Promise -
A declaration assuring that one will or will not do something.
An
Interesting Note:
In the
Hebrew language, there are no words that correspond with the English word
‘Promise’. Instead, because of the training of God, there is only the Hebrew
‘Davar’ – which means ‘speaking’,
‘speech’, or ‘to speak’. Then there is the Hebrew
‘Dmar’, which means ‘To say’; and
finally the Hebrew ‘Omer’, which
means ‘speech’.
This is a
significant understanding that God has instructed by the fact that He does
not truly promise, but states his intentions!
Paul new
this, note:
Titus 1:1-3
“Paul,
a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith
of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with
godliness,
2
in hope of
eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,
3
but has in
due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me
according to the commandment of God our Savior”
In learning
to speak as the oracles of God, everywhere the promises of God are
translated in the New Testament; we should learn to read them simply as
“God Has Said”.
Note this
particular exercise:
Genesis 12:1-3
“Now
the
Lord had said to Abram:
“Get out of
your country,
From your family And from your
father’s house, To a land that I will show you.
2
I will make
you a great nation;
I will bless you And make your
name great; And you shall be a blessing.
3
I will
bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be
blessed.””
Acts 2:39;
3:19-26;
10:1-4;
Galatians 3:16;
26-29
Many people
believe things; yet never act upon what they know in their hearts (1
Corinthians 1:20 – God has made foolish the wisdom of this world;
James 2:19)! Trust creates the ability to move past simple mental
ascent in order to develop what God truly demands from all of us – Faith (Romans
4:21 – Abraham was fully
convinced that what God had promised He was able to perform;
Hebrews 11:6)!
Since God’s
word is full of incentive to trust Him, we should not be surprised that
faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans
10:17); thus developing trust!
Now let’s
move to the
1st
letter of
Peter, which we have been using for a text:
1 Peter 1:3-12
– the properties of the Great promise(Genesis
12:3).
2 Peter 1:1-11
- great and precious promises, given to us! How? Knowledge of Him!!!
By the
prophetic word –
2
Peter 1:12-21
We
according to His promise
– look for:
2
Peter 3:9 – Certainty,
13-18 – New Heavens and a New
Earth;
2
Corinthians 6:16-7:1 – He
will be our God, and we shall be His people;
1
Timothy 4:8 – the promise of
life to come;
Hebrew 9:15 – eternal life, by the death established covenant of
life.
Summary
James 1:12
“Blessed
is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he
will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love
Him.”
1 John 2:25
“And
this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.”
So to you
and me:
1 Corinthians 15:58
“Therefore,
my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work
of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”