Genesis 21:1-2 (ESV)
1 The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. 2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.
God keeps his promises!
Earlier in Genesis we read the following:
Genesis 17:17-19 (ESV)
17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.
God had promised that Sarah, in old age, would give birth to a child, through whom, God would bless the world. In chapter 21 we read the culmination of that promise. God keeps His promises. Abraham and Sarah believed that and God showed them His faithfulness.
Romans 4:20-21 (ESV)
20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
Hebrews 11:11-12 (ESV)
11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.
Paul tells us that it is in Christ that all the promises of God are fulfilled for those who, by faith, believe in His finished work:
2 Corinthians 1:20 (ESV)
20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
It is through faith that we receive His promises. It is through God’s promises (believing in them) that we are partakers of God’s divine nature:
2 Peter 1:4 (ESV)
4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
Sarah and Abraham had to hold on by faith to get to the culmination of the promise. Faith is the bridge from what God said to what we experience. Our faith is in the fact that God keeps His promises.
No comments:
Post a Comment