God Will Do What He Promised
And the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as He promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together 1 Kings 5:12
Mostly everyone knows the story of Solomon, and how great he became because of his wisdom. The fact is that God made a promise to Solomon. I do not know the exact mechanism by which God brought it to pass, but we do know that He did what He promised. Therefore in the performance of his duties as king of Israel, wisdom appeared.
If we stop and think about it, it is actually quite remarkable. Solomon came to the throne under the most unfavorable of circumstances. His dad was very ill, and his family had been through some horrible sandals. There had been power struggles and civil war within his cabinet, and mounting tension regarding who would sit on the throne.
Solomon inherited unlimited wealth and power with no experience. He may have had counselors to instruct him, but there was no one to teach him wisdom. But I believe that Solomon had a praying mother who had enough insight to step in at the right time and get her son on the throne.
By operations known only to Himself, the Lord produced wisdom
in young Solomon. He gave him the capacity to reason, observe and respond with
prudent action to which no person has ever equaled. People admired Solomon
because of his wisdom, but what about the God that made him.
God promised Solomon wisdom and gave it to him. He kept His Word. Whatever God promises, He will surely perform. Whether wisdom for Solomon to lead a great nation, or grace to get us through the day, He is sure to do what He says. No matter how great the need appears to be, we must live by and hope in our promise keeping God.
No word of God can ever fail or fall to the ground. The case of Solomon is a situation where God performed His Word in a matter so entirely beyond human power. In a circumstance so full of disadvantage, God came through with supernatural splendor. The problems we face may seem so enormously difficult, and the task before us may be far beyond our ability to perform. But God’s promises to be our hiding place, to preserve us from trouble, and to compass us about with songs of deliverance (see Psalms 32:70).
God’s Word greatly exceeds all we ask or think possible. When we seek to perform His will in our lives, we place ourselves in a position to experience far more than we even could imagine. Jesus advised us to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first, and everything else will be added to us (see Matthew 6:33). This is what happened in the case of Solomon. God gave him wisdom and added riches and many more things that he didn’t know to ask for. If God promises infinite blessings, then the everyday things are traveling expenses.
God promised Adam and Eve that the seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent. Not only did that seed appear, but He won for us a glorious victory. He redeemed us from Satan’s curse. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us Romans 5:6-8.
God promised Noah that He would keep him safe in that arc. They floated around for weeks in a big box while the rain and flood wiped out everything. Yet in the arc, there was not a single water leak. That promise kept them alive while everybody else died.
The promise to give Israel a land flowing with milk and honey seemed impossible. They were in Egyptian bondage for over 400 years. And even though Pharaoh refused to let them go, God brought them out. He guided them through the wilderness and drove out their enemies. Against all possible odds, God did what He promised.
If we were to try and list every episode of God’s faithfulness, we would become exhausted. There are far too many. Throughout history, whenever men have taken hold of God promises, God has responded. I cannot think of a single person that has trusted God in vain. Blessed by the Lord, that hath given rest unto His people according to all that He promised: there hath not failed one word of all His good promises, which He promised by the hand of Moses His servant 1 Kings 8:56.
God gives good things to men according to His promises. I have never met a person who trusted God and found Him to be unfaithful. I have witnessed men stand up under heavy trials by trusting in the Word of God. Even on their deathbeds, saints are convinced that God is faithful. The thought that God would lie is blasphemous. There is nothing about God that could possibly link Him to a falsehood.
Sometimes we speak to soon. We are willing, but we fail because other things come in and distract us. Not so with God. His most ancient promise is as fresh in His mind as the day He first spoke it. He means it now just like He did then. We can and often do trust men too much. But we can never trust God too much. His Word is as sure now as it ever was or will ever be.
When we believe God’s Word, we believe something that no one can question. If God said it, it must be so. There may come a time when fire ceases to burn, when water ceases to be wet; but God Word will remain true.
God will do what He promises. What we can or cannot do doesn’t matter. It’s not my business to make God’s promises good; that’s His business. Our business is to take our heavy load of incapacity to the throne of grace and leave it there. We cannot allow ourselves to be deceived by how we feel. I may not feel forgiven, healed or delivered. I may feel like it won’t get cold this winter. But that is foolish talk if God promised otherwise.
God gave Solomon wisdom because He said He would. God never changes. We change. One day we feel so happy that we can dance like Miriam. The next morning we may face the temptation to weep like Jeremiah or run away like Elijah. But as long as we trust God’s promises, He will surely come through. No probability. He will.
Edmund Brown