“Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully.” II Kings 22:7 Also: II Kings 12:15.
When the good King Josiah ruled Israel, he made it a priority to take collected money and use it to repair the house of the Lord — the Temple. When the money was handed over to the workers to do the repairs, there were no records kept, nor were there five copies of a signed document of them promising to do right with the money they were entrusted. Their word was their promise because they were faithful, which means “trustworthy, reliable, dependable, unwavering, steadfast, obedient, true.”
Today that type of trust is rare. Lawyers are engaged. Commitments are notarized and witnessed. Volumes of written promises are filed and given to officials. Still, the promises of those commissioned to do some work or action are broken. There are many whose word cannot be trusted. They are not faithful.
All, especially Christians, should have a word that is always above reproach. When someone says they will do something, they should do it. They should not have to be watched, have their paperwork in order, and have accountants pour over every penny they spent. Their promise should be good enough, as it was when the workers took the people’s money to fix God’s house.
There was a time, not too many generations ago, when a promise did mean something. Cars were bought on loans that were secured with only a handshake. A politician made promises that he would keep, or never be elected again. Husbands and wives made a commitment to themselves and God that “until death doeth part” they would stay together. A child promised he would play in a sport until the season was over. He kept his word no matter if his feelings were hurt or he could not play first string on the team. If a person said he would be at a place or job at a certain time, that person would be there. A person’s word meant something!
Where is that faithfulness today? Perhaps because the manual demanding honesty, the Bible, has been removed from so many lives and is rarely emphasized or even known about is one reason keeping one’s promise is uncommon. Certainly, the removal of punishment and ostracization for not keeping one’s word also plays a part in the sin’s rampant occurrences. The removal and hiding of God’s moral standard also must be a contributing factor for many not keeping their word.
No matter the ignorance of God’s standards or one’s deliberate ignoring of the importance of truthfulness, society, and individuals suffer when a person’s word is not kept. Trust for anyone’s promises and commitments will be in question. Suspicion will abound. Nations will be at odds with itself because few will be trusted.
Although it is the lifestyle of so many not to keep their word, it does not mean it should be accepted. Your word should be trusted. Will you keep your promises? Will you be found faithful?
“He who is the slowest in making a promise is the most faithful in the performance of it.” — Rousseau
