Most people enjoy receiving gifts. There’s something exciting about receiving a present. Something is thrilling about being gifted something we need or want. But what if all you were gifted was a boast? What if someone promised to give you some great gift but never did? Well, that wouldn’t be nearly as thrilling, would it?
Proverbs 25:14 says, “Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.” A cloudy, windy, rainy day may be dreary, but at least the rain is good and valuable. Without the rain, it’s just a dreary day. Well, a boast of a gift that isn’t delivered is the same—dreary and disappointing. Surely, we understand how rude it would be to boast of a gift and not deliver. But do we do that to God? How many gifts do we promise God? How often do we promise to be faithful? How often do we give what we promise? Or are our promises to God nothing more than dreary, empty boasts?