I was just thinking about the situation in the Middle East. War has raged; cities have been greatly destroyed. Yet promises are being made to end the strife via a ceasefire. Someone said, “Promises and pie crusts are made to be broken.” Another said, “Some people make promises for the pleasure of breaking them.” I assure you that neither of those applies to the promises of the God who dwells in Heaven! God is definitely a promise maker, but be certain of this, He is a promise keeper.
Reminder of What We Already Know
In the Old Testament, we find that the God of Heaven made promises, promises that were not made to be broken. He promised a coming Messiah for His people. In Hebrew the word for Messiah refers to one who is anointed, particularly a king or ruler. In Greek, the word is Christos, and not surprisingly, it means “Anointed One.” God kept His promise when He sent Jesus to be born in Bethlehem. But the Jews thought the promise had been broken when Jesus did not set up His kingdom, but instead, died on a cross.
Multiple Promises Made — All Promises Kept
What are these multiple promises? Let’s start in Genesis — the book of beginnings. God, speaking to the Serpent in Eden, said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers; He (the Anointed One) will crush your head and you (the former anointed cherub who was cast from heaven) will strike his heel” (Gen. 3:15 NIV1984).
God made a promise in the Garden of Eden, and His Son, Jesus, dedicated Himself to keeping that promise in the Garden of Gethsemane. At the cross, Satan thought he had won a victory over God when Jesus died. However, the Promise Keeper crushed the head of the devil when Jesus arose victoriously from the grave. God is a Promise Maker, and He is most assuredly a Promise Keeper!
Consider this promise from God: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2). Was that promise kept? Indeed, it was! “So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David” (Luke 2:4).
The promise made — The Christ would be born in Bethlehem.
The promise kept — Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem.
Like Father, Like Son
Not only is the Father a promise keeper, so is His Son Jesus Christ. Neither can lie. If they say it, it will come true! There were centuries between the time Micah shared God’s promise of the birth of the Christ and the time for that birth to take place. I want us to consider a promise of God’s Son, Jesus, that He made before His ascension back to heaven.
“In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2-3).
Jesus is coming back for His people. While many scoff at that promise, I assure you it will happen. I know it will! Why? Because Jesus, God’s Son, cannot lie! And Jesus is not just a promise maker — He is a promise keeper!
