Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. | Joshua 21:43–45
Do you ever make promises? And do you always keep your promises? Maybe you promised your mother that you would be good. But it’s so hard to be good all the time. If you are not good, you are not keeping your promise, are you?
People break their promises very, very often. Sometimes they make promises they just cannot keep. God never breaks a promise. God never makes promises He cannot keep. And He never forgets. God’s promises are sure. God is faithful.
The Bible tells us that God promised the Israelites, His people of long ago, that He would bring them to a new land. It was a beautiful land, with houses and farms, beautiful gardens and parks, and all kinds of good things to eat.
But the land was far away. It was far across a big dry desert. Besides that, there were enemies – people who did not want the Israelites to have that land. They sent soldiers to fight against the Israelites.
It looked as if God could not keep His promise!
But God took care of His people in the desert. He gave them plenty to eat, He showed them the way, and He helped them when they had to fight. At last, they were almost there. They could see the land, across the River Jordan.But the river was wide and deep. And there was no bridge. Not everybody could swim – little babies, little lambs, and many people cannot swim. Oh, no! it looked as if they would never get there after all!
Then Joshua, their leader, said to the people, “Get ready to go across the river. God will keep His promise in a wonderful way.”
In the morning they were ready. Joshua told the priests to go first. They carried the Ark. The Ark showed the people that God was with them.
The priests started out. Soon they were down to the water. They stepped into the water, and all at once the river stopped. The water ran away on one side of the priests. On the other side, far up the river, it piled up high. God did not let it run down to where the priests stood. And soon the ground under the feet of the priests was dry. There was a dry path right where the river had been.
The priest walked on, halfway down the path. Then they stood still. They let all the people walk past them. When the people were on the other side, the priests went too, last of all.
So God took all His people across the river. And then what happened? The people turned around to look and they saw the water come tumbling down! The river was wide and deep again! God had kept His promise! He had brought them to the new land, with its farms and parks and gardens. And He took that land away from the wicked people who lived there, to give it to the people who loved Him.
Something to talk about
- Was it hard for God to keep His promise to His people?
- What are some of His promises to us?
- What does it mean to be “faithful”?
Memory Verse
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. | Hebrews 10:23