Then all the people answered together and said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do" (Exodus 19:8).
Our wedding vows were not usual. Instead of making promises to each other as bride and groom, we vowed not to make promises. Why? As my bride said in her vows, “I can’t promise you anything…my promises are like ropes of sand”. My wife-to-be went on to declare that she would submit to God daily and trust Him to provide the power to fuel her commitment. I reciprocated similarly. Through God’s grace, we have a fruitful and committed marriage.
At Mount Sinai’s base, the children of Israel made promises to God that they couldn’t fulfil. They had been slaves in Egypt, in bondage to a relentless and tyrannical master, the pharaoh. Therefore, Israel cried out for deliverance, and through miraculous power, God delivered them. Now they stood before Mount Sinai, where Moses spoke the words of God’s covenant to them. They fully agreed, promising to obey everything the Lord said. On the surface, this appeared sincere and reasonable. But was it? One thing for sure is that they failed to achieve what they promised.
Moses ascended the mountain to obtain the Ten Commandments from the Lord. Soon after, the people violated the first two commandments by worshipping the golden calf, proving their promises were nothing more than “ropes of sand.” Indeed, we don’t have the innate power to keep God’s law. The law convicts us of that fact, “for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). Did God then cast aside His law? No way! The law is holy, just, and good (Romans 7:12). It is not the problem; we are!
Sin is a force that prevents us from doing what is right. We are slaves to it! What we need, then, is a new master, one who has power over what enslaves us. Of course, God is the only one who is all-powerful. He promises to deliver us and write His law in our hearts and minds (Hebrews 8:10). He can do what we can’t. Therefore, we are to put our faith in Him. Can He not raise the dead? Then surely, He can raise us above sin’s gravitational pull.
How does God inscribe the law in our minds and hearts? As He wrote it on stone, with His finger (Exodus 31:18). Religious leaders accused Jesus of casting out demons using the devil’s sway. Instead, Jesus points them to God’s power working through Him, calling it “the finger of God” (Luke 11:20). What Jesus refers to becomes evident when we cross-reference the story in Matthew 12:28. The “finger of God” is equated to the “Spirit of God”. As love is the law’s essence (Luke 10:25-28), the Holy Spirit uses love’s stylus to write it into our very being (Romans 5:5). Obedience then flows out our love for Christ (John 14:15; 1 John 5:3).
Therefore, instead of promising God to do what you can’t, allow Him to fulfill His promises in you. How? By faith! By submitting your will to His.
