You Think This is Bad!
“Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.” (Joshua 21:45 NKJV)
He CANNOT deny Himself!
As I have been reading through the Old Testament ups and downs of the nation of Israel, I have been reminded of Paul’s letter to Timothy where he says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13 NKJV).”
The children of Israel had surely shown themselves faithless in many situations. They complained about not having water, they complained about not having meat, they got tired of the manna, they forgot the miracle of the Red Sea, they linked themselves with the women of Midian when Balaam was counseling Balak. They challenged their leadership and yet the Lord remained faithful to them. This statement that there didn’t fail any good thing that the Lord had promised was written by Joshua, a man of faith, who was obedient and faithful. He saw the goodness of God and he saw the faithfulness of God.
How Is God Faithful?
First of all, He is faithful in forgiving sin. He loves the world. He doesn’t just love the good people, the Jewish people, or some definition of the chosen people. He loves the whole world. He proved that by sending His Son to die for the whole world. The whole world is not saved because many in the world have rejected the goodness of God in sending His Son. But God will keep his promise that those who trust in the Lord have eternal life presently and will enjoy it throughout the endless ages of eternity. Those who end up being condemned will have only themselves to blame because God has been faithful in extending His love and the promise of eternal life to all who will believe in the Lord Jesus.
God is faithful in answering prayer. God is faithful in providing for our practical needs (not our practical greeds). He is faithful in healing the broken hearted. He cries when those who love Him die.
He doesn’t promise riches or popularity. He tells His own to take up their crosses (a place of execution by the political system) and to follow him. I am glad that he asks tax collectors to follow him just as he did Levi (or Matthew). He also asks fisherman to follow him. He saves the rich (Joseph of Arimathea). He saves the religious, Nicodemus and Paul for example. He really does. He is faithful in offering His salvation to all.
There is One Promise Left
But what about that one promise, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:3 NKJV).” Generation after generation have waited for the fulfillment of that promise.
Because it hasn’t happened for two thousand years some are questioning whether it will ever happen. The unsaved mock the promise and they mock those who live expectantly waiting for the Lord’s return. Many who call themselves Christians have turned Christianity into a way of life rather into a faithful relationship with one who calls us His friends and who asks us to love our neighbors to show that we are real. But just as the promises of God were ALL fulfilled according to Joshua, this promise will be fulfilled as well. For those of us who are saved, this is a blessed hope. For those who are not saved, the pestilences, earthquakes, derechos, floods, hurricanes, and the despotic leadership of our day is nothing compared to what is coming. God reminds us that while he keeps His promises of mercy and grace, He also has wrath for those who reject his offer of love and salvation through His Son.
“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:36 NKJV).”
God kept His promises for good to Israel in Joshua’s day. He keeps his promises for good to those who trust His Son in our day. But He also has promises He will keep for those who “do not believe in (or trust) His Son.”
We can Be Sure
We don’t know the time or the seasons, but God does. His promises are faithful. The Lord is coming. For the saved that will be joy. For the unsaved. . . I don’t even want to think about it.
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of March 28, 2021