The Conditions of God's Promises.
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“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning,
that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” - Romans 15:4
The theme for our 2021 Inscribe the Word Series is THE PROMISES OF GOD, and I cannot be more thrilled to journey the Scriptures with you discovering, inscribing, claiming, and seeing God's promises come to fulfillment.
In the Introductory Post of this series, I told you about a book in my library by Dr. Herbert Lockyer called All the Promises of God. It is a bit of a daunting read, but the treasure inside is invaluable. In this Promises Of God Blog Series, I will attempt to bring out the treasures inside Dr. Lockyer's work in an easy-to-understand way. If you would like to get a copy of his book All the Promises of God, CLICK HERE.
In Part One of the Promises Series, we spoke about the Simplicity of God’s Promises. The divine promises are simply stated for all of us to understand. God's promises are not idle words. We can be confident that what He says, He will do. We read that God's promises will be fulfilled because we serve a God who cannot lie.
In Part Two of the Promises Series, we are going to address the Conditions of God’s Promises.
Part Two: THE CONDITION of GOD's PROMISES.
In his book, All the Promises of God, Dr. Hebrert Lockyer states that certain conditions or stipulations must be observed as we handle GOd’s Promises. Let’s take a look at a few of these conditions together.
1. A Divine Promise may have more than one application.
We can see examples of this throughout the Book of Proverbs, which is a book of promises.
Proverbs 14:2 says, "Those who follow the right path fear the LORD; those who take the wrong path despise him." Here, we can see numerous applications of the promise.
Those who follow the right path are those who fear the Lord.
Those who take the wrong way are those who despise the Lord.
The fear of the Lord guides the righteous.
The hate of the Lord leads to unrighteousness.
As we read The Promises of God found in Scripture, we can look for numerous applications, of course, in context with what the passage is saying.
2 . Some Biblical Promises are made to people in general.
Psalm 84:11 says, "For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right."
John 3:16-17 says, "For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him."
Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 5:45 that the Father "gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike."
These promises, and many others, are written to humanity in general. No specific person is the recipient of these promises. Other promises are specific.
3 . Some Divine Promises are made to specific individuals.
If we take a look at Joshua 1:7 it says, "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do."
The Lord gave this promise to Joshua, but we can also take on its application. Romans 15:4 says, "Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled."
Joshua was the recipient of the promises in Joshua 1:5-7, but through his story and the Lord's promise to him, we can find hope and encouragement. We know that looking to the Scriptures and meditating on God's Word will cause us to prosper.
4. Divine Promises must be read in context.
When we study The Promises of God, we must read them and examine them in context. We cannot read a promise and claim it as our own without knowing the setting, the surrounding persons, and the background of the book, chapter, or verse of the promise is found.
Lockyer uses the example of 2 Corinthians 12:8-10.
"Three different times I begged the Lord to take it [the thorn] away. Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
We can appropriate and apply this promise; in our times of weakness, God's grace is all we need. We know that The Lord's power works best in our weakness. But first, we must understand the context of this promise.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 speaks of Paul's experience. Paul had the thorn in his side. Paul received God's sufficient grace. The times I have studied the context of a popular verse like this one are the richest study times with the Lord.
Be careful, as we study The Promises of God, that you don't fall in with the "name it and claim it" crowd. Divine promises must be read in context.
"No isolated verse is of worth except in the meaning which the Holy Spirit intended it to convey when He inspired some holy man of old to record it. A misunderstood text can result in false comfort, groundless fears, and unauthorized conduct. For example, the snake-handling founded on Mark 16:18. Are we not instructed to "compare spiritual things with spiritual"? (2 Cor. 2:13) The whole of Scripture must interpret any part we consider, and the part must be looked at in light of the whole.
It is only then that we can arrive at "an enlarged and consistent view of the full extent and lovely harmony of divine truth . . .". All the Promises of the Bible, 20.
5 . The Divine Promises must be viewed practically.
In 2 Corinthians 6:14-17, Paul gives The Corinthians promises from Scripture. Then, in 2 Corinthians 7:1, Paul says . . .
"Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God."
In other words, now that you have the promises in chapter 6, do something about it. Cleanse yourself from filthiness and work towards holiness.
After reading and studying a divine promise in context, that promise should excite us to change and to conform to the image of Jesus. As we study The Promises of God in our Inscribe the Word series, let these promises spur us to action and change.
6 . The Divine Promises do not substitute for studying the Bible as a whole.
Most people will claim they don't have time to read the Bible, and they grab a quick devotional or read one of the Divine Promises, and that is considered "time with the Lord."
Reading or inscribing the Divine Promises of God are not a substitute for studying the Bible as a whole. Like we said, studying these promises in context within the study of Scripture will result in a deeper and richer understanding of the Story of God as a whole.
The Promises of God are fragments of truth - a small appetizer before the full meal. Let us not just be satisfied with the appetizer, but with the entire banquet, the Lord has placed before us.
7 . All the Divine Promises are in union with God's Character.
God cannot promise something apart from who He is. He is omniscient and wise. Therefore, the fulfillment of His promises come at the perfect time.
Look at the life of Caleb.
In Numbers 14:24, the says, "But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land."
That promise, made to Caleb, was not fulfilled until Joshua 14:6-12.
Caleb says in Joshua 14:10-11, "Now, as you can see, the LORD has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise—even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then."
Forty-five years after the promise was given, Caleb received his land. He saw the promise fulfilled. Would we wait forty-five years to see a promise fulfilled? Would we curse God in the process? Would we turn from Him thinking He forgot about the promise He gave?
God's timing is perfect, and in His omniscience and wisdom, He gives and fulfills every promise made. He is faithful. He will keep His promises.
In our Inscribe the Word series on The Promises of God, we must be careful to keep these conditions in mind. If we aren't careful, we can fall into the trap of seeing the divine promises apart from The Giver of the Promise and apart from His Word.
“At all times, our eyes must be fixed, not on a promise merely,
but on HIM, the only Foundation of our hopes,
and in and through whom all the promises are made good for us:
Also upon the Holy Spirit, the Comforter,
through whose grace we discover
the excellency and blessedness of the Promises.”
- Dr. Herbert Lockyer
