God’s Promise – Learning Dependence

By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions Hebrews 11:33

The bible has great stories trying to convey important themes repeatedly. At the top of the list is how God always fulfills his promise, that he is good and faithful, and that His Children are always waiting for Him to fulfill one promise or another. The list of promises are a child, deliverance from oppression , a promised new land, the coming of the messiah, the second coming of the messiah, and the restoration  of  those who are oppressed. Waiting on God’s promise –with a good attitude, should therefore be an integral part of every believer’s journey, it should be embedded in our DNA, our walk with God is not complete without us having a Promise we are waiting on.

The Framework of a Promise

There is a danger for children of God to live a life that does not need God, it is possible to be self-sufficient and independent, it is possible to be a believer and be your own God. The solution to this problem is that God will orchestrate difficult events in our lives that bring us to the end of self, that require us to turn to Him, to come out. That force us to seek him, in our inability we find humility and a need for God, and therefore a reason to be dependent on Him, as we become dependent on Him we learn to obey Him and Trust Him. Therefore God’s promise is the way to salvation, sanctification and a relationship with Him, this ‘way’ can only be accessible to those who carry God’s promises and was also demonstrated by Jesus as he gave his life in pain and as a criminal, knowing and believing God would keep His promise and raise Him up as the King of Kings.

looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy (promise) set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God Hebrews 12:2

The Children of Israel

It was God’s will and plan for the children of Israel to be captives in Egypt, this event had been foretold by God to Abraham (Genesis 5:13) generations before it happened, they found themselves in a difficult situation that they could not resolve in their own strength. They needed God-

The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. Exodus 2:23

In response, God did not instantly deliver them instead he gave them a promise

The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Exodus 3:7-8

A few days after the children of Israel had crossed the red sea, their expectations were shattered when they found themselves in a wilderness. No water or food, this situation mirrored the exact opposite of what God had promised “a land flowing with milk and honey”, instead of trusting the  One who parted the red sea, the children of Jacob opted to complain

Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp Numbers 11:1

God’s reaction, was for a good reason I cover this in believing God. What I want to cover in this article is an observation, that every time we start in the journey of God’s promise, the first experiences the children of God experience is the opposite of what was promised.

Abraham

In Genesis 15 God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as many as the stars, but what Abraham experienced is bareness for more than 25 years. There is nothing Abraham could do but just wait, every year of his waiting I can imagine he died to self, he became totally dependent on God. He was put in a situation where only God could resolve, and that is the point of a promise. It puts you in a place that you can’t in your own strength come out..early in his walk with God Abraham responded badly in Genesis 16 the very next event after the promise in Genesis 15. He caved to the pressure of his wife whom he loved, and listened to her voice.

And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. Genesis 16:2

The consequences of this sin, makes me believe that God was displeased. His sin and the consequence is a reenactment of what happened in Eden, but on this occasion the curse falls on Ishmael

He shall be a wild donkey of a man,his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him,and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen. Genesis 16:12

To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’“Cursed is the ground because of you;

The promise stretched the faith of Abraham and the children of Israel, but I see a glimmer of hope. During the exodus the story of Caleb is highlighted as the only one who trusted God whole heartedly despite the great odds the stood between them and the promise. As for Abraham, God gave him a second chance to prove total dependence on His voice.  Below is an extract from the Asbury bible commentary that summarizes that event

“Abraham’s response to God’s voice is immediate. They have a history with one another, and though the command to sacrifice Isaac is absurdly incomprehensible, Abraham demonstrates faith in God’s dependability. This is a God whom he can trust though he may not understand. We are assured in Heb 11:17-19 that Abraham is convinced that God can “raise the dead” and so will give Isaac back from death.The enigmatic summons to kill Isaac threatens the promise. Abraham will be left bereft of progeny and a future hope. It is a negation of all that has been accomplished in the miracle birth of the son. It is a return to hopelessness. The significant difference this time from other occasions in which the promise was placed in jeopardy lies in the fact that it is the Promise-Giver, not the promise-bearer who is the responsible party. And since the Promise-Giver stands as sole guarantor of the promise (15:1-21), a threat to the promise is a threat to the veracity of God. Abraham must rely a priori on the Promise-Giver, otherwise the promise is of no intrinsic value. The issue at stake supersedes the concept of promise per se and focuses on a God who demands unequivocal trust and allegiance.”

Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go ^and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel. 1 Kings 2:2-4