For he remembered his holy promise given to his servant Abraham. – Psalm 105:42

Today's Scripture Reading (May 31, 2022):  Psalm 105

American novelist Chuck Palahniuk comments that "In a world where vows are worthless. Where making a pledge means nothing. Where promises are made to be broken, it would be nice to see words come back into power." I have often wondered if there ever really was a time when vows were things of worth, where pledges meant something, and where promises were made to be kept, or is it just a lie told to us by nostalgic tales.

If it once existed, it doesn't seem to exist any longer. Politicians routinely make promises to us that they have no intention of ever keeping just to get our votes. But then, I guess they have to make those lies. If they told us the truth, we would give our vote to other people willing to muster up a convincing lie. We have gotten used to the world that Palahniuk describes, and our reality is that we are getting precisely what we expect to receive.

And we have probably all failed at our promises at some point. I know that I have. The truth is that I have failed too many times, and my failings haunt me. When I am trying to relax, they often make their appearances in my mind. And maybe that is a good thing because it makes me want to make sure that I never fail again. And so, I return to my question. Is this the way it has always been, or has something changed? Have we devolved into a less trustworthy race of people? And if we have devolved, then is there any way we can change our downward slide as a people and return to the days when our words contained power and promises were designed to be kept.

If we are going to change, it will only be because we are following the example set by God. David recounts some of the histories of Israel and decides that, at every step, God remembered his promise to Abraham. And it was because of his commitment that he saved his people. The Apostle Paul describes the process this way.

The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise (Galatians 3:16-18).

The law served the promise. It was never the other way around. And when God gives a promise, he keeps it. And that is something on which we can depend.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 106