Scripture: “And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.” – 2 Samuel 7:12-13
Observation: This passage contains the covenant that God makes with David. Here, the Lord promises that David’s son will be the one to build the temple, and that one of David’s descendants will have an eternal kingdom.
Application: One of the most remarkable things about our God is that He is a keeper of promises. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, breaking the sweet fellowship they had shared with the Lord, God immediately makes a promise to redeem them. Genesis 3:15 states, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” This is the first promise in the Bible that God gives, and it is the promise of a Saviour.
If we continue to read through the Bible, we see promise after promise that God makes and keeps. Here are a few more examples that the Lord has made:
- God promised a son to Abraham and Sarah despite their old age.
- “And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.” – Genesis 17:19
- God promised to free the Israelites from Egyptian tyranny and bring them to the Promised Land.
- “And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.” – Exodus 3:17
- God promised that Cyrus (a Gentile king) would allow the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple.
- “That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.” – Isaiah 44:28
- Jesus promised that He would be killed and then rise again.
- “And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.” – Mark 10:34
Because God has never broken a promise, we can have the assurance that He will continue to fulfill the rest of the promises in His Word. Here are a few of my favorite promises that God has made:
- God promises us eternal life when we trust Christ as our Saviour.
- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16
- God promises that He is preparing a place for us in heaven.
- “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” – John 14:2
- God promises He will come again.
- “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” – John 14:3
- God promises to keep me safe and secure in His hand forever.
- “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” – John 10:28
- God promises forgiveness of sins.
- “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9
The incredible thing is that these are just a few of the promises yet to be fulfilled by God! There are so many more! Which promises are you excited about that are yet to be fulfilled by God?
Prayer: Dearest Father in heaven, how faithful You are! You are immutable, and Your Word endures forever! Thank You for giving us so many promises! Thank You for always keeping them! I can’t wait to see so many promises come to fruition through Your great love, grace, and mercy! I rejoice in God my Saviour! In Jesus’ precious name, I pray. Amen.
Standing on the promises of Christ, my King!
Through eternal ages let His praises ring.
"Glory in the highest!" I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God, my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.
(from “Standing on the Promises” by Russell Kelso Carter)
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“For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” – 2 Corinthians 1:20