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"I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU"
by William Hogan
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we may say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" Hebrews 3:5, 6
The pastor of the church my daughter attends in Minnesota tells about attending a high school reunion. Before he went he looked through his high school year book to remind himself of the names of his classmates. There He saw a picture of one of his high school girl friends, Allison Quinn, and he read the promise she had written across her picture: "Bernie, I'll never forget you." He hoped Allison would be at the reunion . . . . And she was! . . . She didn't remember him. . . . "Bernie who?" The Lord has made a promise to us. And it's a much better promise than, "I'll never forget you." He says to us, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." One of the great comedians of this century was Groucho Marx. One of the many books written about his life is entitled, Hello, I Must Be Going. Groucho used to say that when he was introduced to someone. He would be introduced, and he would say, "Hello. I must be going." He'd arrive at a party or a gathering and say to his host, "Hello. I must be going." It was a phrase that became very much a part of Groucho's life. When you think about that, it's really not at all funny. It's too close to the way we experience life so very often.
A friend of mine worked for a national company for 35 years. He had an outstanding record as a regional sales manager, and year after year his region set the pace for the whole company. Then the firm was sold. One day his boss called my friend into his office and said, "Sorry, Wendell, the owners have decided to reorganize and down-size." . . . "Hello, you must be going."
Nothing this world can offer is forever. No relationship is permanent. No nation, no leader, no earthly institution, no corporation, no career, no human relationship has ever been able to promise permanence. Even the best of marriages is rooted in vows that conclude with the words, "Till death do us part." Much of the the pain in our living comes from trying to fulfill the longing for permanence from some source that simply cannot give it.
Only the eternal, unchanging God is able to make the unparalleled promise of Hebrews 13:5, and keep it: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." The Greek verb translated "leave" actually has the idea of holding something loosely, or relaxing. The idea is that God is never casual or relaxed about his commitment to His people. He will never allow us to slip out of His grasp by holding us too loosely. He will never relax His vigilance over us. As Jesus said in John 10:28, "No one can snatch them out of my hand." So, the Lord is saying in this promise, "I will never leave you to stand alone. I will always be with you, supporting you by My omnipotent hand."
I want to point out just how emphatic that promise is. In English we are taught that it is incorrect to use double negatives, but in Greek, the original language of the New Testament, a statement is made more emphatic by piling up multiple negatives. In this promise there are no fewer than five negatives. The hymn writer captured the emphasis of this promise about as well as it can be expressed when he penned these lines:
"The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I'll never, no never desert to its foes.
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no never, no never forsake."You can believe God's promise. And when you do, when you take it seriously, when you count on its reality in every situation, your life will be transformed. So, I want to think with you this morning about the difference that promise can make in our lives.
I. THE KEY TO CONTENTMENT
Look first at the immediate context. In verse 5 we are exhorted, "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" Here is one difference this promise ought to make: it provides the key to contentment
Back before the Civil War, there was a wealthy plantation owner whose only child, a son, was much like the prodigal son of the Bible. The boy had spurned his father's love, and had left home to pursue a life of debauchery. One day news came to the son that his father was dying and wanted to see him. The boy left immediately to be with his dying father, thinking all the way there of what he expected to inherit.
When he arrived at the plantation he was taken immediately to see his father. The old man said, "Son, I'm so glad you have come. The doctors tell me that I don't have much time left, and I wanted to see you one last time, and let you know about my last will and testament. As you know, I am a wealthy man, and under ordinary circumstances I would be happy to leave everything to you. But you have proven that you are untrustworthy, so I have decided that it would be irresponsible of me to give you everything. Still, you are my only child, and I love you very much, so I can't leave you out entirely. So, I have decided to give you one thing. That one thing will be your choice. You may have the cattle, or the house, or the land, or the money in the bank--whichever you choose. But everything else I am leaving to my faithful old slave, Ben, who has served me so faithfully all these years. So, which will it be, son. Which of my assets do you want to have?"
The boy thought for a moment, and then he said, "I'll take Ben." You see, he knew that if he owned Ben, then he would have everything else as well. That's a homely illustration, I know, but it makes the point, don't you think? If we have Jesus, then we have everything worth having. It's a sad thing to be caught up in the rat race for success, to fall for that lie captured in a bumper sticker you may have seen: "He who dies with the most toys wins." Nothing in this life is worth having if you don't have Jesus. Nothing really satisfies but Him. And when you have Him, you can be content with whatever He chooses to give you.
