Tag: God’s Promises

Bible Studies

“A Son is Promised” – The Story of Abraham

Loring Schultz

Read: Genesis 18:1-15 NLT – A Son Is Promised to Sarah – The LORD – Bible Gateway

“I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!” Genesis 18:10 NLT

Open Bible showing Genesis chapter 18 and surrounding pages on a wooden table with red ribbon bookmark

When we last left Abraham two weeks ago he was beginning to understand the meaning of his name. The Lord changed his name from Abram (Exalted Father) to Abraham (father of many nations). God promised Abraham that many nations would come forth from Ishmael but the covenant promise would be through a son yet to be born to Sarah his wife. The name Issac was already given to this son of promise. Abraham obeyed God by conducting the circumcision of every male the sign of the covenant. The Lord promise will be fulfilled and Abraham will have a son and become the father of many nations.

Shortly after Abraham followed God’s instructions for circumcision, the Lord appeared again to Abraham. It was a hot afternoon in the Midde East and Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent when three men approached him. Abraham’s life was characterized by living in tents. He was still a wanderer traveling through the land promised to him by the Lord. Two of these three men were angels and the third was a theophany, another presentation of Jesus in human form. It doesn’t seem Abraham recognized Him at first but later realizes who He is.

Abraham immediately offered the Near Eastern hospitality of the day. “When he saw them, he ran to meet them and welcomed them, bowing low to the ground. ‘My lord,’ he said, ‘if it pleases you, stop here for a while.’” (Gen.18:2-3 nlt) Abraham used the customary greeting of respect, ‘My lord’, when he addressed the Lord. There were no hotels or inns in that day and weary travelers would depend on the hospitality of others for food and rest. It was considered a good deed to feed and put up travelers to rest from their journey and Abraham was quick to do it.

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Abraham had water brought to wash their feet as they rested in the shade under a tree while food was being prepared. Sarah used her best flour to bake fresh bread, and “Abraham ran out to the herd and chose a tender calf and gave it to his servant, who quickly prepared it.” (Gen.18:7 nlt) A choice calf was going over and above the normal standards for feeding travelers. Before Abraham brought out the roasted meat and fresh bread he got some yogurt and milk to complete the meal. Abraham was not only a man of great faith but a man of generosity. The New Testament instructions on showing hospitality is taken in part from Abraham’s example here in this passage. The writer of Hebrews admonishes us to “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” (Heb.13:2 nlt)

After the meal, the visitors asked where Sarah was. Abraham replied she was in the tent. “Then one of them (the Lord) said, ‘I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!’” (Gen.18:10 nlt) Sarah overhearing the conversation from inside the tent laughed to herself. After all she was about ninety years old and Abraham would be one-hundred when Issac is to be born. Sarah said to herself, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?” (Gen.18:12 nlt) It seemed an impossibility to have a child at her age. Although the lifespans in their day were much longer Sarah was way past the age of child-bearing. Of course the Lord heard Sarah’s response and said, “Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” (Gen.18:14 nlt)

Sarah denied laughing, even if it was only to herself, for she was afraid. But the Lord knew. A thought for us to take hold of. The Lord hears all we say, silently to ourselves, and even in our thoughts. The Lord heard Sarah and He hears us. There is nothing too difficult for the Lord; in hearing our thoughts to ourselves or promising Sarah will have a son in her old age.

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Next week Abraham intercedes for Sodom and Gomorrah………..

Bible Studies

“God’s Covenant with Abram” – The Story of Abraham

Loring Schultz

Read: Genesis 15 NLT – The LORD’s Covenant Promise to Abram – Bible Gateway

“Then the LORD took Abram outside and said to him, ‘Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!’ So the LORD made a covenant with Abram that day and said, ‘I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River.’” Genesis 15:5, 18 NLT

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Last week in Sunday’s Biblical Insights Abram is visited by the king of Salem, Melchizedek. The king brought a large meal for Abram and his men after their victory over the kings of the north. Melchizedek blessed Abram and he blessed God. Abram gave a gift of one-tenth of all the spoils to the Lord and His servant, Melchizedek. The king of Sodom was present and offered Abram all the goods that were returned to Sodom. Abram in his generosity did not want a thing, only what his men and his allies where entitled to. He would take nothing for himself.

