I will strengthen the house of Judah,
and I will save the house of Joseph.
I will bring them back because I have compassion on them,
and they shall be as though I had not rejected them,
for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them.
When Vicki and I were married over 36 years ago, we answered the minister’s wedding vow questions with the phrase, “I will with the help of God.” We made that pledge and to one degree or another, we strove to honor that pledge. Jesus spoke of the man who said,”I will.”, and did not, as an example of the man who claims to follow Christ and goes his own way. Our wedding pledge was to love and obey and we said we would. When God said through the prophet Zechariah that he would rescue Judah from their woes, he said, “I will.”, four times in this one verse. When Vicki and I pledged, who knew if we would honor it? How do we know these “I wills” will be carried out. God answered that question, “…for I am the LORD their God…”
In the old covenant, God judged Judah and Babylon took them into captivity. God promised that they would be restored as though he had never rejected them, no matter how much they deserved rejection. Welcome to the new covenant, where we are treated as if we have kept the law in the old covenant solely because Jesus Christ fulfilled the law for us and by believing in him, we are as if we were never rejected. That is called grace and there is nothing we can do to stop it if God want s to save us. His “I wills” are fulfilled.
I will praise him today.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church