talk to them, the grace of God covers him. But without a vow they prevail; a person remains in doubt and in struggle all the time.”

Is it possible to give up drinking without a vow? Of course. In almost every parish you can find living examples of this. The vow is not a goal, but simply a help.

II. Types of Vows

1. Vow of promise (“ neder” - promise or something promised)

Includes promises to do or give to God in gratitude for His response or blessings from Him: the vows of Jacob, Jephthah, Hannah, and Absalom.

2. Vow of abstinence (“' esar Such a vow included a promise to abstain from something, such as marriage; also the vow is the vow of the Nazirite:

• Vow from marriage or marriage: “...If a woman makes a vow to the Lord and makes a vow on herself in her father’s house, in her youth...” (Num. 30:4).
• Nazarite vow. This vow included abstinence from alcoholic beverages, abstinence from cutting hair and from touching the remains of the deceased. See (Num. 6:1–21).

Samson (Judges 13:3–7) and Samuel (1 Samuel 1:11) were Nazirites. John the Baptist is also considered a Nazirite: “The angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John; and you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord; He will not drink wine or strong drink, and will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:13-15).

Preparing to Take a Vow of Sobriety

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A person who has decided to get rid of the sin of drunkenness needs to go to the priest of the nearest church and find out about all the rules.

Father will give advice on how to prepare for the sacrament, what needs to be done and completed.

Advice! Before accepting it for a long time, you should regularly visit the temple, pray, confess, take communion and observe all fasts.

You should not think that a person must bear all the burdens of fulfilling the vow of sobriety solely himself. It is strongly recommended that you urgently contact a narcological clinic or your treating psychiatrist if the patient has already been registered. The doctor will prescribe a treatment regimen, conduct treatment and recommend the best coding methods for alcoholism.

Turning to medical and psychological institutions is not at all a refusal or doubt of God’s help. These actions will lead precisely to the path on which the Lord directs a person to get rid of an addiction. Therefore, you must strictly follow all the advice of a specialist. If they are violated, the patient not only ruins his own health, but also commits a grave sin, violating the vow of sobriety.

It can also be taken by moderate drinkers. A vow of sobriety is usually taken at the onset of religious holidays or when there is a fear that a fatal habit is capable of completely consuming the sinner.

In this case, it is very important to stop in time, and then the church vow provides the believer with great support. Anyone who has simply given up alcohol is constantly tempted. Anyone who has taken the vow will be able to overcome alcohol addiction faster and easier. Even the suffering associated with the period of voluntary renunciation will be easier to endure with God's help.

Subsequently, a person, based on the promise he made to the Lord, will finally cease to be interested in dubious gatherings or friendly companies that push him onto the path of sin.

III. Orders of the Old Testament Law on Vows

1. Obligatory fulfillment of a vow

Making vows to God in Old Testament times was not a person’s obligation towards the Lord: “... if you have not made a vow, there will be no sin on you” (Deut. 23:22).

However, fulfilling the vows given to God was considered sacred and an immutable duty: “If you make a vow to the Lord your God, fulfill it immediately, for the Lord your God will exact it from you, and sin will be upon you; if you have not made a vow, then there will be no sin on you. Whatever comes out of your mouth you shall observe and do, just as you promised the Lord your God the freewill offering which you spoke with your mouth” (Deut. 23:21-23).

“When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said: Oh, my daughter! you struck me down; and you are among the disturbers of my peace! I have opened my mouth for you before the Lord and cannot deny” (Judges 11:35); “When you make a vow to God, do not hesitate to fulfill it, because He does not take pleasure in fools: what you have promised, fulfill it. It is better for you not to promise, than to promise and not keep” (Eccl. 5:3-4).

The vow had the power of an oath and therefore had to be fulfilled. The Lord forbids making rash oaths or vows: “It is a snare for a man to make a vow hastily, and after the vow to consider it” (Prov. 20:25).

2. In what case could a vow be annulled?

A vow could only be annulled in two cases: A father could veto his daughter's vow, and a husband could veto his wife's vow. If the husband did not cancel his wife's vow, but later caused her to break her vow, then the sin for breaking the vow fell on him, not on her (Num. 30:4-16).

