Promises – Promises. Promises made. Promises kept. Promises broken. My word is my bond. A deal done with a simple handshake. Wedding ceremony. Stand before a judge and raise your right hand. Pinky swear.
These are just a few examples of how man (and woman) give oath to or allegiance to other men and women. But, truly how good are we at upholding our oath, our word, our allegiance?? Be honest.
The truth is that all men have a sinful, political nature (i.e. the flesh) and a spiritual nature. Usually, if we are honest, we would confess that the flesh is in direct competition with the spirit. Another adage (credit to Sitting Bull): “Inside of me there are two dogs. One is mean and evil and the other is good and they fight each other all the time. When asked which one wins, I answer, the one I feed the most”.
My mother raised five children by herself. My father was an alcoholic and ran away when I was 10 years old. I was second in birth order and learned quickly to not trust others, especially selfishly motivated men. Abandonment has left a deep scar on my heart. Abandonment is just another way of saying, “failed promises”. This emptiness, this alone-ness is a direct result of one man’s sin. Like Adam, we all live in the shadow of one man’s sin. But take heart, there is hope.
The Creator God made a covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3. A promise. Then, in Deuteronomy 31:7-8, Moses summoned Joshua and said to him before all of Israel, “be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged”.
That is good news but the Creator God was not done with promises. While Moses gave us the Law and the covenant (promise) through circumcision; the Lord knew that men’s hearts remained sinful. David tells us in Psalm 51:5, “surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me”. So, He had another plan. The triune God sent His Son to take the sin of the world on his shoulders. As far as the east if from the west (the outstretched arms of Jesus) so far are your transgressions removed from you. Not another man or man-made god could achieve this promise.
Jesus tells us in John 14:15-18, “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father and he will give another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans: I will come to you.”
Jesus lives as an encouraging promise of hope. Jesus is the hope that does not disappoint. Jesus offers a free gift: a promise that all of mankind can choose to turn from sin and trust Him for an eternity. Thank you Jesus for your obedient sacrifice and the love demonstrated to all humankind that trust in you and your eternal promise.
I can think of the many times I failed to keep a promise. Sometimes circumstances, but just as much failed character. It would be easy to imagine God’s ability as no greater than ours, or those who disappointed us. But He has no character shortcoming reasons to compromise and no circumstances are unforeseen. “Be strong and courageous” is the challenge for all who say they trust Him.