“O child of God, be more careful to keep the way of the Lord, more concentrated in heart in seeking His glory, and you will see the loving-kindness and the tender mercy of the Lord in your life.” -Charles H. Spurgeon, Grace God's Unmerited Favor
Happy Monday, and welcome to "That's the Truth!"
We've all seen commercials on television where someone is promising this, or that. It might be cleaner clothes, brighter smiles, better gas mileage, younger looking skin, tastier coffee, etc. Most of the time, we are disappointed after trying "it" out. We resign ourselves to the fact that we were taken in (once again) by false, or empty promises.
God doesn't work this way. When He promises something, He will deliver! All He asks in return is that we trust and obey Him. He may not fulfill the promise when we want it, or how we want it. But, in the end, He will always patiently do what He feels is best for us. May you grow in faith, knowledge, and God's love!
Topic: God Uses Power for Justice and Mercy - (Genesis 15:7-21)
“And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance” (Genesis 15:13-14—KJV).
“Then the LORD said to Abram, ‘Know this for certain, that your offspring shall be aliens in a land that is not theirs, and shall be slaves there, and they shall be oppressed for four hundred years; but I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions’” (Genesis 15:13-14—NRSV).
When God promised Abraham that He would give his descendants the Promised Land, He also foretold that Abraham’s descendants would experience four hundred years of slavery before He fulfilled His promise. God gave Abraham one reason for this: the Amorites had not yet become so completely evil that they no longer deserved to live in the land (Genesis 15:16).
God treated the Amorites with justice and mercy when He postponed their punishment until the time of Joshua based on the principle that Peter later explained: “The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
In the time of Moses, God treated the Egyptians with justice and mercy when God gave countless numbers time to repent of their idol worship and turn to God during the ten plagues He sent upon Egypt. God treated Abraham’s descendants with justice and mercy when He influenced the Egyptians to compensate them for their four hundred years of slavery by giving them great possessions when they left Egypt; thus, the children and grandchildren of those who suffered in slavery received untold riches to take with them into the Promised Land.
God always uses His power with perfect timing to achieve justice and mercy; therefore, people have good and sufficient reasons to trust and obey God
Quick Study:
1. What did Abram do to show that he believed God?
2. Why do you think God made a covenant or contract with Abram the way He did?
3. Why do you think God included in His covenant the revelation to Abram that his
descendants would be enslaved four hundred years and then freed to take possession of
the Promised Land?
4. What reason did God give Abram for His giving the land of the Amorites to his
descendants when He planned to give it to them?
5. Why do you think God promised through Abram that his descendants would leave
their land of slavery with great possessions?
-a very special thank you to L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.
May God bless you!
Riley
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