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
Samuel Butler said, “Oaths are but words, and words but wind.” Napoleon said, “The best way to keep one’s word is not to give it.” Most people have heard the famous line, “Promises are made to be broken.” Man has always struggled to fulfill his promises. It is not uncommon to know someone—and in many cases even a friend and a brother in Christ—who quickly promises things he never fulfills. Isn’t it refreshing to know that God has no such trouble? While man certainly is made in God’s image (Gen. 1:26), he has failed to live up God’s image when it comes to covenant keeping and trustworthiness.
Joshua 21:43–45 emphasizes God’s faithfulness to keep His word. He had promised the land of Canaan to the family of Abraham long before this generation of people received the inheritance. The first utterance of this oath is found in Genesis 12:1–3: “Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” This land that God would show Abraham is also the land He would promise to Abraham. We read of the detailed promise of this land in Genesis 13: The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you” (Gen. 13:14–17). These promises were handed down from generation to generation.
Surely with each generation there was a question of “When?” When are we going to get the land we have been promised? When will we finally be a nation and have our own territory? When is all of this going to happen? By the time we meet the Israelites leaving Egypt, we find a generation who apparently barely knows the promises—or at least fails to fully believe in them. At every sign of opposition the people cry out to God wanting to return to the chains of Egypt. Their faith was so fragile that when they are merely days from conquering the land, the report of ten doubters causes them to forsake the promise of God. They would not see the land. But the next generation did. And that’s why Joshua plainly points out, “Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass” (Josh. 21:45). Consider some lessons learned:
- God can not lie. The words of Balaam serve as good witness to God’s character—“God is not man, that he should lie…” (Num. 23:19). God does not lie. When the Creator makes a promise, mankind can know that He will surely keep it. We are trained to mistrust everyone. But we must know we can trust God.
- God works in His own time. God’s promises concerning Canaan were made centuries before they were fulfilled. His promise concerning the coming Messiah (Gen. 12:3) took even longer to fulfill. But each promise was fulfilled. Too often we grow weary waiting on the Lord to work our plan in our time. We need to trust Him to work His plan in His time.
God has promised us that one day there will be a judgment (Heb. 9:27). He has promised that those who are found faithful will enter into a place of eternal rest and joy (Matt. 25:34). He has also promised that those who are found to be unrighteous will suffer eternally (Matt. 25:41, 45–46). We must know that God will keep those promises. We must also know it will happen in His time. That could be today. It could be thousands of years from now. But knowing He will keep the promises and that it will come to pass, we must live our lives accordingly.
