LET YOUR YES BE YES

Dalton Harris

Central Truth

God has never broken a promise, but people are sinners. They fail with absolute regularity. Just as much as we can count on God to live up to His covenants with us, He can count on us to sin.

Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!" (Exodus 24:7)

The Covenant Confirmed

1 Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 Moses alone shall come near to the LORD, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”

3 Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the rules.^{1

24:3
Or all the just decrees} And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.” 4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. 6 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.

12 The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” 13 So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.”

15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the LORD dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. 18 Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Footnotes

[1] 24:3 Or all the just decrees

Before our family started attending Watermark, I had no real understanding of the Bible. Sure, I had been exposed to it a bit, but I had never read it cover-to-cover. Now I have finished it for a second time and am on my way through it again! It has been an eye-opening experience. Throughout time, God's chosen people have been disobedient and have suffered the consequences. But they would eventually call out to God, and He would deliver them from the various plights in which they found themselves. Many of us can relate to that pattern in our own lives. What a blessing it is that God is ever-faithful.

In this chapter God makes a specific covenant with His people, and they readily say that they will do everything the Lord has said. How bold is that? Think of how easily we might make a commitment in our lives and either not really mean it, or just fail to follow through. That is not a good way to live. Jesus taught His followers to simply let their "Yes" be "Yes," and their "No" be "No" because "anything beyond this comes from the evil one." (Matthew 5:37, NIV). When the man who discipled me emphasized Jesus' teaching on oaths and promises, I came to realize how often I didn't take as seriously as I should the commitments that I have made. Well, that required reflection on my part, and it was a good lesson.

Look at the Israelites -- they were clear examples of disobedience. They made a covenant with God, sealed it with blood, and yet, almost immediately, failed to honor it. Over the next thousand years or so, God continued to forgive and deliver His people, but finally sent His Son to create a new covenant. This time it was not sealed with the blood of animals, but with His Son's own blood. Isn't that amazing? God allowed His Son's blood to be shed for our sins as the "new covenant." I would encourage all of us to not take this lightly. Let's commit to live our lives in a way that honors God, and when we make that commitment, let our "Yes" be "Yes"!

1. In your reading of the Bible, can you come up with any promises or covenants that God has made and which He did not keep?

2. Did the Israelites, God's chosen people, live up to their promises?

3. How many times have you made a covenant or promise that you did not keep?

a. Do you "Let your yes be yes, and your no, no"? If not, why not?

b. If others make promises to you and do not keep them, how do you feel?

4. If you make a promise to God, how seriously should you take that promise?