PROMISE KEEPERS OR PROMISE BREAKERS It is amazing how easy we do not keep our word. Our word seems not to be our honour. We borrow money, books, etc, with the understanding that it will be returned by a specific date. We frequently make verbal (sometimes written) commitments of support and do not deliver without the decency of communicating honestly with the lender. It speaks of immaturity and selfishness. It does not matter that the resources borrowed belong to somebody else (and his/her family). As long as the borrower’s need is met, the level of inconvenience that it may cause the person who temporarily shared from a position of grace does not matter. Many relationships are ruined because of broken promises, oaths or vows. Sadly our word is no longer true to the level of our integrity. Our ‘yes’ is not yes and our ‘no’ is not no. We make cheap promises glibly not realising that our actions subsequent to the commitment made is a direct reflection of our integrity. A PROMISE is to declare the intention of our heart or mind and can be legally broken however by doing so it reveals the level of honour that we have. An ex-fisherman once said “Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.” (James 5:1)What we say will bring life or death over us. However, sometimes the beneficiaries of the promises want some form of indication that we will not renege on our promises and on such occasions we swear - make an oath or a vow. Scripture teaches us that when we give an assurance through an oath it stops strife. (For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife” Heb 6:16.) It means that people will stop to hassle you and try to get all sorts of guarantees when an oath is made. (By the way an OATH is made between two persons (humans), with God as a witness and a VOW is made between a human and God). The ancients understood what it meant to make an oath and not keep it; the damage that it will bring to one’s integrity. Herod Antipas, with grave consequences, made a vow and an eccentric preacher paid the price. Herod was the king, a man of great stature and authority. He marriage to his brother’s wife was a taboo in Israel. It seems that the religious leaders of the day did not speak out because of the treacherous relationship between the temple and the palace. John the Baptist, a very strange fellow, however “kept telling Herod ‘It is illegal to marry your brother’s wife. ’ The wife did not like this and wanted John killed. But “…Herod respected John; and knowing that he was a good and holy man, he protected him. Herod was greatly disturbed whenever he talked with John, but even so, he liked to listen to him.” In a moment of vanity, Herod promised with an oath to give her anything she wanted. Upon her mother’s urging she asked for John’s head. The king was sorry that he had made the oath but knew in the political fragile Palestine that all the guests (palace aides, army officers and leading citizens of Galilee) would question his word if he reneged. If you don’t know what happened to John read Mark 6:14-29. Long before this Abram’s received a promise from God (a vow) that he will be blessed with many descendants and the peoples of the earth will be blessed through him (Gen.12:2-3). In Genesis 15, God again made the same promise to Abram. Abram, the typical human being that he was, believed but needed an assurance that God would be true to his promise. This was after he was declared as righteous because of his faith! He asked God, “O Sovereign Lord, how can I be sure that you will give it to me?” God then proceeded with cutting covenant with Abram because in ancient culture a blood covenant was the highest form of making a vow. Not only that but God tells him in Genesis 17 that the covenant will be the guarantee that God will be true to his word. The promises of the new covenant that God made with humanity at Calvary will be realised because of the blood covenant! The most covenants today are when two person vow to be there for one another ‘until death do us part ’and when Heads of States make an oath to serve their nations with humility and justice and conclude with, ‘So help me God.’ May we be quick to help and slow in making oaths and vows because, “Better is it that you should not vow, than that you should vow and not pay” (Ecc 5:5).
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 12:36:59 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015