Promises are made daily by men, women, and children. More prevalent these days, promises are made and used as “bargaining chips” to get from others who have what we want and who want what we have—namely our money. We are scammed daily by those who proclaim products that promise the results we seek to make our lives more pleasing, beautiful, and comfortable.
Sometimes hasty promises are made during the administering of discipline by parents, teachers, and other authorities by immature adolescents caught in the act of misbehaving badly. They promise, “I’ll never do it again” as they beg for a lessening punishment for their behaviors. Adults who choose to commit crimes and are caught stand before a judge with the same words when found guilty. (Kinda like the Israelites to God! But wait, we do that, too.)
Promises are made by adults with addictions in twelve step programs as they cope with efforts to heal from their addictions that affect all those who love them as well as themselves. Keeping promises are not for the faint of heart!
Couples promise to love, cherish, submit to each other, leaving mom and dad to become one “until death do us part” until those promises are tested with real life after the ceremony. Their promises made are quickly forgotten in the heat of an argument, a suspected betrayal or disagreements arise over how each other were raised to do things. And the biggest test of all—how to manage their finances. Those who officiate weddings who want God’s best for couples; require premarital counseling that brings troublesome hotspots to the surface before the promises and vows of “I do and I will.”
The Jews separated from the peoples around them to recommit to the Lord and His Word. They saw their sins, wept, and repented over them after reading God’ Law given to Moses centuries earlier. With the guidance of Nehemiah, God’s redeemed people who came back to Him united with their brothers and sisters in promising to obey the law of God (10:29). They changed their minds and now know that separation from God while ignoring His Laws eventually lead to sin. A new agreement with God, based on the Laws given to Moses that they hold true and right, has been written, signed, sealed, and delivered back to God.
Nehemiah 10
Those who sealed it were:
Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hakaliah. Zedekiah, 2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malkijah,4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluk,5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 8 Maaziah, Bilgai and Shemaiah. These were the priests.
9 The Levites: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel,10 and their associates: Shebaniah,Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,11 Mika, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zakkur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,13 Hodiah, Bani and Beninu.
14 The leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,27 Malluk, Harim and Baanah.
28 “The rest of the people—priests, Levites, gatekeepers, musicians, temple servants and all who separated themselves from the neighboring peoples for the sake of the Law of God, together with their wives and all their sons and daughters who are able to understand— 29 all these now join their fellow Israelites the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the Lord our Lord.
30 “We promise not to give our daughters in marriage to the peoples around us or take their daughters for our sons.
31 “When the neighboring peoples bring merchandise or grain to sell on the Sabbath, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy day. Every seventh year we will forgo working the land and will cancel all debts.
32 “We assume the responsibility for carrying out the commands to give a third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God: 33 for the bread set out on the table; for the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings; for the offerings on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon feasts and at the appointed festivals; for the holy offerings; for sin offerings to make atonement for Israel; and for all the duties of the house of our God.
34 “We—the priests, the Levites and the people—have cast lots to determine when each of our families is to bring to the house of our God at set times each year a contribution of wood to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the Law.
35 “We also assume responsibility for bringing to the house of the Lord each year the firstfruits of our crops and of every fruit tree.
36 “As it is also written in the Law, we will bring the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, of our herds and of our flocks to the house of our God, to the priests ministering there.
37 “Moreover, we will bring to the storerooms of the house of our God, to the priests, the first of our ground meal, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees and of our new wine and olive oil. And we will bring a tithe of our crops to the Levites, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all the towns where we work. 38 A priest descended from Aaron is to accompany the Levites when they receive the tithes, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of the tithes up to the house of our God, to the storerooms of the treasury. 39 The people of Israel, including the Levites, are to bring their contributions of grain, new wine and olive oil to the storerooms, where the articles for the sanctuary and for the ministering priests, the gatekeepers and the musicians are also kept.
“We will not neglect the house of our God.”
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
Friends, we can write documents of promises and post the words in prominent places to help hold us accountable and still fail to keep promises professed. We need God’s power to help us for we soon learn that mankind’s promises soon become a part of humanity’s cycle of our sin nature. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” proclaims Paul. Why make promises we cannot keep when our best efforts fail? God answers with His Ultimate Promise. God knows us so well.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17
“In the beginning, God…” Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” He was with God in the beginning.” John 1:1-2 HE was Jesus!
GOD/JESUS/HOLY SPIRIT—The Three-in-One was, is, and always will be God!