This week in chapter 15, God renews His promise to Abram with a covenant. Chapter 15 opens with God telling Abram in a vision not to be afraid because He is Abram’s protector. Abram may have been afraid of retaliation from the four kings and their armies he had just defeated. Abram may also have had something else on his mind. He said in reply, “O Sovereign LORD, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth.” (Gen.15:2 nlt) Abram was concerned that he still had no children and he wasn’t getting any younger. He suggested to God that his servant Eliezar could be his heir. The custom in Abram’s day was that if a couple was childless they could adopt one the servants to be the heir. Abram was asking permission to do so.

The Lord said no to Abram’s request. He had other plans. Abram and Sarai would have a son, yes, in their old age. God then directed Abram outside and said, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” (Gen.15:5 nlt) In ancient Palestine more than 8,000 stars were visible in the dark sky of a Near Eastern night. The enormous amount of stars in the sky was God’s illustration of the promise to come. Abram believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. This is the first time ‘believe’ and ‘righteousness’ are used in the Bible. This is the core foundation of justification by faith. Abram believed God. When one believes God and His plan for salvation without any works involved on our own, it is counted to us as righteousness. God sees Jesus’ righteousness in us as we accept Him as Lord and savior.

Abram believed God and asked how he could be sure of His promises. He asked in faith believing, not suspecting if God’s promises were true. God is going to confirm His promises to Abram with a covenant, a legal binding agreement with a formal expression of intent. “The LORD told him, ‘Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.’” (Gen.15:9 nlt) Abram was to gather these animals suitable for sacrifice. Three years old was the prime age for animal sacrifices. A serious covenant is sealed with blood. Abram then cut the animals in half, but not the birds, laying their pieces side by side. The idea is walking through the two halves seals the covenant by saying if I break it, may the same thing be done to me.

“As the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a terrifying darkness came down over him.” (Gen.15:12 nlt) God caused a deep sleep to come over Abram. Abram did not need to walk through the pieces. The ratifying of the covenant did not depend on him, but on God. Our salvation does not depend on us, but on God. The Lord gives Abram a preview of his descendants before they enter the Promised Land. “Then the LORD said to Abram, ‘You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth. After four generations your descendants will return here to this land.’” (Gen.15:13-14, 16 nlt) The Lord is assuring Abram his descendants will occupy the land as promised.

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“After the sun went down and darkness fell, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses.” (Gen.15:17 nlt) The Lord God passed through the pieces represented by the smoking firepot and a flaming torch. In ancient times this solemnized a covenant. It was only necessary for God to pass through the pieces. This covenant is God’s alone. It cannot fail because God does not fail. The Lord God keeps His promises. “So the LORD made a covenant with Abram that day and said, ‘I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River.’” (Gen.15:18 nlt) The Lord gives Abram the specific boundaries of the land and the current occupants as a definite acquisition, it will happen. The children of Israel did move into the Promised Land, but they have not possessed its entirety to this day. But God’s promise to Abram still stands. Israel will possess all the land promised them when Christ returns to rule from Jerusalem. Our Lord keeps His promises.

Next week Abram and Sarai become impatient………..

Devotionals

A Sign in the Sky 

Loring Schultz

Read: Genesis 9:8-17 NLT – Then God told Noah and his sons, “I – Bible Gateway

“I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth.” Genesis 9:13 NLT

Photo by Frans van Heerden on Pexels.com

Here in North America we are blessed often with a rainbow in the sky during the summer season. It’s not that one does not appear at other times, but lest frequent. A rainbow forms, in simple terms, as light mixes with water droplets. You made have noticed a few when washing your car. But the most amazing spectacle is seeing one in the sky on a summer day after a thunder shower. God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, did not form the rainbow at the earth’s creation, but after the great flood in the book of Genesis. Nevertheless, God created it. He created it and placed in the sky for a purpose, His covenant with the earth, His rainbow.

