In desperate times, when everything and everyone has left and there seems to be nothing left, many people reach a state of helplessness. This is often when they turn back to the Lord, calling on His name day and night. When life hangs by a thread and there is nowhere else to turn, many Christians swear oaths to abide by His laws for the rest of their lives—if only He will redeem them from their uncomfortable situation.
What Happens When God Answers?
What happens when God finally answers those prayers? Where does the hunger for Him go after He restores you? Where do the fear of the Lord and the commitment to uphold His laws disappear once the good days return?
Israel’s Warning
Israel fell into this trap, and it did not end well for them. They cried out to God to deliver them from slavery in Egypt, and He did—remarkably so. He then set a clear standard for the Israelites to follow: His law. Through Joshua they entered the Promised Land and conquered many kingdoms. Over time, however, old patterns resurfaced. They began intermixing with other tribes through intermarriage, something God had strongly forbidden. Before long they were worshiping foreign gods and gradually turning away from the ways of the Lord their God.
The consequences followed quickly. They failed to fully conquer the land God had given them fully. Their territory shrank, and as they drifted further from keeping the law, their kings lost more and more influence. Eventually King Nebuchadnezzar conquered them, committed great abominations, and sent Israel back into captivity, driving them out of their own country.
If I were to call you Israel, you already know how that story ends—at least from that perspective. Our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If He allowed His own beloved people, Israel, to return to captivity in Babylon because they broke the promises they made in their desperation, what makes you think He cannot do the same for you if you abandon the oaths you swore when you were desperate?
You Can Choose Differently
You are better than that. You do not have to learn the hard way, as Israel did. It is far wiser to learn by mere observation than through painful personal experience. Read the last line again.
That is why I urge you, as a child of God, to keep His law in the way you live—even after you have fulfilled the oaths you made to Him. You may assume He does not care whether you keep your word, but He does. If He repeatedly reminded Israel through the prophets that they had turned from His law(which He had urged them to follow after their exodus), what makes you think He does not notice when you fail to keep your word?
Can you really lie to God? Aren’t you only deceiving yourself? If He knows the very thoughts of your heart, can you outsmart your own Creator? Isn’t that close to foolishness? Shall a person think himself craftier than God?
