Text: 2 Timothy 3:3
By: Ikuku-Damatie Henry (Deacon)
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Introduction
In this chapter the apostle delivers out a prophecy of the last days, showing how perilous the times will be, describing the persons that will live in them, and what will be their end.
In the heart of every conflict, there’s a desperate hope for peace. A truce, a temporary cessation of hostilities, is often sought as a first step toward lasting resolution. Yet, the breaking of a truce is a grave offense, a violation of trust that can reignite conflict with even greater ferocity. Today, we’ll delve into the biblical perspective on truce breakers, exploring the consequences of such actions and the importance of honoring our commitments.
The Nature of a Truce
A truce is a sacred agreement, a solemn promise to pause the fighting and seek a peaceful solution. It’s a recognition of the destructive power of conflict and a desire to find a better way forward. In the biblical context, covenants, or agreements, were often sealed with oaths and sacrifices, underscoring their sacred nature.
Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words
Etymology: [ 1,,G786, The word “aspondos” comes from the Greek words “a” (negative) and “spondē” (libation), which was a ritual drink offering made during treaty-making ceremonies, because in making treaties libations both of blood and wine were poured out.
Definition: Implacable refers to someone who is:
- Unwilling to make or keep promises
- Unreconcilable or unforgiving
- Unwilling to enter into agreements or treaties
- Disregardful of obligations or commitments
- One who cannot be persuaded to enter into a covenant
- Untrue to one’s promise,
- Not abiding by one’s covenant “Convenant Breaker”, treacherous.
Antonyms: Words that convey opposite meanings include “peacemaker”, “reconciler”, “cooperative”, and “faithful”.
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
Without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
American Standard Version (ASV)
without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
New King James Version, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
English Standard Version
heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,
These traits are often exhibited by those who disregard agreements and promises.
That means a person who doesn’t respond to an appeal. No matter what you say to them, they’re unmovable, they will not change, they will not alter. “This is what I said, this is what I mean. And I don’t care what you say, I’ll never be any different. I’ll never change, I’m not interested in it.” This is a person who is bitter, a person who is so full of hate, that he never wants to make things right.
It doesn’t matter what agreements he’s made, what vows, what promises, he will disregard them for his own personal desires. You cannot go to him and appeal for harmony. You cannot go to her and appeal for resolution. There is conflict that is inevitable and ongoing, because they are implacable, they are irreconcilable. They cannot be made to agree, to give in, to compromise, to adjust, to think another person’s thoughts, to give themselves away on behalf of someone else; they just won’t do it.
Why? Because they love themselves. And the supreme expression of self-love is that I will do what I will do, and there is no court of appeal; I will think what I will think, and there is no court of appeal. This is so self-centered, so hard, that literally the person is cut off from every other relationship.
In fact, sometimes we think so much of ourselves that we are irreconcilable and implacable, It’s massive egoism.
These are people who make a deal, cut a covenant, or have a treaty with someone and just… break it. Their word means nothing, and their promises are empty.
For example, if someone loans others money, they always have a reason to break the truce. Some will even borrow money, promise to pay it back and don’t, but then go on vacation Psalm 37:21. It goes back to being lovers of self so for last days trucebreakers, it’s all about them and what “self” wants to do, rather than keeping their word or God’s word.
COVENANT KEEPERS OR COVENANT BREAKERS?
“This is what the Lord has commanded: A man who makes a vow to
the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it.
He must do exactly what he said he would do” (Numbers 30:1).
Covenant breaking is hurting the world big time. Covenant breaking is immoral and sinful and we need to put a stop to it.
Marriage break-up is the worst type of covenant breaking as it puts a curse on future generations. It weakens the whole structure of marriage and eventually leads people to reason why they should get married at all. The marriage covenant is not an ordinary covenant.
The aftermath of covenant breaking in marriage is a fire that continues to burn for years. It breeds jealousy, vengeance, anger, rejection, and hurt, as well as weakening the whole structure of marriage, both present and future. The nation is as strong as its families and marriage is the foundation of family. The nation is as strong as its morals and covenant breaking destroys morals.
The death knell on marriage being a holy institution is final when wimpy flat-footed amoral judges, governors, senators, and leaders in the church have the audacity to permit same-sex marriages. How spiritually bankrupt have we become? God will have to judge us or else apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. We are without excuse.
GOD REMEMBERS VOWS
There are many Scriptures in the Bible regarding vows.
Matt 5:33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’
Jacob’s Vow
When Jacob was fleeing from his brother’s wrath, God appeared to him in a dream. Following this dream he raised up a pillar of rock and made a vow to God. “Then Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will surely give a tenth to you’” (Genesis 28:20-22).
God heard this vow and never forgot it! Many years passed and God reminded Jacob of his vow. In Genesis 31:13 we read, “’I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your kindred.’”
Hannah’s Vow
“Deeply hurt, Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears. Making a vow, she pleaded, ‘LORD of Hosts, if You will take notice of Your servant’s affliction, remember and not forget me, and give Your servant a son, I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and his hair will never be cut. 1 Sam. 1:8-13; 2:11.
