A Broken Promise

“This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them; That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free: that none should serve himself of them, to wit (that is), of a Jew his brother.”  Jeremiah 34:8-9

The southern kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem in particular were under attack by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army.  King Zedekiah, Judah’s king, had made a covenant with the people of Jerusalem, those who were wealthy enough to have servants.  In Exodus 21:2, the law concerning Hebrew servants was set forth.  He or she was to serve only six years and be freed at the end of the seventh year.  However, because of the battle raging in Judah, Zedekiah ruled that everyone who had servants must free them regardless of their length of service.  This would create a hardship on the masters at a time when they would have needed the help of their servants the most.  They were dependent on their servants for nearly everything.  This becomes a problem when those who have servants never bother to learn to take care of themselves and be self-sufficient for their everyday needs.

The servants, on the other hand, were used to hard work and less-than-perfect living conditions and thus could likely flee to the countryside and survive.  When folks never live in the lap of luxury, they never miss it.  Zedekiah’s covenant with the people was the right thing to do.  It was no longer about serving, but rather surviving.  If the people were able to keep their servants, then the servants would have been forced to stay where the fighting was the fiercest, because their masters would likely try to hide themselves away in their homes and hope they wouldn’t be found by the enemy.  Their survival skills were probably not all that helpful.  Zedekiah decreed that no Jew should be required to serve another Jew during this time of war.

After the king issued his covenant, the people agreed to abide by it.  Each master, including the princes, freed his or her servants.  I would think that the servants rejoiced because they were free even while under attack by the Babylonians.  This may have given them some hope for the future if only they could survive the battle.  However, their new freedom didn’t last long.  In Jeremiah 37:5, we find that the army of Egypt led by Pharaoh had been on the move to attack the Babylonians, thus Nebuchadnezzar and his army left Jerusalem for a time.  Thinking that it was now safe in Jerusalem, the people who had released their servants to go free, forced them back into servitude, breaking the covenant of Zedekiah upon which they had unanimously agreed.  They went back on their promise to Zedekiah and to the LORD.  This was not acceptable to God.

The people had obeyed when the order came down from king Zedekiah.  The vow had been made in God’s house, in His presence, which should have instilled a desire to keep the vow that they had made.  However, vows and covenants had not stopped them before when they turned to idolatry so why would it stop them now?  Perhaps if Nebuchadnezzar and his army had not departed, they would have kept their promise.  Maybe.  When Jerusalem settled down after the Babylonians departed, the people forced their servants to return to their duties.  We don’t know how they forced them back, whether they sent bounty hunters to hunt them down or whether some of the servants, due to lack of food and shelter, volunteered to return.  One thing that we do know is that God was not pleased at the breaking of their vow.  This was no way to treat faithful servants, and it was a slap to the face of God in contempt against His authority, covenant, mercy, and judgments.  The people thought they only had to obey when they were in trouble.  When the coast was clear, they ignored their promise and went back to their old sinful ways.  God had allowed Babylon to attack Jerusalem because of the sins of His people.  This act of disobedience only added to their sentence.  No one dishonors God in any way, shape, or form and gets away with it.

King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 5:5 that it was better to not make a vow than to make one and break it.  Of course, there are unforeseen circumstances that sometimes prevent us from following through on a promise that we have made.  James gave us some good advice concerning making plans, but his advice is also applicable to making a promise.  He said that we ought to say, “If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (4:15) because we never know what a day will bring.  Jesus also had a good admonition concerning the intent to begin a major project, but this advice also can be applied to making a promise.  He said to count the cost.  Think about what you are promising and consider if you are willing, have the time and whatever else is required to complete the vow.  The bottom-line is don’t make a promise that you don’t intend to keep.