ICS Daily Devotions
Promise Keeper
Joshua, the brave warrior who was the appointed successor to Moses and who led the people in the conquest of Canaan, knew he was about to pass on to glory. In the last moments of his life, Joshua’s dying words were to bring to people’s remembrance the goodness of God.
Joshua 23:14 (NKJV) ‘Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed’.
God promised the people of Israel that He would bring them into the land that flowed with milk and honey. The spies sent for the reconnaissance mission came back overwhelmed because they saw the giants. But not Caleb and Joshua. They saw the giants, but they saw beyond that to the victory that God was sure to bring to honour His promise. There is a parallel between the conquest of the promised land then and the abundant life that belongs to us now. There were giants in the land for the Israelites to conquer then and there are tribulations in our lives that we need to overcome now. They had to fully rely on God to defeat each group of people occupying the land. God’s instruction was to be strong and courageous. At the end of Joshua’s life, he spoke to his people and he testified once more that none of what God had spoken or promised to them had failed. God did not fail to honour His word to them! This was a comforting thought to them then, and to us now.
Psalms 89:34-35 (NKJV) My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips. 35 Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David.
‘I swear on my mother’s life’. ‘I swear it’s the truth and my principal can vouch for me’. When we swear, we swear by something/someone we hold dear, or something/someone greater than us. God swore on His holiness. Why is that? Because there is nothing and no one else greater than God. He is the Beginning and the End. He is above all. So, when He swore by His holiness, it was an unbreakable oath.
He keeps His promises. We can depend on that. He’s a promise keeper.
Sermon Series: The Dependability of God
