“My covenant I will not break, nor alter the Word that has gone out of My lips. Once I have sworn by My holiness…” Psalm 89:34-35a
Promise Keeper
Cultivating Awe and Reverence for God, Day 23
Walk his Way revisited —First posted in January, 2017
In yesterday’s devotional, we were led into worship as we came to grips with God’s transcendent holiness contrasted with our own sinfulness. We faced the fact that His holiness is beyond our ability to comprehend. As A.W. Tozer stated, God’s holiness“stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable.”
We know this to be true, though we barely can grasp its significance. When I then consider today’s opening Scripture, where God states that His covenant—the very words that come from His own lips—are so completely true and faithful that He swears them by His holiness, I can do nothing but stand back and be in awe.
When we testify as a witness in a courtroom, first placing our hand on the Bible and swearing to tell the truth, it is but a shadow of what God is actually doing when He swears by His holiness. Our promise to tell the truth is always subject to our fragile memory, our capricious wishes for justice, our lack of complete understanding and knowledge of events, our opinions of what we think we saw, and perhaps even what we had for breakfast that affected us physically. When God swears that the words of His lips will never be altered and that He will not break His covenant, THAT is a sure word that can be trusted.
God cannot change—He is immutable. What He says cannot be altered. What He does remains forever. His Word is forever protected from rust and ruin. There is nothing anyone can say to make Him change His mind, because all His decisions are based on His perfect knowledge from the beginning. If He changed His mind, it would imply that He didn’t have all the information when He originally decided a thing, and now that He does understand, He can make a better choice. No: His choices, His will, His plan is perfect at the start, and whatever He says, whatever He decides, whatever He promises can be trusted to be perfect with no change ever needed.
The reason God can make promises that will never be broken is because He is omniscient, knowing all circumstances ahead of time, and understanding man’s own heart, mind, and will completely. Nothing will alter circumstances in a way God did not foresee, thus He never needs to change His mind. He will never have a better plan or different perspective. He can stand on His own holy utterance of promise.
In context, today’s opening Scripture was God’s promise that David would never lack a descendant on the throne (this prophecy was fulfilled in Christ, Who reigns forever). An interesting parallel passage shows up in Jeremiah 33:17. “For thus says the Lord: ‘David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel.’” God then tells the people the only way He would break His covenant: “Thus says the Lord, ‘If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season, then My covenant may also be broken with David…’” (Jeremiah 33:19-21a).
Can we break God’s covenant with the day and the night (read the covenant in Genesis 8:22)? Of course not. He was pointing out the ridiculousness of even thinking that He could or would break His promises. Can we then trust Him? If He says something will come to pass, will it come to pass? If He promises to never leave us, will He leave us? If He promises eternal life to all who call upon His name in truth, then can we trust our salvation? If He says we will find Him when we seek Him with all our heart, then can we expect to find Him? If He promises His Word will not return void, can we have confidence in telling others what the Bible says?
We could go on all day with these examples. God’s promises are sure. He has sworn on His holiness.
Faithful Father, forgive us for our oft-little faith. Daily, You load us with the benefits of Your promises, reminding us that You are for us. We reverence You. Amen.