In the preceding article we dealt with three promises in Genesis. In this article we will consider seven promises, beginning with Exodus 33:14: “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.” This promise was given to Moses when he asked the Lord to be with him in his difficult task of leading the children of Israel. He certainly needed help, and it was always forthcoming when he asked for it.
But it also applies to God’s children today. As brought out in our last article, God is with His faithful people always, no matter where they go. The idea that should particularly appeal to us in this verse is that He will give us rest. Rest from what? It certainly does not imply that we shall never experience evil, but it does mean that God will give us rest in the sense that we need not worry about our daily ordeals, since we have placed ourselves and our affairs in His hands. We can realize without a doubt that He is taking care of us, and that the “angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them” (Psalms 34:7). He knows our every sorrow and affliction and is always there to comfort and help us. Then, too, we will have rest in the sense that we will not be frightened by the things that are coming upon the world. We rest in the knowledge that we have been enlightened as to what the outcome will be, and that these things are but the signs of the coming of the Lord.
The next promise that we will consider is Deuteronomy 31:8: “And the Lord, He it is that doth go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” This promise was given by the Lord to Joshua, through Moses, but also applies to us in these days. Although things may appear to be exceedingly dark at times we will not despair, for the Lord has said that He will not leave us nor forsake us. All our steps are ordered by Him; we are so precious to Him that even the hairs of our heads are numbered (Luke 12:7). The Word tells us that the holy angels are ministering spirits sent forth to minister to the heirs of salvation, which we trust we are. With an angel beside us, and God’s spirit with us, why should we fear what man can do to us? Nobody can take away our crown or keep us from inheriting eternal life.
The following promise is found in Deuteronomy 33:25: ” . . . As thy days, so shall thy strength be.” This was the blessing given to Asher by Moses before his death, and is a blessing that we may share. If we feel unutterably weary, as we sometimes do, perhaps it is because we are unconsciously carrying the burdens of previous years, and the imagined terrors of those to come, as well as the cares of the present time. God forgave the mistakes of the past when we gave ourselves into His keeping. The future is made up of weeks, months or years which arrive one day at a time, and then it is today. God has promised strength for that particular twenty-four hours, and for each day as it arrives. Let us close the door firmly on our past mistakes and sorrows, except insofar as they may help us not to make similar mistakes in the future. We cannot live our lives over again, and it is impossible to change anything that has happened in the past. Let us do the best we can today, and perhaps the people who may have suffered from our mistakes will in time forget all about them and learn to love us. And it does not help us to dwell on past sorrows, it only makes us miserable today, when, otherwise, we might be happy. Older people, especially those who have no family and little of this world’s goods, are inclined to worry about the future. They fear the Old People’s Home, the County Hospital, or what is commonly called “The Poor Farm.” God can and will take care of us in some way if we trust Him. But if, for some good reason, we should be obliged to go to one of these places, our Lord will be even there, just as He would be in the most expensive and beautiful home. He is no respecter of persons or places, and the humblest place is blest and brightened by His presence. The writer had a friend who worried so much about “The Poor Farm” that she never had a day’s pleasure in her life. Her worry was all for nothing, she never had to go there. She died in the prime of life, and left all she had for her brother to enjoy. Can we not trust our future to our Heavenly Father, and live each day fully, blessedly, as it comes?
The next promise is found in 2nd Samuel 22:2: “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.” In times of war people entrenched themselves in fortresses, and if the fortresses were strong enough the enemy could not defeat them, especially if they were built upon a rock. Our fortress is built upon the rock, Christ Jesus, and we can always retreat to it in time of stress. Unlike an earthly fortress, it is always strong enough to hold before the enemy, and if we will place ourselves within it, we shall always be delivered.
Now let us examine Job 5:19: “He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea in seven there shall no evil touch thee.” Since seven signifies completeness, we see that God will, at some time, deliver us from all of our tribulations. This will be manifest when we reach our eternal home. We might be surprised, however, if we realized how many times each day the angel of the Lord delivers God’s people from the dangers that surround them on every side. We remember how Elisha prayed for his servant’s eyes to be opened that he might see the invisible army that was protecting them, and if our eyes could be likewise opened, we would become aware of the consoling fact that, as long as we are following in our Master’s footsteps, we will be taken care of. But if, for our best good, some untoward thing should befall us, God delivers us even then, for He gives us strength to endure our affliction, and we find that “underneath are the everlasting arms.” We should be willing at all times to say with Jesus, “Not my will but thine be done.”
Another promise is found in Psalms 18:2 “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust: my buckler, and the horn of my salvation and my high tower.” We have already mentioned the “rock” and the “fortress” where we may be protected against any enemy that may attack us. The Lord also is our “buckler.” Armor, including a buckler or shield, was worn in Bible times in battle. Our shield is the “shield of faith” which will never fail us as long as we are God’s children. The “horn” typifies strength, pride and glory. God will give us power in our contest with sin and weakness, but our pride and glory must be in Him, and never in ourselves.
We will mention one more promise, and continue with them in our following article. Psalms 27:1: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” The Lord is our Light. No matter how dark earth’s night of sin, sorrow and death may become, our lives are illuminated by His Word, and light streams forth on our daily path. He is our Salvation. We have been redeemed by the blood of the Savior, and have been given a new existence in His love and divine protection. And some day, if we are faithful, we shall know His greater salvation which will be for all the glorious ages to come. Since He is the Strength of our lives, no weakness need overcome us, for He has promised to bear us up, whatever trials may overtake us. “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2nd Corinthians 12:9) He is available night and day to those who believe in Him, and His ear is always open to their faintest cry. So, no matter how formidable the enemy may be — poverty, sickness, loneliness oi grief, we need only to go in prayer to our Savior, who knows our every weakness, and was tempted in all points as we are. He is a loving, tender, merciful High Priest, with His blessed hands al ways stretched out to save us. Remember the beautiful old song, “Only trust Him only trust Him, only trust Him now.’ We need not travel in an arid desert: springs of water are ever there to refresh us if we will but partake of them. He is our “Elder Brother,” nearer to us than breathing, closer than hands and feet.”
“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest” (Matthew 12:28). Let us learn to do this, and we will “rejoice in the Lord alway.”
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One