It is often easier to make a promise than to fulfill it.
If you’re honest with yourself, you’ve probably noticed something interesting about memory: we tend to remember the promises that were broken more than the ones that were kept. The fulfilled promises fade quietly into peace, but the unfulfilled ones linger—sometimes for years.
Think about it for a moment.
Has anyone ever made a promise to you and failed to keep it?
Do you still remember it?
Why do you think it stayed with you for so long?
Promises are powerful. They create hope. They build anticipation. They give people something to hold onto. That’s why a broken promise doesn’t just disappoint—it leaves a mark.
A Story of a Promise That Outlived Death
In 2 Samuel chapter 9, we encounter a remarkable moment. King David asks a simple but profound question:
“Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
To understand the weight of this question, we must go back.
Saul, the first king of Israel, was rejected by God due to disobedience. David, a young shepherd, was anointed as his successor. This led to intense conflict. Saul saw David as a threat and sought to kill him.
Yet in the middle of that tension, something unexpected happened.
Jonathan, Saul’s son—the rightful heir to the throne—chose friendship over rivalry. He loved David deeply. Even though David’s rise meant Jonathan would never become king, he protected him, warned him, and stood by him.
Jonathan chose love over jealousy. Loyalty over entitlement.
At one point, Jonathan made a request of David (1 Samuel 20:13–15): that David would show kindness to his family—not just while Jonathan lived, but even after his death.
David agreed.
They made a covenant.
Time passed. Battles were fought. Saul and Jonathan died in war. David eventually became king.
At that point, no one would have blamed David for forgetting that promise. After all, the one he made it to was gone.
But David didn’t forget.
A covenant is not just a casual promise—it is binding.
So David asked if anyone from Saul’s household was still alive. He learned of Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, who was crippled in both feet.
David didn’t just help him—he restored him.
He gave him land. He gave him honor. He gave him a seat at the king’s table, treating him like his own son.
Why?
Because of a promise.
Promise Is a Credit
A promise is like a credit—you owe it.
When you promise something, you are taking a loan of trust, expectation, and hope from another person. And one day, that loan must be repaid.
David understood this deeply. That is why, even years later, he fulfilled what he had pledged.
What About Your Promises?
Take a moment and reflect:
- What promises have you made to God?
- What promises have you made to others—family, friends, partners?
- Have you fulfilled them?
Some of these promises may feel distant. Forgotten. But they still carry weight.
The Bible teaches us clearly:
“When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it… It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.”
(Ecclesiastes 5:4–5)
God does not take promises lightly—and neither should we.
One of the most reassuring truths in Scripture is this: God always keeps His promises.
- He promised Abraham a land—and fulfilled it.
- He promised a Savior—and gave us Christ.
- Not one of His words has ever failed.
As it is written:
“God is not human, that He should lie… Does He promise and not fulfill?”
(Numbers 23:19)
“Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.”
(Joshua 21:45)
This is the nature of the God we serve—a promise keeper.
And He calls us to reflect that same character.
In Matthew 5:37, we are reminded:
“Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’”
It’s simple, but powerful.
Integrity is not proven by what we say—it is proven by what we do after we say it.
Maybe there are promises you’ve forgotten.
Maybe there are ones you’ve delayed.
Maybe there are some you’ve avoided.
This is your reminder:
A promise is a credit.
Return to it. Honor it. Fulfill it.
Because someone, somewhere, is still holding onto the hope you gave them.
Originally preached at Stavanger SDA Church on February 21, 2026.
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