God promised to send a Saviour who would crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15), and he did. He promised that the Saviour would come from the line of Judah (Genesis 49:8–12), and he did. He promised that his Son would come in the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4–5), and he came. He promised that the Son would not see decay but be raised from the grave (Psalm 16:10), and he was. He promised that his Messiah would be King (Psalm 2:1–12), and he reigns, seated at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 1:3). He promised to send his Spirit (John 14:1 – 15:27), and the Spirit came at Pentecost (Acts 2:1–47). He promised to empower his apostles for witness (Acts 1:1–26) and so it happened. He has promised that one day he will come again (Acts 1:1–11), and so he will. Not one Word spoken by the Lord has failed, not one Word spoken by the Lord will fail—that is a fact of history into which you and I are encouraged to place our trust and confidence. God does what he says.
God has promised that if you confess your sin and trust in Christ, there is forgiveness (1 John 1:5–10; Mark 2:1–12). Even if your conscience should accuse you that you have grievously sinned against God and broken all of his commandments, because you are united to Christ through faith, his perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness have been imputed to you (Romans 1:16–17). That is a promise that does not depend on our feelings. A promise that comes from God. If you belong to Christ, you have nothing to fear. You have been made right with God. Your sins have been forgiven.
Having been made part of God’s family, you have also received a promise that there will be a way out in every temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). By his Spirit God will help you to fight against the world, the flesh, and the devil (Romans 8:1–39). You do not have to give in to sin. You do not have to get angry when things do not go your way. You do not have to watch pornography to escape from the stress and pressures of life. You do not have to divorce your spouse when things get difficult. God will always provide a way out of temptation—that is a promise from him.
For those times where you are depressed and down, perhaps not feeling particularly interested in God or unsure about your salvation, he has promised to revive you through his Word. What do we sing in Psalm 19:1–14? The law of the Lord is perfect reviving the soul.
That is God's promise. Through the means of grace, through the preaching of his Word and the use of his sacraments, he will work to strengthen and revive the downcast and distressed. And so if a morning should come when you do not feel like gathering for worship, remember that is exactly what you need. God will use the means of grace to strengthen your soul.
If you are scared for your life or what the future holds—worried about getting sick, unsure about finances—God has promised that your life is in his hands, and that not even a hair can fall from your head (Matthew 6:19–34; Matthew 10:30). He knows what is best for you, and even if your circumstances are horribly difficult and sad, remember he is working all things for your good (Romans 8:28). You might not understand how that can be true at this moment—trust God who acts with perfect wisdom.
Maybe you are ill, tired, or just frustrated with the aches and pains of your body. You have had to go to the doctor and been given more pills to swallow. God has not promised perfect health whilst we remain in this world, but he has promised to give you a new resurrection body when Christ returns (1 Corinthians 15:1–58).
Maybe you are struggling to understand and make sense of Scripture—the relationship between the old and the new covenant, the place of gender in church offices, the proper subjects of baptism, or the strange reference to sons of God in Genesis 6:1–22. God has promised that by his Spirit, he will help you to understand his Word as you study in the context of community and history.
Finally, if you have lost a child in infancy, if you have had a miscarriage, your son and daughter passed away moments after they were born, God has promised that they are included in his covenant of grace, and therefore you can be sure of their election and salvation.
There are many more promises that we could mention—glorious, beautiful, wonderful promises from our King who came to redeem us from wrath and change us for glory.
Knowing that all God’s promises are true, there is one simple lesson to learn from Joshua 21:43–45: God keeps his promises. That is a truth which resounds throughout Scripture and it is mentioned once again not because it is new information, but because we need to hear this truth again and again. We are so prone to doubt and forget what God has said, prone to believe the lives of the devil. As a result, we need to hear that God keeps his promises so that our faith in God can be strengthened. It is a truth that builds relationship—like in a marriage where you say to your spouse, I love you
and he or she says the same to you. Nothing new, but vital words that we need to hear so that we can be strengthened to respond with faith. Vital words that we need to hear so that we will trust God with our lives, so that we will make a renewed effort to fight against our sinful natures in the week to come, so that we will make another commitment to honour God in our decisions even if they bring shame in the eyes of the world. So that we will endeavour once again to glorify God with all of our being no matter what the consequences.
43 Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there.