It is well-known the rainbow has been hijacked of its meaning over the last several decades, but that is a subject for another day. Our focus today is why did God place a rainbow in the sky. The rainbow is God’s covenant, His promise to us that ‘Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life.” (Gen.9:15 nlt) The world, in Noah’s day, was extremely sinful and evil. “The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt.” (Gen.6:5,12 nlt) God had decided He would destroy all living creations due to their wickedness. But Noah found favor with the Lord. The entire story of Noah and the great flood is found in Genesis chapters 6 through 9.

Back to our ‘sign in the sky.’ The Lord has kept His promise through the ages, and we have proof that He will continue to do so as we see His covenant sign in the sky in the form of a rainbow. But our world has become increasing wicked once again, and this time Jesus Christ is returning to earth to make things right. “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.” (Mt.24:37-39 nlt

Don’t get caught by surprise as in the days of Noah, but remember God’s faithfulness, His promises, and His plan for Salvation available only through His Son, Jesus.

Devotionals

Our Promise Keeper       

Loring Schultz

“Praise the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel, just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises he gave through his servant Moses.” 1 Kings 8:56 NLT

Photo by Yulia Gadalina on Unsplash

‘Promise Keepers’ is a Men’s Evangelical Christian organization created “to equip men, through the preaching and teaching of the Word of God, to live the Christian life boldy and unashamedly, producing better husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, and leaders within their respective communities.” (1) Founded by Bill McCartney, University of Colorado’s football coach in 1990, the organization is still headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is based on seven promises men make to each other and to God. “You see, when you make a promise to a brother, you declare your intentions and obligate yourself to follow through. You bind yourself to that person, too. You actually look into the future and determine, by your deliberate choice, that part of it relates to your promise.” Bill McCartney (1)

I applaud ‘Promise Keepers’ for their commitment to each other and to God. Yet, as much as we try to remain faithful to our friends and to God, even making promises, sadly we do fail at times. We are blessed we have a forgiving God who cleanses us from our stain of sin. We’re thankful for brothers and sisters in Christ who forgive us when we fail. Encouraging one another in Christ is key in helping us keep our promises whether as a part of ‘Promise Keepers’, your church family, or your closest Christian friends.

All Christians can rely on the one we know who will always keep His promises, the Lord God. At the dedication of God’s Temple in the Old Testament, King Solomon rose up from his prayer and said, “Not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises he gave through his servant Moses.” (1Kg.8:56 nlt) The Jewish people had witnessed all God’s promises through their lives and none failed to come to pass. If we take time to look back over our lives, we will see He has done the same for us. The Lord God is our Promise Keeper.

(1) About Us – Promise Keepers

Devotionals

God’s Promise of Eternal Life  

Loring Schultz

“This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.” 1 John 2:25 NASB

Photo by wisconsinpictures on Unsplash
 

Do you know the number of promises God has given to us in the Bible? I did not. To me they are countless, but there is an actual number. Whether any human being could count them all and be accurate I’m not sure, but what I do know is that God knows the exact number for they are His promises. Many Biblical scholars put the number at 7,487 promises of God found in Scripture. So, I’ll go with that. God is not a God that He should lie. When God makes a promise, He sees it through. The responsibility now falls on us, do we believe His promises?

Of all the promises God has made, perhaps the greatest is His promise of eternal life. “This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life…..And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.” (1Jn.2:25, 5:11 nasb) If you believe there is a God, then you should believe He is not a deceiver and would not lie. What He promises will come about, because He Himself is God. He has promised those who believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, will have eternal life.

The only sure thing we can count on in this world is the promises of God as recorded in Scripture. As noted, there are many to read about in His Word and be encouraged, but we need to take first things first. The first promise of God for us to learn is His love for us and His salvation plan through Jesus Christ that guarantees us eternal life. Every one of His promises is true but let us start with the most important one. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (Jn.3:16 nasb)

Devotionals

Guaranteed Good Things

Loring Schultz

“For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.” Psalm 84:11 NLT

Photo by Volkan Olmez on Unsplash

It’s always nice to have a guarantee on something you purchase. There is a satisfying comfort in the thought if the product breaks it can be replaced, even if you break it. But a guarantee is only as good as the word of the one backing it up. There are occasions when a guarantee is not guaranteed according to ‘the fine’ print. Always read the fine print. We all assume that there is no such thing as a sure thing, but we assume wrong. There are sure things. With the Lord God there are many sure things, and they are guaranteed.

