1 Kings 5:12

"And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him..."

Early in his life as Solomon ascended to the throne of his father, David, the LORD met him and asked him what he wanted. Solomon’s request was for wisdom. He felt that it just was an impossible task for him to lead God’s people. What he asked for was the LORD’s enabling to perform the task. This so pleased the LORD that He also gave Solomon riches and peace with his enemies.

Solomon’s wisdom is storied. Scripture tells us that at the time of his reign all of the kings of the earth came to hear him. The story of the Queen of Sheba is told in particular. And her testimony, after seeing it all, was the half was not told her of the greatness of Solomon’s reign and wisdom. Who has not heard the story of the two women who claimed one child, and Solomon’s wise method to solve the riddle. He never intended to hurt the child, but he knew that the mother would rather see it live with someone else than to be dead. To this day we speak of the wisdom of Solomon.

The reason these things are true is because God keeps His promises. That God does keep His promises can be seen in that He has done so in the past, as with Solomon. This should inspire confidence in Him for the future. "Though it tarry long, wait for it." The promises of God are more sure than this earth upon which we stand. We may think it is pretty solid, but it was made by Him. Since He made it, He certainly has the ability to destroy it. But He, and His promises are more sure, more reliable.

What are some of the things that God has promised? Here are a few.

In Hebrews 13:5 we read, "... he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." This is a wonderful promise. For God is mighty, and we are so small and inadequate. Were it not for God’s presence we would be left to fend for ourselves. In so doing we would quickly discover that our own resources, no matter how vast, are insufficient. There is inevitably some catastrophe which proves to be bigger than us. Without God in such matters we would certainly be given to despair. But God says, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.

In John 14:2,3 Jesus told His disciples, "In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." Here is a promise that Jesus is coming back. Jesus Himself made this promise. 2,000 years have passed since He made this promise. But, as Peter notes in 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." For the last 2,000 years mankind has been witness to God’s immense patience, not incompetence. But the day is certainly coming when He will return. Jesus promised it. And it may be soon!

John tells his readers in 1 John 2:25, "And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life." Another promise of God that is a wonderful thing. If there is anything that mankind wants is to live forever. Nearly every dime we spend is aimed at maintaining our lives. Of course, the daily paper chronicles the ultimate failure of individuals to do so. It is a failure, really, of our bodies. We all understand that the maintenance of this life is a losing proposition. This is because Adam and Eve, created to live forever, disobeyed God. In the day that ye eat thereof (said God) ye shall surely die. By eating of the fruit of that tree they brought upon the entire race the curse of death. But God promises eternal life! This life is in His Son. By throwing ourselves upon Jesus we are putting ourselves in line for the fulfillment of this promise. Actually, the essence of our selves, our soul, is going to last forever. Ultimately, there are two eternal states into which souls go. One is a place of torment, called hell, and the other a place of bliss, which is God’s dwelling, called heaven. The whole difference between heaven and hell is the LORD Jesus Christ. Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:18, "He that believeth on him (the Son) is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." The difference between heaven and hell.

The Bible is full of promises from God. The difference between eternal bliss and eternal torment is the LORD Jesus Christ. God’s promises are to those that are His, who take Jesus as their LORD and Savior. To His people, Israel, God made many promises. Some have yet to be fulfilled, but they certainly will be. Solomon told the people in 1Kings 8:56, "Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant." He discovered that God keeps His promises. So may we!

HJK