“Speak to the Israelites. Tell them, ‘Suppose someone makes a special promise to set a person apart to serve the Lord. Here is how much it will cost to set that person free from the promise to serve.
Don’t be controlled by love for money. Be happy with what you have. God has said, “I will never leave you. I will never desert you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
But they didn’t attack those cities. That’s because the leaders of the community had given their word and made a peace treaty with them. They had given their word in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. The whole community told the leaders they weren’t happy with them.