Promise?

I’ve been learning quite a bit about promises, and I just wanted to share some thoughts…

I landed in Jeremiah 34, and here we learn the background of how they used to make promises. God made a covenant with the people long ago, which basically they would let their slaves go free at the end of their seven years of service; and if the slave wanted (Out of free will) he could stay and become a permanent slave of to the master if the slave loved the master. The master would take the slave and the put a nail through the ear of the slave to the door, and thus the slave becomes a bond-servant.

In Jeremiah 34 we see the people at first obey God, verse 10, but then go back on their promise and literally the very next verse disobey God. They let their slaves go free, but then they found the slave and made the slave stay. God reminds the people of their covenant in verses 17-22. When there was a covenant that was made, the way it would be sealed was by doing the following:
They would take a calf (Or an animal) and they would cut the animal in two and separate the pieces (Yea I'm sure it was really bloody). Both parties making the promise walked through the center of the dead animal, which there was blood on the floor, and this was how they sealed the covenant.
Blood represents life, and in that context promises were taken very serious. When you walked through the two pieces of the animal you are saying in that very moment, "May my blood be poured out if I fail to honor my part of the promise". Basically, if this person does not go through with what they pledged, you have permission to take their life.
In Jeremiah 34 God's judgment was against everyone who entered into the covenant with God and failed to fulfill it. I can briefly describe it, but it would be awesome if you just take time and read it for yourself from God's word:

"Although recently you had turned and done what is right in My sight, each man proclaiming release to his neighbor, and you had made a covenant before Me in the house which is called by My name. Yet you turned and profaned My name, and each man took back his male servant and each man his female servant whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your male servants and female servants." Therefore thus says the LORD, 'You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming release each man to his brother and each man to his neighbor. Behold, I am proclaiming a release to you,' declares the LORD, 'to the sword, to the pestilence and to the famine; and I will make you a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 'I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not fulfilled the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts - the officials of Judah and the officials of Jerusalem, the court officers and the priests and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf - I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their life And their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth."
- Jeremiah 34:15-20


Have you every made a promise to someone and not kept it? How remorseful or repentant did you feel?

I know I have broken promises a few times; and in most cases I didn't feel terribly bad. I felt sorry, but nothing that was that big of a deal. But I found that, given some time, I did it again!

Has this happened to you?

I want you to just imagine what it would be like to make a promise in those times. Imagine walking through the halves of the animal... walking on the blood... and thinking to yourself, "If I break this promise, my life is on the line."

They had it right back then. cutting the calf in half, letting everyone see the blood, making everyone involved in this covenant walk through the halves, and seeing all this happen visually, makes you think twice about not following through with a promise. I think a lot of people back in that day took promises very seriously, and for those that didn't well, just look at God's judgment in Jeremiah 34.

There is a difference between the foolish and the wise. The wise man learns from other people's mistakes, and the foolish... Well, regardless of other people's mistakes, he wastes time, and makes those same mistakes again.


"Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil."
- Proverbs 3:7

Live like Jesus lived - Love like Jesus loved - Leave behind what Jesus left behind.

Bringing you up to speed.

Well, I know that I said I was going to start blogging... But, you know... A lot happened from then to now... And by a lot I mean a lot of the usual stuff that happens to everyday people in the course of life, and God changing the routine course so that He could get all the glory.

You know; stuff like getting married, working at the same place with your wife, getting laid off from your job (even though your wife was the one really wanting to get laid off), praying, getting closer to God, job hunting, God providing, packing to move into a house, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, scraping, cleaning, painting, painting, painting, cleaning, painting from 2-6am, landscaping, (Of course all throughout church, serving, and praying), moving, unpacking, cleaning, fixing things here and there, wife gives two week notice at her job, installing light fixtures, (Also throughout all this, eating bathing and proper hygiene of course), praying for God to provide a job for my wife...

Well, I think I pretty much brought you up to speed... There were some tears, laughs and crazy time throughout it all, but God is awesome! He never fails... I love Him.


Well, now with all that said, I will officially begin blogging... (Maybe not as often as you'd like) but when the time is right, I will share some thoughts here and there...

Live like Jesus lived - Love like Jesus loved - Leave behind what Jesus left behind.