I SWEAR IT

“Avraham said, ‘I swear it.’”
Genesis 21:24

Currently I am a single father of two children. It has been my desire to find a wife but dating overall has not gone very well for me. So as I was praying about this next season of my life I felt as though Adonai was prompting me to take a year off from dating. In agreeing to this leading, I wrote out and signed my name to a simple contract between Adonai and I. Although simple in wording, the truth is that I have signed it, therefore placing myself in a bond with Adonai. If I fail to keep my word and go against what I have stated I will do, I break the contract. But from other details of my past and other times when I have made an agreement and failed to keep my end, I have seen just how seriously Adonai looks at a covenant.
Avraham made a covenant. When approached by Avimelekh (Abimelech) and Pikhol (Phicol) in Genesis 21:22-34, Avraham was asked if he would swear concerning his behavior. The men had heard that Adonai was with Avraham in all he did. As a result, they wanted to swear with Avraham that he would show them kindness and treat them fairly. They wanted to make sure that Avraham would not try anything sneaky and misleading to the people of the area. So then, Avraham swore to this request. Following an incident at the well which Avraham’s camp had dug and Avimelekh’s men had seized, Avraham then stepped into a covenant. Bringing with him sheep and cattle, Avraham and Avimelekh made a covenant (Gen 21:27). Because of seven female lambs specifically, the place was named Be’er-Sheva, meaning well of oath.
As I said earlier, Adonai looks at covenants seriously. When Yeshua taught in Mattityahu (Matthew) 5:33-37, he spoke of the importance of keeping your word. The fathers, or the saints of old, taught us to not break an oath and to keep our vows with Adonai. Yeshua went one step further and encouraged us to let our yes be yes and our no be no (Matt 5:37). Making a pact with Adonai is smart, but breaking that pact is not. Our word should be our bond and not just a cliché. Avraham was blessed not only because of his faith, but because he kept his word. Let us do the same.

Genesis 21:22-34