The Point #153 - A Promise is a Promise

There is a famous Biblical phrase used in Numbers chapter 32. It’s something Moses says to a group of people. Do you know what it is? Let’s take a look at that phrase and see the context around - to get an insight into something that is very important to the Lord.

Transcript

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In reading through the Bible chronologically, I'm in the book of Numbers. And I was interested when I was listening to the Bible being read to me, how I like to listen to it. While I'm getting ready in the morning, I usually listen to the chapters of the day and then go back with what catches my attention and study that later in the day is my usual way of reading my Bible. And a very familiar part of a verse came out because I hear this verse many times in youth meetings, especially when speakers will speak to kids about things they need to stay away from. And the part of let me give backstory on this chapter in Numbers. The 12 tribes of Israel were supposed to go over and possess the land of Canaan, Moses as their leader. And two of the tribes saw that there was land on the other side of Jordan from the rest, not in Canaan, but on the other side of the Jordan River, that was really good for cattle. The um the tribes of Reuben and Gad. So they came to Moses and said, Listen, we know all of our men are supposed to go over and fight and conquer this land. But if we agreed to do that, would you allow us to come back over and settle in this part over here on this side of Jordan? Because it's really good for our cattle. And Moses said this to them from the Lord. He said, You can do that, but you better do what you told the Lord you would do. You better first get all your men to go over and fight with the rest of the children of Israel until the entire land is conquered, then you can come over and settle over here. But if you don't do what you told the Lord you were going to do, be sure your sin will find you out. Now we've all heard that phrase our whole life. Be sure your sin will find you out. And most times that I have heard it has been um, you know, warning against sin. If you look at pornography, if you watch the wrong things on YouTube, if you um are lazy, if you don't do what's right, if you have hidden sins, if you're um on your phone looking at bad things, if you're being unfaithful maybe to your spouse, these kinds of things. If you're doing a sinful thing in secret, be sure your sins are going to find you out. Now, of course, that is true. God sees everything and he is just and he punishes sin. And that is absolutely true, but that's not the context of what that verse is. That verse is Moses is telling the children of Israel if you tell God you are going to do something and you don't do it, be sure your sin will find you out. That is a different look at how serious it is to make a decision for the Lord, to come to him maybe at an altar and tell him, I am going to do this. I am going to not do this, I am going to do this. It is a decision that you make for the Lord and you tell him that you're making it. It is a vow at the altar of marriage that says, I will love this man or this woman in every situation of life until one of us dies. You are telling that to the Lord. And in that context of telling something to the Lord and vowing something to him or making a decision and telling him you will do something, Moses says, Be sure that if you don't do what you said you would do, your sin, he calls that a sin, it will find you out. You will be in big trouble with the Lord because God does not take lightly telling him you're going to do something and then not doing it. He's a God of his word. Everything, every Bible promise that he has made to us in scripture, he always, always, always, always, always keeps his word. And he made us in his image, and he does not look kindly on someone that tells him they're going to do something, promises something, vows something to him, and then does not do it. So I want to just have a reminder to myself and pass it along to you. What have you told the Lord you would do? Have you made decisions and told him I will do this or I won't do this? Have you vowed to the Lord what you would do in marriage? Then for no other reason than the fact that you told God you would do it, and I made a vow to God or a promise to God, that is something God is going to hold us to. Ladies, I am very transparent. I try to be so transparent, and my husband and I are very transparent in the good, the bad, and the ugly about our lives. We are very transparent when we talk to our kids or when we talk to other people. I'm a Sunday school teacher. Just yesterday, I was telling the girls in my class about times when I was in high school that I was not acting like a Christian girl and how God had to change my life, my sophomore year. But there have been times, I've been married 25 years. There have been times in my marriage, and my husband agrees the same, but there have been times for him that the reason I stayed married because I told God I would. Of course, that was a big part of my thought process at difficult times, but probably in 25 years, probably in 40 years, probably in 50 years, I can tell you in 25 years, because that's how long I've been married. There have been times when it was the promise to God that I made at the altar, was the reason. It wasn't a feeling of love. It wasn't, and my husband, same thing, he would say the same thing. There were dry seasons, low times, there were difficult times, there were times when you second guess your choices. I think if every Christian couple, every couple that's married, maybe not, maybe they would not say that, but I think most people would agree that in all that life throws at you, and when the feelings disappear for a while, you stay married because you vowed to God that you would, and God takes that very seriously. Now, this isn't a talk about marriage, I'm talking about anything. Did you make a promise to him in your life about anything? Well, Moses was warning the tribes of Gad and Reuben, don't tell God you're going to do something and go back on it. Your sin, and that is a sin, will find you out. Your life will be affected in a negative way if you don't keep a promise to God. If you say one thing and then you don't do it. So that is a reminder that the Holy Spirit gave me. Those words just jumped whoo right off the page as someone was reading them aloud to me this week. I thought, oh, I know that verse. That's the context of that verse. Don't say you're going to do something to God and not do it. Now that's a really great way to live with people, too. I hope my children know that if I say I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it. Even small things. If I say we're going to go out for ice cream Saturday, guess what? Even if it's cold and rainy or I'm tired, we're going out for ice cream Saturday. Kids want their parents to keep their word, to do what they said they're going to do. And we're not perfect and life gets in the way, but it's really important that our kids can trust our word. Can your students trust your word? If you're a teacher or a Sunday school teacher, can the people at your office place know that if you say something, they can count on your word? If you um tell someone you're going to do something, you're going to bring them by a meal, you're going to arrive somewhere for a meeting. Can they just count on the fact, oh yes, she'll be here because she said she would be here? And it's not, oh, sorry, I just couldn't come. Oh, sorry, I just had something come up. Keeping your word is so important. It is one of the foundational principles of the Christian life. We cannot look Christ-like in the least way if we're not keeping our word, because God always keeps his word. So I just wanted to give us all an encouragement and reminder today that God is still expecting us to keep our word to him. That those around us trust our Christianity more when we keep our word. Our neighbors, people that we've borrowed their stuff, everything. Everyone sees God in a better light because of us when we keep our word. It's very, very, very important. I hope you all have a really great week. Love God through loving others.