To prepare the children of Israel for the battles that faced them in the Promised Land, in the chapter before us, God deals with the subject of accountability and integrity. After all, if you’re headed into battle, it’s imperative that the guy next to you means what he says when he declares, “Go one hundred yards ahead and I’ll cover you.” You’ve got to be sure that he’s not going to change his mind, that he’ll come through.

God is serious about vows, promises, and commitments. And that makes me happy because God doesn’t hold us to a higher standard than that to which He holds Himself. Therefore, the fact that God tells us we are to keep our word means He keeps His. The Bible is packed with promises - at the very least, three thousand in number. God makes promise after promise to you and me. And what He says, He will do. He told us, for example, that if we believe on Him, we’ll not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). That’s a promise He makes and a promise He will keep.