Psalm 84:11 says, “The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.” (Ps.84:11b nlt) It sounds to me like we are guaranteed good things from God. It certainly seems like a sure thing for God said it. There is no fine print to watch out for. The conditions are clearly spelled out for us so there is no misunderstanding. We only need to read it as it is written. It’s God speaking. But take note that it is conditional. God promises not to hold back any good thing that helps or benefits us when we obey Him and do what’s right.

With that said, we do not always see things the Lord allows in our lives as good things as we do what’s right. We must then search ourselves and ask do we trust God that His words are true? If we are in a right relationship with Him obeying His Word, and no we are not perfect, we can be assured that God will honor His Word and not withhold any good thing from us. It’s a guarantee.

Devotionals

You can count on God to keep His promises

Loring Schultz

“This is what the LORD says: ‘You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.’” Jeremiah 29:10 NLT

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According to ‘On This Day’ in history website, Presian King, Cyrus the Great, marched into Babylon on October 29, 539 B.C. capturing the city and destroying the Babylonian Empire. It set in motion the soon release of the Jews who have been captives for 70 years. God had promised that although the Jews had sinned against Him resulting in Jerusalem being destroyed and them being taken captive, He would be faithfully have them return. The Lord used this Persian king to free His people and to order the rebuilding of the Temple. (Ez.1:1-2) God had kept His promise.

Have you ever thought of all God’s promises recorded for us in the Bible. Here are a few of them;

Salvation, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Ro.10:9 nlt)

Peace of God, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” (Is.26:3 niv)

God’s comfort, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Ps.23:4 niv)

Supplying our needs, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” (Ph.4:19 niv)

God is always present, “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Dt.31:8 niv)

Promised rest, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Mt.11:28 niv)

Wisdom granted, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (Ja.1:5 niv)

Forgiveness of sins, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1Jn.1:9 niv)

Adopted, “he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” (Eph.1:5 niv)

God’s love, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn.3:16 niv)

Just a few of the many promises for us from God. We can be sure He will keep those promises for he has proven it all throughout Scripture. Whatever your need is tell God today reading back the promise Scripture to Him. God keeps His promises, you can count on it.

Devotionals

I Promise

Loring Schultz

“Not a single one of all the good promises the LORD had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.” Joshua 21:45 NLT

Photo by Alberto Barrera on Unsplash

How many times have you spoken the words “I promise” only to break your promise. It may have been unintentional or deliberate, in either case you broke your promise, and someone got hurt. Most of us have felt the effects of broken promises, and again most of us have at one time hurt someone from lack of commitment to keep that promise. Marriage vows are being altered today to lessen the sting of a broken promise by making them conditional. Making it easier doesn’t justify breaking promises. We are fallen creatures, prone to fail by breaking promises, but can learn a great deal from our Lord God who never breaks any of His promises to us.

Near the end of Joshua’s life as Israel was settled in the Promised Land, we find these words from the book of Joshua, “Not a single one of all the good promises the LORD had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.”  (Jos.21:45 nlt) God promised Abraham seven hundred years earlier, “And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.” (Gen.17:8 nlt) God fulfilled His promise.

Many of God’s promises are recorded in the pages of scripture, most of them for our benefit. We are promised comfort in our afflictions, “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Mt.5:4 nlt) God will restore us in our weakest spiritual condition, “He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle.” (Is.42:3a nlt) The apostle Paul assures us God supplies all our needs, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” (Ph.4:19 nlt) He promises never to leave us, “For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’” (Heb.13:5b nlt) Jesus, God the Son, promises to come back for us, “When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” (Jn.14:3 nlt) And the best promise of all, the saving promise is, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn.3:16 nlt)

Unfortunately, we will come into some disappointment in our lives by broken promises. But we can be certain that God never breaks any of His promises, His love for us, His protection, His on-going presence, His promise of salvation for all who believe, and His promise to return. When our Lord says, “I promise”, He keeps it!