3. What might have been promised to God during the vow?

A person could make people (including himself), animals, land, and other property part of his vow. Nothing holy (that according to the Law was considered holy or sacred) had the right to be declared part of the vow: nothing firstborn, tithes, and so on: “Only the firstborn of cattle, which by primacy belong to the Lord, should no one dedicate: whether it be ox or flock , “They are the Lord’s... And every tithe of the earth, of the seed of the earth and of the fruit of the tree, belongs to the Lord: it is holy to the Lord” (Lev. 27:26,30).

The Lord declared which sacrifice, offered according to a vow, He would favor and which He would not: “And if anyone brings a peace offering to the Lord, fulfilling a vow, either out of zeal, from cattle or from flock, then the sacrifice must be without blemish In order to be pleasing to God: there should be no blemish on her; an animal that is blind, or damaged, or deformed, or sick, or scabbed, or scabby, you shall not offer such to the Lord, and do not offer them as a sacrifice on the altar of the Lord; You can offer a calf and a lamb with members disproportionately long or short as a sacrifice of zeal; and if by vow, then it will not please God; an animal whose yatra is crushed, broken, torn off or cut out, do not offer it to the Lord and do not do this in your land; and from the hands of foreigners you shall not offer any such animals as a gift to your God, because they have a blemish, a blemish on them; they will not gain you favor” (Lev. 22:21-25).

4. What could be redeemed?

The Old Testament describes the law for the ransom of what was dedicated to the Lord by vow: Lev.27:1-25. Much of what was dedicated could be redeemed for a certain fee set by the priest (with the exception of a clean animal).

• In the case of land or houses, the ransom amount was the full price of the victim plus ⅕ of the price of the victim. The price of real estate was also determined based on how many years remained until the Year of Jubilee (Lev. 27:15–18).
• An animal that did not meet the standards of sacrifice could be redeemed for its price plus ⅕ of the price: “If there is any unclean animal that is not sacrificed to the Lord, then the animal must be presented to the priest, and the priest will evaluate it whether it is good , or worse, and as the priest evaluates, so it should be; If anyone wants to redeem it, then let him add a fifth share to your assessment” (Lev. 27:11-13).

About our baptismal vows

“You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord: walk as children of light...” (Eph. 5:8), the Apostle Paul tells us today. Saint Theophan the Recluse, interpreting this passage, writes that the expressions “light in the Lord” and “children of light” refer to baptized and anointed people.

Let us remember, brothers and sisters, that in ancient times Epiphany was called the “Feast of Lights”, as well as “Enlightenment”. The baptized becomes the bearer of the gospel light. After the Sacrament, the person was usually dressed in white clothes, symbolizing moral purity and holiness. The symbolism of light has always been characteristic of the Sacrament of Enlightenment.

Paul reminds the Ephesians of their Baptism so that they can live holy lives according to the vows given in the Sacrament. “You are baptized people, don’t commit sin!” - the apostle seems to be addressing Christians. Similarly, our people can sometimes say in their hearts to an unruly reveler: “Are you an infidel, or what? You don't have a cross! Fear God, because you are a Christian!”

The Apostle calls us all to live according to the vows of Baptism. Do we know them? Most of us were baptized as children, when our godparents pronounced the vows for us. And it turns out that not every Christian today remembers what he promised (personally or through his godparents) to the Lord that day. But how can you do something you don’t know about? Let us, brothers and sisters, remember our baptismal vows.

In the rite of the Sacrament, the priest asks the person being baptized: “Do you renounce Satan, and all his works, and all his angels, and all his service, and all his pride?” He answers: “I renounce.” This is the first vow.

Of course, this promise includes many aspects of faith and life. To renounce “Satan and all his works” means to declare my disobedience to the devil - that from now on I have nothing in common with him. Of course, this includes renouncing a sinful life. But don't we sin as Christians? We sin, but out of weakness, without wanting it. As the Apostle Paul wrote: “What I hate, that I do” (Rom. 7:15). It is a completely different matter to sin with pleasure, with a firm awareness of what you are doing. We renounce such sin once and for all. In essence, in the first promise we declare war on sin and its source - the devil.

