In the book of Matthew, Chapter 14, we encounter the tragic narrative of John the Baptist, whom Christ called “more than a prophet,” and how he lost his life. John was brutally murdered; King Herod ordered his head to be cut off to uphold an oath he had made to his daughter.
This scripture presents a crucial lesson for believers—not from the martyr, but from the man who orchestrated John’s beheading: King Herod. The account clearly shows that Herod was neither happy nor eager to have John killed. However, he felt obligated to follow through on his oath, made in front of many, to avoid being seen as a king who makes promises but fails to keep them. This act reveals an important detail about King Herod: he was a man of his word, always bound by his own vows and commitments.
Often, we observe that individuals who make vows to Satan and take oaths in darkness strive to uphold those commitments, even to their own harm. This raises an important question for believers today: What about our vows—the promises we made before God, the commitments we made when we began following Christ, and the pledges we took when we agreed to work in His vineyard? Where are those vows? What have we done with them?
Today, many believers who made vows to love Christ to the end, to follow where He leads, to be a true soldier, to die at their post, to go wherever He leads, to go wherever he sends, and to do whatever he says have all abandoned their words of oath and vows. What about marriage oaths believers make before God, the Church, and many? Many have thrown those altar vows out of the window? When forming churches or denominations, we make vows to follow Christ and to be led by His Spirit. But after a while, we begin to follow the board, agree with influential people in the church, bow to General overseers and church leaders, and the society begins to reform our views. As for the Spirit of God, He has to adopt and adapt to the choices of church leaders.
Many ministers who initially made vows to follow only the will of God have strayed, now pursuing their own agendas and desires. The God to whom they pledged their commitment has been pushed aside, and alarmingly, many are actively working against Him and His plans for the Church. They have clearly forgotten the early days filled with tears and solemn promises never to turn back. Preachers who boldly declared they would never compromise have succumbed to the temptations of money, power, and influence. Church politicians have successfully bought over pastors who once vowed to serve no one but Christ.
Christian hymn– ‘In the cross‘ and others which we sing as a way of vowing our faithfulness and submissiveness have become empty rhetoric for many. Many Saints who sang them have become enemies of the old rugged cross. Those who sing ‘Until I reach my home‘ have recklessly discarded the true compass of Home and aligned themselves with those destined for eternal damnation. These have willingly embraced darkness by participating in occult practices within the church. What can we say about clergymen who claim to sing ‘Thy will be done’ while actively working against God’s will, transforming themselves into church politicians?
We have neglected our vows; we have broken our promises. Today, there seems to be little faithfulness in the church of God. But in times like this, God would that Herod’s unwavering commitment to his own words would be a lesson to every believer. And that all His people would remember, and turn back to the vows they made before Him and begin to keep them.