Parenthetically, I find the writers' method here very significant in light of what is done so often today. Have you noticed how many scores of books are being written to advise Christians about how to cope with this problem or that--how to overcome discouragement, how to deal with grief, how to live with a difficult spouse, how to transform a dull marriage, how to be a parent of difficult teenagers, how to handle stress, how to win over worry, and so on? Now, I would not want to say that such "how-to" books have no value. To the extent that they are based on a balanced and accurate interpretation of Scripture, they can be quite helpful. However, valuable though some of them may be, it is a cause of deep concern to me that Christians are sometimes so eager to read the latest Christian self-help book, and yet neglect the one Book which God has given to teach us how to live.
How different is this writer's approach. When he wants to address the problem of covetousness, he does not give a "Ten-Step Cure for Covetousness." He does not quote the latest ideas of pop philosophers and psychologists on the subject. He simply quotes the Bible, as if to say, "This is as true today as it ever was. Take this truth to heart and you can escape the grip of greed and the rat race to accumulate stuff. This is all you really need to know to be content."
II. COMPANIONSHIP IN TIMES OF LONELINESS
This promise is not quoted from a single Old Testament passage. There are actually several places where the meaning and spirit of an Old Testament statement, if not the very words, matches the meaning and spirit of the New Testament quotation. It should help us to appreciate still further the practical value of this promise if we were to look at some of the occasions when the Lord said to one of His children, "I will never leave you." The first time God made this promise, He made it to Jacob, in Genesis 28, and from that passage we can learn that the promise of the never-failing presence of God provides companionship in times of loneliness.
Jacob and his brother, Esau, were the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. Because Esau was the first-born, he would have received a double share of the estate upon the death of their father, and would have become head of the household. But Jacob tricked him into forfeiting his birth-right, and tricked their father into bestowing the patriarchal blessing on the wrong son. Esau threatened to take revenge by killing his brother, so Jacob was forced to flee from their home. Can you imagine how he felt that first night of his exile--alone in an uninhabited place, on his way to a strange land, not knowing what the future held for him, or if he would ever be able to go back home, perhaps fearful that Esau was on his trail to carry out his murderous threat and might catch up with him during the night?
Genesis 28 records that while Jacob slept he had a dream in which he saw a ladder which reached from earth to heaven, with angels ascending and descending on it. Above the ladder stood the Lord, who gave Jacob a very encouraging message, which contained this promise (verse 15): "I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." That reassuring promise sustained Jacob that night, and for many years to come.
What God said to Jacob that lonely night, He says to us in our moments of loneliness, when the sense of isolation seems almost to crush us, "I am with you. I will watch over you wherever you go. I will not leave you." And knowing that we are not alone, we can go on.
III. COURAGE IN TIMES OF DISCOURAGEMENT
In the third place, the promise of God's presence provides courage in moments of discouragement. In Exodus 33, the Israelites, having recently been led out of slavery in Egypt, are camped at Mt. Sinai. Moses goes up to the top of the mountain to meet with God and to receive the Ten Commandments. While he is gone, Aaron, urged on by the people, makes a golden calf. The Israelites worship it the way they had seen the Canaanites worship, with immorality. God abruptly interrupts the giving of the Law, tells Moses what is happening down in the valley, and threatens to destroy the people for their sin. Urgently Moses intercedes for Israel, pleading with God to be merciful. The Lord responds by promising that He will not destroy them after all, and that they will eventually reach the Promised Land.
But the promise contains a disturbing qualification (verses 2 and 3): "I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people, and I might destroy you on the way.'" The presence of an Angel, victory over all their enemies, entrance into the Promised Land--as wonderful as that all sounds, for Moses it is not enough. The presence of an angel is no substitute for the presence of the Lord. Any victory would be hollow, any blessing would be disappointing, without the presence of the Lord.
So, Moses continues to intercede, until at last the Lord says (verse 14), "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." So, to Moses, at the moment of one of his greatest discouragements, when his leadership has been repudiated, when it seems as if all his dreams will die unfulfilled, God assures him of His continued presence. The words are different, but the thought is the same as that expressed in Hebrews: "I will not leave you; I will not forsake you." And that is what He says to us, too, in our times of deepest discouragement.
IV. CONFIDENCE IN THE FACE OF AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE
The third passage in which we find this promise in the Old Testament is Deuteronomy 31:6, where it is spoken not to a single individual, but to the whole nation of Israel. The context is the approaching death of Moses. As the chapter opens, Moses himself is speaking (verse 2): "I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The Lord has said to me, 'You shall not cross the Jordan.'"
Imagine how the Israelites must have felt when they heard those words. They have always looked to Moses as their leader. When they were trapped at the Red Sea by the pursuing army of Pharaoh, it was Moses who lifted his rod and the waters rolled back to let them escape on dry ground. When they needed water, it was Moses who smote the rock to make the stream gush forth. When they needed strength from God to defeat the Amalekites, Moses' uplifted hands brought the victory. When God had something to say to them, it was Moses who went into the presence of God to receive the divine message. What will they do now, if there is no more Moses to lead them?