"And all his angels, and all his service." Serving Satan and having a connection with his angels means communicating with them in witchcraft, magic, spiritualistic seances, when going to healers and grandmothers, in occult practices, in a passion for astrology and horoscopes. Also, a person secretly remains a servant of the devil if he fears him more than God and speaks more about him than about God. Kuraev once said that to the question “Are we going to talk about Christ or about the Antichrist?” many audiences answer: “About the Antichrist!” Indeed, some Christians’ minds are more occupied with the Antichrist and all sorts of chips and cards than with Christ. This is already a kind of mental service to fallen spirits - when you constantly think about them and are afraid of them.

What our attitude should be towards the devil and his servants is further shown by the subsequent Baptism. “Blow and spit on it,” says the priest to the person being baptized. He symbolically blows and spits on the devil, thereby expressing extreme contempt for him. Satan will not forgive us for this spit, but we should not be afraid of him. “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4), says John the Theologian. Christ, whom we worshiped, destroyed the power of “him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14), writes the Apostle Paul. Satan is defeated and bound by Christ, and is capable of harming us exactly as much as we ourselves believe in him and fear him instead of God; how much we give him a place in ourselves through our sins and disobedience to Christ. If we place all our trust in the Lord and try to the best of our ability to fulfill His holy commandments, demons and their leader cannot threaten us in any way.

"And all his pride." Pride, vanity, arrogance, narcissism, selfishness - these are the qualities that turned the luminous Angel into a fallen spirit. By renouncing “all his pride,” we renounce the proud spirit of life, demonic exaltation over people, and consider humility to be the main quality of spiritual life.

“Are you compatible with Christ?” – the priest asks further. “I match!” - answers the person being baptized. This is the second vow of Baptism.

When people marry, we also say that they are "joined in marriage." “Combination” is the union of lovers. “Being united with Christ” means loving Him, serving Him, remaining in the Church - the Body of Christ; to have “the same mind which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5), to acquire “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). “Whoever says that he abides in Him must do as He did” (1 John 2:6), writes John the Theologian. To be joined to Christ means to become god by grace.

Then the priest asks: “And do you believe Him?” Those who come to Baptism answer: “I believe in Him as King and God!” This is our third promise.

What does it mean to believe in Christ as King and God? Believe in Him as God and Savior, as well as in God’s Revelation given to us in Christ, put His Will as the Law of your life, consider Christ your Master.

According to the Catechism, faith can be understood as three things: psychological confidence in the truth of certain provisions, the ontological connection between man and God, and a way of life. All this fits into one word: “I believe!” We believe in the existence of God, Christ as the Son of God, we believe that through faith we have a connection with Him, and we try to live according to faith, that is, according to the commandments of God.

Next, the person being baptized reads the Creed, which is a sign of his conscious faith and his public profession of Christianity. If a baby is baptized, the Creed is recited by the godparents for him.

These are our baptismal promises. What do these vows mean? These are the conditions for our entry into a Covenant with God. A covenant always involves obligations between two parties. Christ establishes the New Covenant through the shedding of His Blood for us and promises us the Kingdom of God. We, for our part, enter into the Covenant through the Sacrament of Baptism, making certain vows - those that we have discussed today.

May God grant us to fulfill our baptismal promises and be New Testament Christians in everything - in faith, thoughts, deeds, words. Then the Lord will fulfill His promises - He will grant the Kingdom of Heaven, prepared for us from the creation of the world (see Matt. 25:34).

IV. Vows to God and today

The law did not require people to make vows to God. However, the Holy Scripture calls us to turn to the Lord in prayer for help and make vows to Him, and after answering the prayer, to render to the Lord what was promised by vow: “Make and pay vows to the Lord your God; let all who are around Him bring gifts to the Terrible One” (Ps. 75:12).

Question: Why does the psalmist call for making vows to God?

