Biblical definition of promise:
Ephesians 6:2 “Honour your father and mother” – which is the first commandment with a promise – v3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
Character Study:
Sarah – Genesis 11-25; Isaiah 51:2; Romans 4:19; 9:9; Hebrews 11:11; 1 Peter 3:6
She was married to Abraham who was her half-brother. She was the daughter of Terah (also Abraham’s father) but with a different mother. (Genesis 20:12) She was barren until the age of ninety when Isaac was born.
(Genesis 21:1-3)
Hebrews 11:11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered Him faithful who had made the promise. She was beautiful. (Genesis 12:11) She became the mother of a nation and an ancestor of Jesus. She died at the age of 127 in Kiriath–Arba. (Genesis 23:1, 2)
Sarah is known for:
Her submission towards Abraham
We read in 1 Peter 3:6 that Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham and called him her master.
God’s Protection
In Genesis 12:11-13 and 20:12 we see that Abraham acted out of fear and asked Sarah to say that she was his sister. In both incidences, God protected Abraham and his family. In Genesis 12:17 God sent terrible plagues upon Pharaoh and his household “because of Sarai” Abram’s wife. In Genesis 20:16 Abimelech gave Abraham 1,000 pieces of silver to compensate Sarah for any wrong he may have done to her.
God’s promise of a son
Genesis 17:15-19 God changes her name from Sarai to Sarah. God’s promise to Abraham is that He will bless Sarah and she will become the mother of many nations. v16 And I will bless her and give you a son from her! I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Even kings of nations will be among her descendants.
Impatience and jealousy
She became impatient when it came to believe that God’s promises will be fulfilled.
Genesis 16:1-6 She gave her Egyptian servant Hagar as a wife to Abraham. When Hagar became pregnant she treated Sarai with contempt. Sarai duly blamed Abraham who gave her permission to send Hagar away.
Genesis 21:8-10 Abraham had prepared a feast to celebrate Isaac being weaned. Sarah saw Ishmael making fun of her son and demanded that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away.
As a woman of faith
Hebrews 11:11 attributes Sarah with faith because she believed that God would keep His promise, even though she was barren and old.
What the Bible teaches about promise:
Old Testament:
In Numbers 23-24, we read that Balak took Balaam to several places to try and entice him to curse the Israelites. In the second oracle, Balak took Balaam to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah. The LORD met with Balaam and told him to give the message that God does not give a promise and then not fulfil it!
We have the assurance that when God gives us a promise, He will fulfil it because God cannot lie!
In Deuteronomy 23:21one of the commands from the LORD was that when the people made a vow to God, they were to execute it promptly; otherwise, they would be guilty of sin.
In Joshua 23 we read the instructions Joshua gave the people before he died. He reminded them that not one of all the promises God had given them had failed.
In 1 Kings 8:54-66, we read that King Solomon after his prayers and supplications to the LORD, rose from before the altar of the LORD where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward the heaven to dedicate the Temple. He praised the LORD for the rest given to His people and the promises he had given His people Israel through Moses.
In Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 the heading in the New Living Translation NLT) says: “Approaching God with Care.” Solomon warns his readers about making foolish promises to God
Isaiah 9:1-7 In this passage the promise of the birth of the Messiah is foretold.
New Testament:
In Luke 24:48 and Acts 1:4, Jesus told the disciples that He would send them what His Father had promised.
Acts 1:5 “For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
In Galatians 3:1-14 Paul reprimands the Galatians because they had begun their lives in the power of the Spirit, but now they were insisting on keeping the Jewish laws! He reminds them that God had promised Abraham that: “All nations will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18) How did God do this? Galatians 3:14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
Hebrews 10:19-25 We are called to persevere because as Christians we now have the confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus. The writer of Hebrews says that we can draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith because God who promised this is faithful.
In James 1:2-18 (This James was the leader of the church in Jerusalem and the half-brother of Jesus, not James the apostle.) James does not say “If” troubles or temptations come our way, but whenever trials come we should consider it pure joy because in this way our faith develops perseverance
In 2 Peter 3:1-18 Peter addresses the “Day of the Lord” He writes that in the last days, there will be scoffers questioning the “coming” that was promised. For us, it may seem to be very slow, but we are reminded: v8b With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. v9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Application:
When we read our Bible, we can find hundreds of promises.
One of the most quoted verses in the Bible is possibly Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD. “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. We can take comfort from this verse, because as it says, not only does God know our future, but there is hope and we are assured that He will go with us. This does not mean that we will never experience pain, suffering or hardship, but we know for certain that God will be with us in our trials.
Jesus gives us this promise to hold onto in John 16:33b In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
The Promised Land was the huge promise that God had given the Israelites. They forfeited this promise because they hardened their hearts. We need to be mindful to keep a “soft” heart and be willing to be open to hearing God’s voice. There is a warning for us in: Hebrews 3:12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. When we yearn for God’s promises in our lives, we need to make sure our hearts are submissive to God.
Conclusion:
Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
Responding in Prayer:
Read Matthew 7:7-11 In His lessons from the Sermon on the Mount (Beatitudes), Jesus taught the people in one of the lessons about asking, seeking and knocking. Jesus tells us to persist in prayer. When we ask according to God’s will – asking for more knowledge, patience, wisdom, love and understanding – He will answer us.
We however need to realise that God does not answer every prayer.
There are conditions for God to answer our prayers:
First, a person must be a child of God – that is being saved by asking forgiveness and receiving Jesus as our Saviour. John 9:31 Then we need to worship Him and do His will.
Hebrews 11:6 We cannot come to God without believing or having faith in God.
Isaiah 59:2 God will not answer our prayers if there is unconfessed sin in our lives.
John 14:13 When we believe that Jesus is the Son of God we must come in the name of Jesus to God the Father.
Journal – Scripture/Prayers/Thoughts: