God Keeps His Promises
Dec 6, 2009
There is much about God’s word that excites me but one of the more exciting aspects of Scripture are the promises of God and the way He has fulfilled those promises thus far. This season of Advent reminds us of God’s promises of deliverance and also the expectant look of God’s people down through the ages. It is also exciting to be a part of God’s fulfillment of those promises in our own lives.
God’s promises alone are always enough because His word is truth. In the Old Testament in the book of Numbers 23:19 we read, “God is not a man that He should lie nor a Son of man that He should change His mind.”
To the people of the Old Testament, God promised that one-day a unique and extremely important person would step onto the stage of human history. Along with that promise God gave the people some amazing details concerning this One who was to come.
It is in Micah 5:2 that we read the promise about the place to which this Messiah would come: “But you, Bethlehem Ephratha, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times.” This promise and prophecy is important in that it sets this coming Messiah into time and space. This Messiah is not coming in some ethereal spiritual manner, but is coming to a real tangible, concrete, physical, this world geographical and historical location. It was to Bethlehem this Messiah would come but not any Bethlehem, but a specific Bethlehem. In ancient Israel there were 2 towns named Bethlehem. This coming of the Messiah was so important that there could be no confusion nor misunderstanding, so God made it very clear that His Messiah was to come out of the Bethlehem in Judah in the region of Ephratha.
The second promise was the peculiarity of the Messiah’s coming. The prophet Isaiah writes (7:14), “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call Him Emmanuel.” In the Bible signs were given to identify and to confirm this crucial truth. For example, the sign to confirm the person and work of Jesus was His resurrection. The virgin birth was given as a sign, a proof, to identify and confirm that Jesus was the Son of God, the Savior.
The third promise of the Old Testament that was revealed was the purpose for which this Messiah would come and that purpose was for the redemption of God’s creation—you and me. Again in the prophet Isaiah (49:6) we read, “I will make You a light for the Gentiles that You may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” The world was in spiritual darkness because people had rebelled against God. Sin had already entered the human drama way back in Genesis 2 with Adam and Eve. The tragic result was the separation and estrangement of mankind from God. This promised Messiah then would come to give light in the midst of darkness, light to all who would put their trust in His redeeming work. Here these words from John’s gospel as John speaks of Jesus, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:4)
Isaiah continues to describe who this coming Messiah was to be—the King of kings. We read in Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulders, and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.” The great musical masterpiece Handel’s “The Messiah” powerfully captures the thrill and beauty of this great promise.
“And the government shall be upon His shoulders” speaks of the Messiah’s political authority. The promise of God is that Jesus is the divinely appointed King. It is quite interesting that the cry of the early American patriots was “We have no king but Jesus.” Standing before Pilate Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” The Bible also promises us that one day Jesus will come back again and set up His kingdom here on earth. In the manger in Bethlehem Ephratha a child was born in humanity and a son was given in deity. The Bible says that to Him and to Him alone men and angels will ascribe blessing and honor and glory and power.
The promise of God in the Old Testament has been fulfilled in the person of Jesus. He came as a suffering servant to die for our sins and He is coming again as triumphant king to rule forever and ever.
As we commune this Advent Sunday may we be mindful that God keeps His promises. “Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.” Because God keeps His promises, Jesus, the Messiah, came. In the midst of darkness there is light unquenchable. In the midst of sorrow there is joy unspeakable and full of glory. In the midst of strife there is peace unshakeable. In the midst of turmoil there is order unmistakable. In the midst of death there is life eternal.