Digging Deeper – As He Has Said and As He Had Promised
Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”
2 But Abram replied, “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. 3 You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”
4 Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” 5 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!”
Genesis 15:1-5 (NLT)
AS HE HAD SAID AND AS HE HAD PROMISED
There are places in the Holy Writ where truth is spoken with such blatant honesty as to unravel the theological complexities we’ve constructed to explain the behavior of God. For example, when Daniel’s companions tell Nebuchadnezzar that God can rescue them from the furnace, they add, “But even if he doesn’t…we will never serve your gods” (Dan 3:18; NLT). In making this assertion, they affirm the sovereignty of God in a way that is breathtakingly uncomplicated. That is, even if it is not His will to save them, He is still good and trustworthy.
Another such moment occurs after Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers. He exclaims, “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” So much is resolved in that short statement that a great many have subsequently endured evil only to discover it repurposed by God.
A statement of equal profundity occurs at the birth of Isaac in Genesis 21: “The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised” (Gen 21:1). Here is, again, a moment of stark clarity about the truthfulness of God – He does what he says He will do and keeps His promises. The text is constructed in such a way as to deliver that truth as simply as possible. One commentator puts it like this, “The language of [Moses] seems designedly chosen to magnify the power of God…”
Be encouraged today that God does what He says He will do – simply put.
Ryan Hoffer serves as NextGen Production Director at NorthStar. He holds an M.Div in Church History and enjoys playing the harp. He and his wife, Tiffany, live in Acworth and have three children.