January 26, 2024 

Promise Keeper

Rev. April Betner

“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19).

 

When it comes to the promises of God, we can sometimes find ourselves in trouble. There have been times when I thought God was promising me something when He actually wasn’t. Sometimes preachers, teachers, family members and even friends with the best intentions can proclaim promises of God that don’t really exist. They are promises that we make up but aren’t really rooted in Scripture. Like promising that, if you are faithful, you will be given a spouse. –God never said that! Or if you are good with children, it must mean you will have a child biologically. God never said that! Or if you put God first, then you will have a fabulous marriage with no challenging times. God never said that!

Sometimes we blame God for not fulfilling a promise He never said He would. When we do this, we can find ourselves angry, hurt, disappointed and feeling let down by God—all because we made something up in our head that we believed we were entitled to. The only way to avoid making this mistake is to truly familiarize ourselves with the Word of God. Understanding God’s Word helps us know what He intends to accomplish in our lives. 

The Bible is full of promises of God. Yes! Yet–the point of God’s promises is not to indulge our desire for all of our Christian wishes to come true, but it is to make us holy. Yes, God’s ultimate desire—it is to make us holy, not just to make us happy by giving us what we want. We must read His word so that we can know and understand the promises of God.

Now while people may fail us, and we often fail others when it comes to promises. We can take comfort in the character of God. This is what we know to be true: Yahweh is holy. He is not like us: He never forgets a promise He made. He is changeless, and it is impossible for Him to lie. (Hebrews 6:18) When He makes a declaration or oath, He always completes it. He never says “oops!” and He never has to take back what He spoke because His “yes” is “yes,” and His “no” is “no.” God is not a human being that He should change His mind: “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19).

When we understand God’s conditional and unconditional declarations, we better understand the verses that may seem to suggest God has changed. God doesn’t change, but He does respond favorably to people who approach Him humbly.

If a person or people marked for judgment respond with repentance, God responds with mercy because that is who He is. Returning mercy in the sight of humility is what He does. (Micah 7:18) Therefore, “Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19b-c). We know these are rhetorical questions because the answer is: Of course not! God will never make a promise and not fulfill it! He will accomplish everything He said. He cannot lie because He is the Truth.

And the best news of all, friend, is that all of God’s promises find their fulfillment in Christ Jesus. (2 Corinthians 1:20) He is the Promise who was literally broken for us, to show that God simply doesn’t break any of His promises. So we can stand in confidence that God is a promise keeper. Here are a just a few of God’s promises for you to cling to.

1. God’s promises never fail. — Joshua 21:45 “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.”
2. God is always good. — Psalm 119:68 “You are good and do good. Teach me your statues.
3. God is always with you — Joshua 1:9 “This is my command-be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
4. God is faithful — Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
5. God is kind and compassionate — Isaiah 54:10 “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love {kindness} for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”
6. God designed you for a purpose. — Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
7. God loves you deeply, no matter what. — Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
8. God gives you power for your life — 2 Timothy 1:7 “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”
9. God’s presence brings joy — Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
10. God will strengthen and help you — Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
11. God will give you wisdom if you ask Him to –James 1:5 “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.”
12. God promises you an abundant life — “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
13. God has a plan for my life — Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
14. God can be trusted — Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.”

Unlike the casual promises that are often made by people, the promises of God are steadfast and sure. His promises are clear commitments made by God Himself. Therefore, as recipients of the divine promises of God, we have full assurance that what God has promised will come to pass, because He who promised is faithful! What God has said in His word, He will do and what He has promised, He will fulfil (Numbers 23:19). He is a Promise Keeper!