Answer:

• Because the Lord wants us to test our faith and the power of prayer and through this grow spiritually: “You will pray to Him, and He will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows” (Job 22:27);
• So that we experience the faithfulness of the Lord and glorify Him for answered prayers and benefits shown to us: “Sacrifice praise to God and render your vows to the Most High, and call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me” (Ps. 49:14-15);
• So that we can testify to those around us about a God who answers our prayers: “I will enter Your house with burnt offerings, I will pay You my vows that my mouth uttered and my tongue spoke in my tribulation. I will offer you fat burnt offerings with the incense of the fat of rams, I will sacrifice oxen and goats. Come, listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He has done for my soul” (Ps. 65:13-16).

An example of a vow that people make to the Lord God these days is baptismal vows. By being baptized, a person makes a vow to the Lord to live and serve God in a good conscience. This is how it is said about this in 1 Peter 3:21 “So now baptism, like this image, does not wash away the uncleanness of the flesh, but the promise to God of a good conscience, saves us through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Adoption process

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Don't take on too much weight right away. It's better to try to act in stages.

1. First, you should avoid drinking alcohol for a short period of time.
2. Then you need to fully understand your life without the influence of an addiction.
3. It is necessary to thank the Lord in prayers for his support.
4. Then you need to make a new, stricter and longer commitment.

Note! Theoretically, a vow of sobriety can be taken at home, but then a person will need all the willpower to fulfill it. In addition, a promise made without undergoing repentance and confession will not be sealed by a church sacrament.

It should be remembered that the vow of agility differs sharply from an ordinary oath. A person pronounces her words, taking the right to decide independently and only calling God as a witness.

A vow is a humble request to the Lord for help. In this case, the believer admits that there is little he can do on his own. Therefore, he asks for strength to fulfill his plans.

To comply with all the requirements of the Church, it is necessary to take a vow of sobriety after a specially ordered prayer service. They accept it in front of the Cross and the Gospel, an icon or in front of holy relics. It is imperative to pronounce it publicly in front of the priest and parishioners.

Then, at the end of the prayer service, a letter of vow and an icon are given, in front of which a vow of sobriety was taken. They need to be placed in a conspicuous place at home. A person who has made a vow, along with the letter, also keeps a prayer promise, which he reads with morning and evening prayers. In this way, he reminds himself that he has given his word to God.

What about the holiday?

But still, returning to the beginning, why does it become so noisy when you say two words “vow of sobriety”?
Without fail, someone, the most modest one, with a floor-length skirt, will gasp: “How?!” At all? Even champagne for New Year? And someone with a full beard will be horrified: “And the bishop’s receptions?” How is he really doing at those meals now? Sobriety has not just ceased to be considered a virtue. Even in the most well-behaved society it is stylistically discredited. The words “Sobriety is the norm of life”, which have become a meme, do not cause anything but a grin and cheekbones. V. Doronkin says: “When it comes to a vow, people are subconsciously afraid: the holiday will be taken away from them, regulations will be introduced - and it will be taken away! In my opinion, these are echoes of Gorbachev’s “prohibition law,” when a good idea was brought down from above. But the people were not prepared, they were not explained why this was necessary, how they could be happy without alcohol. They didn’t say: you’re becoming an alcoholic, you’re dying, you’re deteriorating.”

Perhaps the reason for the mixed reaction to the words “sobriety vow” lies in the lack of information about it?

Fears and deadlines

Often people do not take a vow of sobriety because they are afraid of breaking it, fear of punishment.
According to most priests who practice taking vows of sobriety, fear cannot hold a person back. Those who are afraid usually already have a scenario prepared for their future retreat: an aunt’s wake, a son’s wedding, a plane flight, a visit to their native village, a corporate party at a new place of work... Father Igor calls these excuses and is convinced that there is only one reason: lack of determination. “But if a person is afraid of the consequences,” he advises, “it is better not to make a vow. Or give it first for a very short period of time in order to gain experience of sobriety and confidence that the Lord is helping you, and then extend it.” The minimum period of a vow of sobriety is Lent, although more often the vow is taken for a year at once. Then they usually extend it. Some people decide to give up alcohol for the rest of their lives. But more common is the “stepped” practice. You can test your strength; taste absolute sobriety - is it as insipid as it seems; try on the feathers of a “white crow”; to understand whether sober fun, as is commonly thought, is always strained or whether you can rejoice without alcohol.