GOD KEEPS HIS COVENANTS
The Rainbow
Genesis 9:13-15, “’I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.’”
The Land
God made a covenant with Abram that He would give him the land, “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates…” Over 400 years later, God heard the groanings of the children of Israel in Egypt and He “remembered his covenant” (Exodus 2:24).
The Blood of Jesus
God calls the blood of Jesus the “blood of the everlasting covenant” (Hebrews 13:20), Luke22:19-22. We can thank God that He keeps His covenant, and yet how easy it seems for us twenty-first century Christians to break our covenants. I believe that God sees covenants as sacred and, come what may and no matter what the cost, they should be kept.
The Consequences of Breaking a Truce
Breaching Divine Trust:
God values faithfulness and integrity. When we break a truce, we not only dishonor our human counterparts but also the divine covenant we have with God.
Proverbs 12:22 says, “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.”
Undermining Peace Efforts:
A broken truce can shatter fragile peace processes, leading to renewed hostilities and further suffering. It can erode trust between parties, making future reconciliation even more difficult.
Inviting Divine Judgment:
The Bible is replete with instances where God judged nations and individuals for breaking covenants and treaties.
Joshua’s Vow
During King David’s reign there was a famine that lasted for three years. David sought the Lord to find out the reason. God told him that it was because Saul broke the covenant which the children of Israel made with the Gibeonites. This had happened many years previously, but God did not forget the covenant they made. David went to the Gibeonites and asked them what he could do to make atonement for the broken covenant. They asked for seven of Saul’s descendants which they hanged. Only then did the famine cease. You can read the whole story in 2 Samuel 21:1-9.
Jephthah’s Vow
Read the tragic story in Judges11:29-40 of the unwise vow that Jephthah made and which cost him his daughter. This true story reveals how men in Bible days fulfilled their vows, no matter what the cost.
Jonah’s Vow
Jonah evidently had not paid his vows to God, but after three days and nights in the dark belly of the whale, he finally decides it is better to pay his vows and cries out, “I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). Jonah’s vow was a way of saying that he would serve God and obey his will, even in Nineveh.
WE MUST REPENT OF COVENANT-BREAKING
James 5:12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear, not by heaven or earth or by any other oath. Simply let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, so that you will not fall under judgment.
The Path to Reconciliation
While the consequences of breaking a truce are severe, there is hope for restoration.
Confession and Repentance: The first step towards reconciliation is acknowledging the wrongdoing and seeking forgiveness from those who have been harmed.
Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them finds mercy.”
Renewed Commitment to Peace:
A genuine desire for peace must be cultivated and expressed through actions that promote harmony and understanding. Ephesians 4:29-32 encourages us to speak truth in love, to avoid anger, wrath, malice, and slander, and to be kind and compassionate.
Covenant-breaking is listed with the 22 sins of Romans 1:29-32. Verses 32 says, “Who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death…”
Covenant-breaking is a serious sin. We must repent and humble ourselves before our loving and merciful God. We must never forget that God’s loving forgiveness is entirely based on sincere repentance. If we will not repent, we will surely hasten the judgment of God.
We are all familiar with 2 Chronicles 7:14, although we do not always obey. “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
VOWS ARE MADE TO BE KEPT
You must not break your word!
“This is what the Lord commands: When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said” (Numbers 30:1-2 NIV).
You must perform what comes out of your mouth!
“If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the Lord your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin… Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth” (Deuteronomy 23:21-23 NIV).
Did you not say, “God brought us together in marriage?” Did you not covenant to “to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse; for richer for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish; ‘till death us depart, according to God’s holy ordinance”? Does not God call your wife “the wife of your covenant?” (Malachi 2:14). The real man of God will stick to his covenant which he made before God and man.
You must fulfill your vows!
“Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them” (Psalm 76:11 NIV).
You must not go back on your vow!
Ecclesiastes 5:2 says, “Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore, let your words be few”.
“When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools: fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, ‘My vow was a mistake.’ Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? …Therefore, stand in awe of God” (Ecclesiastes 5:4-7 NIV).
Conclusion
James 3:17 says, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy”.
This verse describes the qualities of godly wisdom, which is refined and focused on what God has called us to do. Godly wisdom is peaceable and gentle and puts a high value on easing conflict. It is also characterized by six qualities that concern our interpersonal relationships with others:
- Pure: Undivided, chaste, or pure
- Peaceable: Peace-loving, putting a high value on easing conflict
- Gentle: Considerate, not ready to fight, but ready to serve
- Easy to be intreated: Willing to yield to others
- Full of mercy and good fruits: Compassionate and beneficent to the poor
- Without partiality: Shows no favoritism
- Without hypocrisy: Always sincere
In a world often marked by conflict and division, the importance of honoring our commitments cannot be overstated. By keeping our word, we not only build trust and foster peace but also align ourselves with the divine principles of righteousness and justice. May we all strive to be peacemakers, to honor our agreements, and to seek God’s guidance as we navigate the complexities of human relationships.
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