The God Who Keeps His Word
“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”
Numbers 23:19
This week is very significant to the nation of Israel. 72 years ago - May 15, 1948, to be exact - Israel once again became a nation. And it happened against all odds.
For one thing, there were the long odds of time. For nearly 2000 years the Jewish people wandered the earth exiled from their land.
There were also the long odds of persecution. From the pogroms of Czarist Russia to the Holocaust of Nazi Germany, literally millions of Jews were annihilated in an attempt to totally exterminate them as a people.
On top of this there’s the historic antagonism of the Arab states and their determination to hold onto Palestine and with it, Jerusalem.
Nonetheless, against all those odds, after having fought desperately for their right to exist, on May 15, 1948, the nation of Israel was reborn. The Jews were back in their homeland.
But there’s something else that made that day even more amazing.
Every week, on the Sabbath, in synagogues throughout the world, the scrolls are opened, and a word is read from the Prophets along with a word from the Torah or law. The order and rhythm of these readings have been carried on since ancient times.
May 15, 1948, happened to be a Sabbath, and in keeping with tradition, the scheduled scriptures were read. The prophetic text for that spring morning was from the book of Amos and it stunned those who heard it.
“In that day
‘I will restore David’s fallen shelter –
I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins –
and will rebuild it as it used to be…
and I will bring my people Israel back from exile.
‘They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.
They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;
they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
’I will plant Israel in their own land,
never again to be uprooted
from the land I have given them,’
says the Lord your God.“
Amos 9:11-15
Incredibly, the ancient prophecy foretelling the future restoration of Israel was read on the very day that it was fulfilled!
Against all odds, God kept His Word. He clearly demonstrated that His promises are true. Moreover, He showed that His timing is perfect.
God’s Plan for You
What does this say to us? We can fully trust that His Word is no less true regarding our circumstances. When God gives a promise, it will come to fruition at the appointed moment…at the set time, ordained from ages past.
“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”
Our confidence is rooted in a God who is faithful. Who is trustworthy and true. Who is good and kind, wise and all-knowing, powerful and sovereign. Our God does not change, and He does not lie. He keeps His promises. On this, we can rely.
Our God does not change, and He does not lie. He keeps His promises. On this, we can rely.
Just as God had a plan for Israel, He has a plan for you. That plan will not be thwarted by the passage of time or the difficulties of the day. That plan, in the words of another prophet – Jeremiah – gives you not only a future but a hope.
God has a plan for you. That plan will not be thwarted by the passage of time or the difficulties of the day. That plan gives you not only a future but a hope.
God’s plan will come true… against all odds. Because He is the God who keeps His Word.
PRAYER
Lord, I am utterly amazed at how perfectly Your plan was fulfilled to Your people in the past. However, I want to do more than simply admire what you did for them. I want to apply that to my life. Help me to remember that You are no less faithful to Your people in the present…people like me.
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