The answer comes in verse 6: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." "You will go without me," Moses is saying, "but you do not go without God. You can count on His presence." The promise is now repeated to Israel there on the border of the Promised Land.
I once read that if you take a goose, draw a white circle around it, and then place food and water outside the circle, just out of its reach, it will die of hunger and thirst because it is afraid to step on the white line. I don't know whether that's true or not. I've never actually tried it. I admit it sounds ridiculous. But really, it's no more ridiculous than the way some people live their lives, crippled by fear. "What if I lose my job?? What if I lose my health? What if there is a war or a recession? What about toxic waste, and pollution, and depletion of the ozone layer, and terrorism?" I don't mean to suggest that those threats are not real. Life is full of dangers and emergencies. But the point is this: nothing can rob the Christian of anything really worth keeping, because we have the sure promise of the only thing worth having in the final analysis--namely, the presence of God Himself. So when the uncertainty of the future looms like a frightening monster before us, when someone we have counted on is taken away and we aren't sure we can cope with life without them, remember God's promise: "I am with you. I will watch over you wherever you go. . . . I will not leave you."
V. STRENGTH FOR A DAUNTING TASK
The promise is heard yet again in Deuteronomy 31, this time given to Joshua as he takes the reins of leadership from Moses. Can you imagine how he feels? He must fill the sandals of one of the greatest men who ever lived, a man who spoke with God face to face. He has to lead an obstinate band of nomads into battle against people who live in walled cities, and against giants against well-equipped armies. It is a daunting assignment, and one which he knows is beyond his capacity. But Moses repeats to him the same promise and challenge he had been given (verse 7): "Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never fail you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." And then in the first chapter of the book of Joshua, God Himself repeats the promise to Joshua (Joshua 1:5): "No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you."
If Joshua's task was daunting, so, too, was Solomon's. To build a temple for the Lord was no small enterprise for a young man. But his father, David, reassures him by echoing the ancient promise (I Chronicles 28:20)--"Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished." And God was with Solomon in his colossal undertaking. He did build the temple. Whatever materials he needed came in time. Whatever art and skill were required was forthcoming. To the astonishment of the age, the temple was built, and became one of the wonders of the world, for the Lord did not fail His servant.
You and I, like Joshua, have been called to engage a society which is hostile to our God. And like Solomon, we have been called to build a temple, not a building made with stones and mortar, but a spiritual temple, the church. Each of us has a part to play in these tasks--to evangelize, to teach, to counsel . . . And none of is really competent for these things. Whatever task the Lord may assign to us, none of us can face that task without a sense of weakness and inadequacy. But it is strengthening to know that the Lord says to me and to you, just as He said to Joshua and to Solomon, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you"?
If those words are true, then there is no reason for life ever to be stale or dull or ordinary. If they are not true, then I suggest you take your best shot from among the impermanent realities in this world. The critical question is whether you and I will do what we do, think what we think, give what we give, choose what we choose . . . the question is whether we will live all of life informed by that which is fundamentally permanent or by that which is fundamentally impermanent. "I will never leave you nor forsake you"--these are the only words I know that finally address the crisis of impermanence.
VI. CONFIDENCE IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT
I must add one more thing, one more difference this promise ought to make, and this the most important difference of all: it gives confidence in the day of judgment. Did you see the interview, shortly after the conclusion of the O,J, Simpson trial, of Juror number 3. She said that she really believed that he had committed the murders, but that the jury had been charged to render a verdict only on the basis of the evidence presented in court, and she did not believe that the evidence as presented removed reasonable doubt. Then she said this: "I take comfort in the fact that we were not the final judge. One day, Mr. Simpson must stand before his Maker. And on that day, Johnny Cochran will not be there." She was acknowledging that the defense team had been able to throw enough doubt upon the prosecution's case to case to permit a guilt man to go free. I do not mention that in order to comment on the trial itself, nor on O.J.'s guilt or innocence. I mention it only to say this. One day you and I must stand before our Maker. What a tragic thing it will be if we must stand there alone, with no defender.
But thanks be to God. We have a Defense Attorney who will stand there with us--the Lord Jesus Christ. He will not leave us, He will not forsake us, even on the Day of Judgment - - - especially on that day! He will not plead our innocence, for the case against us will be conclusive. He will not plead tainted evidence, nor diminished capacity, nor in any way seek to lessen the awfulness of our offenses. He will say, "Your Honor. The accused is guilty as charged." But then He will extend His nail-pierced hands and say, "However, the penalty has already been paid."
So let those words break in upon you, the words that change everything. "I will never leave you nor forsake you." . . . "Hello, I will NOT be going. "
Bill Hogan
Jackson, MS
Father of Amy (died of gbm, 8/25/96), mother of Michael (8), Katy (6), Abigail (3) and Daniel (2)