New Promise? Old Promise? Or Renewed Promise?

"The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin..."(Ex. 32:6-7)

New Promise?  Old Promise?  Or Renewed Promise?
By Rev. William Dohle

It's amazing how your childhood affects your adulthood!

As a child, I was promised many things.  Some of them were fulfilled.  Others not.  And I'm sure I promised my parents in return many things as well.  Some were fulfilled... others not.

So, as a parent I have tried VERY hard NOT to promise my kids anything.  My favorite word is "Maybe"...which they usually cheer about because they think it means "Yes"...but what it really means is "Probably yes, but I'm not going to promise anything."

Promises have a weight about them.  When a promise is kept, all is well.  Nothing changes between us because the relationship is secure.  In fact, promises kept are seldom remembered long.  But when a promise is broken...the weight of expectations lands on your head.  You start to question your relationship.  You wonder if you should believe them or not.  You take their word, as a suggestion and a maybe, rather than a certainty.

Scripture is full of promises.  Covanents they are called.  Promises made by BOTH parties for the good of their relationship.  These covenants are binding...as long as both parties remain faithful to their word.

In Exodus, a covenant is made, broken, and renewed all while the people are on Mt. Sinai.

It is made when God says: "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery..."(Ex. 20:2) and the people respond : "Everything the Lord has said we will do."(Ex. 24:3)

It is broken when the people turn away from God, saying, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt."(Ex. 32:4)  and God says "Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them." (Ex. 32:10).

And it is renewed when, after making new stone tablets, Moses proclaims, "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin..."(Ex. 32:6-7)  And God says, "I am making a covenant with you."(Ex. 32:10)

Promise made... promise broken... promise renewed!

This pattern is repeated again and again in all of Scripture.  Promise made...broken...and renewed.  Sometimes I wonder if God ever thought NOT to promise things to a people who can never keep their promises.  But God didn't.  Instead, God tries again and again to help us live up to our promises and live as God's people.

This pattern is even taken into the New Testament.  Only there we see the renewed promise in Jesus Christ.  Jesus isn't a new promise, eliminating the old.  Rather Jesus is the old promise renewed by God.  In the old promise, God says God will never leave us or forsake us.  In the old promise renewed, even death itself cannot separate us from God's love.

In this renewed promise, we see God's promising again to be the God of Sinai...only not just for Israel but for the entire world.  The God who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love is the God alive and at work in Jesus the Messiah.  God renews in Jesus the promise to be the God he was at Sinai...to everyone this time, not just to the Jews, in Jesus Christ.

We live in that renewed, expanded promise.  Our prayers depend on God's faithfulness to God's promise.  Without those promises, we are lost.  With those promises, we are able to approach God's throne of grace boldly and with confidence.  "Standing on the promises" is exactly what we do.  For without them, we have nothing to cling to.

So... be bold!  Stand on God's promises!  God has promised to be "compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin..."  take him up on that promise!  Ask forgiveness with bold confidence in God's grace.  Present your requests with certainty that God hears.  Be bold!  For God has promised to be good...and God doesn't go back on his promises.

As you renewed your promises to me in Jesus Christ, renew my own commitment to you, Lord, that I may mirror your love and faithfulness in my own life.  Amen.