2 Samuel 21:3,7 (NKJV) Therefore David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord?”…. But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the Lord’s oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
Have you ever bought a product only to discover that it was not what the packaging claimed it was? Similarly, underneath your people skill, do you always mean what you say? Prompted by their eagerness to please or impress others, many people say things they do not mean or make promises that they have no intention of keeping. If you are a business partner, will you honour the written agreements even when it is to your disadvantage?
In the opening Scripture, the Gibeonites had a covenant with the people of Israel during the time of Joshua. Because covenant partners swore to protect and never to destroy each other as agreed under the covenant ritual established by blood, the Israelites did not kill the Gibeonites even though they had discovered that the Gibeonites had deceived them. The mistake that Joshua and the people made was failing to find out the truth and seek the face of God before establishing the covenant with the Gibeonites, but they still honoured their word in spite of their mistake!
Years later, however, King Saul violated the covenant with the Gibeonites when he killed some of their people, and it displeased the Lord, because covenants had to be observed through the generations, and the covenant promises involved both blessings and curses.
Subsequently, King David made good the wrong that was made by Saul because he knew the penalty for violating the covenant. He paid the penalty by handing over the seven men requested by the Gibeonites. King David honoured the word of the covenant because he knew the importance of watching over the obligations and consequences that came with it. Likewise, he spared Mephibosheth from death when seven men needed to die from the mistake made by Saul because of King David’s covenant obligation with Jonathan. The covenant agreement was established through spoken words and actions. It takes a man of character like King David to honour the covenant agreement despite the price that needed to be paid.
Therefore, if a man can honour the word of the covenant, how much more will God, who cannot lie, make good what He has promised! Because God will not violate the covenant established with His people, we should also be men or women of character who honour our word even if we need to pay a price to make it good.
Sermon Series: It Is More Precious Than Gold
做一个信守诺言的人
撒母耳记下 21:3，7 问他们说：「我当为你们怎样行呢？可用什么赎这罪，使你们为耶和华的产业祝福呢？」王因为曾与扫罗的儿子约拿单指着耶和华起誓结盟，就爱惜扫罗的孙子、约拿单的儿子米非波设，不交出来
你是否曾经买过一件产品，却发现它不是包装上宣称的那样？同样，在你的人际交往能力之下，你总是言之有信吗？许多人迫不及待地想要取悦他人或给他人留下深刻印象，于是他们说了一些言不由衷的话，或许下了他们无意遵守的承诺。如果你是一个商业伙伴，即使书面协议对你不利，你会遵守吗？
在上述经文中，约书亚时代，基遍人与以色列人立约。因为盟约的伙伴们在血盟仪式下发誓要保护彼此，不会彼此毁灭, 约书亚时代的以色列人虽然发现他们被基遍人欺骗，却没有杀他们。约书亚和民众所犯的错误是在建立与基遍人的盟约之前，没有发现真相，没有寻求神的面。尽管发现了错误，约书亚和当时的以色列人还是履行了他们的诺言。
然而，数年后，扫罗王违背了与基遍人所立的约，杀了他们一些人，这令耶和华不悦。因为盟约应该代代遵守，盟约的承诺包括祝福和诅咒。
随后，大卫王弥补了扫罗所犯的罪，因为他知道违反盟约的惩罚。基遍人所要的七个人，他都交出来了。大卫王遵守盟约，因为他知道遵从盟约和随之而来的后果的重要性。同样地，当扫罗的错误需要七个人的性命来偿还时， 因为大卫王与约拿单所立的约，他免了米非波设的命。盟约是通过言语和行动建立起来的。尽管必须付出代价，只有像大卫王这样有品格的人才能真正地履行盟约。
所以，人若能遵守盟约，更何况那不会说谎，有恩慈又有应许的 神呢！因为 神不会违背与祂子民所立的约。我们应该成为一个有品格的人，信守我们的诺言，即使我们需要付出一定的代价。
讲章系列： 比黄金更宝贵