God’s promise to send a Messiah “one who saves” Savior began in Genesis 3:15 as he foretold a descendant of the woman who would defeat the serpent (Satan). The Promise developed throughout the Old Testament prophecies. In detailed words centuries before Jesus, the prophets foretold of the Messiah’s virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14), in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), from the “line of David”, who would suffer, and resurrect from death to life and eventually reign as “The Lord our righteousness,” as “King of kings, and Lord of lords”! All details pointed to the Jesus Christ, Son of God, as the fulfillment of the Promise of God to save humanity from sin and death.
This was God’s Plan from the beginning. God’s Word proves God’s Word:
- Genesis 3:15 (The First Promise): God tells the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel”.
- Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:3): All peoples on earth will be blessed through the “seed” (descendant) of Abraham.
- Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7): God promises an everlasting kingdom through a descendant of David.
- Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7, 53): Foretells a virgin birth (Immanuel, “God with us”), a ruler from David’s line, and a suffering servant who would bear our sorrows and be cut off, but rise to prosperity.
- Micah (Micah 5:2): Specifies the Messiah’s birthplace as Bethlehem.
- Jeremiah (Jeremiah 23:5-6): Prophesies the “Righteous Branch” from David who will reign in justice and righteousness.
Fulfillment in Jesus Christ:
- Incarnation: Conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin.
- Title: Jesus means “Savior,” fulfilling the promise. “You shall call Him Jesus.”
- Mission: To save people from their sins through his sacrificial death (the bruised heel) and resurrection (crushing the serpent’s head).
The Promise of God, fulfilled in Jesus, His Son, provided hope throughout the Old Testament, demonstrating God’s consistent plan for redemption and the ultimate coming of Jesus, the promised Messiah. Upon the resurrection of Jesus who defeated death fulfills the promised Hope of eternal life for “whoever” believes! Therefore, all is not lost for those who confess, repent, taking responsibility for our sins, agree with God, and accept His healing process of sins’ affects on our lives. God kept and still keeps His promises to heal and forgive! Believe and be saved!
The world daily promotes (with products to help you) to be a better you. But, instead of promising God to be a better you; trust and obey God with a committed heart, mind and soul to know God so we can be more like Him—who Jesus, His Son taught us to be!
God knows we are a work in progress but He treats us as His masterpiece! “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 God does not expect perfection from us for only God is good and perfect in every way. But what He “seeks and searches for over all the earth” (2 Chronicles 16:9) is a committed heart who desires to humbly walk with Him. God renews our minds when we ask for His help as we seek Truth and His corrective discipline. God works continually on surrendered lives to mold and shape us to be more like Him. Our work is surrender to God. God’s work is to continue to lovingly compel us to His good, perfect, and pleasing will. (Romans 12) God is the Potter; We are the clay. Isaiah 64:8 and Jeremiah 18.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
We have a God, our God, who promised a Messiah to save us, once and for all, from our sins. His Promised was fulfilled in His Son, Jesus. We learn that it is the nature and character of God to keep every promise given to mankind! God cannot fail—it’s not in His character! God promised to forgive our sin, compassionately removing and lovingly forgetting our sins in the process—All because of Jesus, The Promise, sacrificed His life for ours. Because of Jesus we are justified from our sins—freely justified from sin—”just as if” we never sinned! We are the “whoevers who believe” and stand on the Promises of God!
God always and forever keeps His promises; God never fails. God is able and willing to fulfil His promises for our good and His glory!
Jesus, God’s Promised Plan of Redemption from sin, was signed “in the beginning,” sealed by His poured out blood on the cross, and delivered as Jesus rose victoriously from death and the grave!
Question to ponder as we respond to God;
Are we living as redeemed people of the Promise or woefully clinging to the shame and guilt of our sins we play back in our minds?
It depends on who we place all our Hope! Jesus is our Hope, not wishful thinking, but promised Hope of eternal life! AND He’s coming back soon!
Learn to promise less; surrender more. We must seek God first because of His love in us. Because of His love, we commit to God, through Jesus, calling on His Holy Spirit to help us. God is love. To know God is to know Love. (1 John 4:7-6) Believers today do not bind themselves with oaths as they seek to walk with the Lord and serve Him. Since Jesus, all who believe in Him are reconciled to God. God is not as interested in our promises but in our loving devotion to Him as children for a loving Father who wants His best for us. Our Father wants our obedience to be based on love not on oaths and promises. God knows us better than we know ourselves! In fact, The New Testament (Covenant) gives no examples of believers taking oaths of obedience to the Lord. Our obedience should be, instead a joyful response, grateful for all that He has done for us in Christ! The Law convict us of our sins; Jesus removes repented sins!
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:1-2
Lord,
Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, feed our souls, and restore the joy of your salvation consistently at work in us. To you be the glory, honor, and praise!
In Jesus Name, Amen
Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus) 