Standing on the Promises
Introduction:
Standing on the promises that cannot fail!
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
by the living Word of God I shall prevail,
standing on the promises of God.
-Standing on the promises
Russell Kelso Carter reminds us of an important truth. In his hymn: ‘Standing on the Promises’, each verse and refrain points to a hope that we have in life’s toughest times. Confidence that God is faithful to keep His promises. Carter’s most beloved hymn has an amazing story behind it…
At age 30, his health was in critical condition and the physicians could do no more for him. Carter turned to God for help and healing. He knelt and made a promise that healing or no, his life was finally and forever, fully consecrated to the service of the Lord. It was from that moment that the written Word of God became alive to Carter. He began to stand upon the promises of healing, determining to believe no matter what his physical condition, no matter how he felt. Over the course of the next several months his strength returned, and his heart was completely healed! Carter lived another healthy 49 years.1
Scripture gives us many assurances of God’s promises, but today we will be looking at another example from David…
Devotional:
Psalm 108 is attributed to David and judging by the words of this Psalm…David was in a tough spot. His final words of the Psalm read:
11 Have you not rejected us, O God?
You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
12 Oh grant us help against the foe,
for vain is the salvation of man!
13 With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes. -Psalm 108:11-13 ESV
These are the words of a man who feels overwhelmed by an enemy…he knows he cannot possibly prevail on his own strength…‘for vain is the salvation of man!’. Yet David shows hope and confidence in verse 13: ‘With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.’
He acknowledges that victory does not come from man’s strength, but from God. How can he express this confidence? Well, in prior verses…he references a promise…
7 God has promised in his holiness:[b]
“With exultation I will divide up Shechem
and portion out the Valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet,
Judah my scepter.
9 Moab is my washbasin;
upon Edom I cast my shoe;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
10 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom? -Psalm 108:7-10 ESV
Shechem, Succoth, Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim…these are all locations and tribes who border to the west and extend east beyond the Jordan river into an area known as the ‘Trans-Jordan’ which sits outside of Canaan proper. Why is this significant? Due to their exposed geographic position and strategic location along trade routes, these tribes (Ephraim and Manasseh) were historically vulnerable to attack from Israel’s enemies. These enemies are mentioned in verses 9 and 10 (Moab, Edom and Philistia). This Psalm appears to be written during a time of war when these enemy nations threaten the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. What does David do in a time like this? He alludes to a promise…one that goes back to the patriarchs…
When Jacob (Israel) is close to death…he calls his sons to him…
Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come. -Genesis 49:1 ESV
Jacob’s blessing and prophecy in Genesis 49 addresses each of his sons. But what is unique, is that in the prior chapter…Jacob inherits, and lays claim to the sons of Joseph who were born while Joseph was in Egypt…Ephraim and Manasseh.
And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. -Genesis 48:5 ESV
Although Joseph stays in Egypt…his sons are eventually given an inheritance in the promised land. Watch how Jacob prophetically addresses Joseph and by association, the fates of his sons Ephraim and Manasseh.
“Joseph is a fruitful bough,
a fruitful bough by a spring;
his branches run over the wall. -Genesis 49:22 ESV
-The region inhabited by Ephraim was fertile land (a fruitful bough) on the west side of the Jordan (by a spring). Manasseh was divided in half. One half west of the Jordan, the other extending beyond the Jordan to the east (his branches run over the wall).
23 The archers bitterly attacked him,
shot at him, and harassed him severely, -Genesis 49:23 ESV
-foreshadows the vulnerability and attacks from Israel’s enemies that these tribes will come up against.
24 yet his bow remained unmoved;
his arms[f] were made agile
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob
(from there is the Shepherd,[g] the Stone of Israel), -Genesis 49:24 ESV
-Although they will be attacked and harassed…they will be protected and strengthened by the ‘Mighty One of Jacob’…The Lord their God who adopted them into His family.
Even as David writes these words in Psalm 108, reflecting on this old promise to Ephraim and Manasseh…he also reminds himself of his own place in this promise…
Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet,
Judah my scepter. -Psalm 108:8 ESV
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;[a]
and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. -Genesis 49:10 ESV
The King who reigns in Jerusalem, in Judah is part of a rule that extends far beyond David. It extends to the everlasting rule of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the Lion of Judah.
In this moment, David is ‘standing on the promises’. When he and his people are in a weak and vulnerable position…he is reminded of God’s promise to strengthen Ephraim and Manasseh. His promise that the scepter shall not depart from Judah. David’s line will not be broken!
“Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons shall bow down before you. -Genesis 49:8 ESV
Moab is my washbasin;
upon Edom I cast my shoe;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.” -Psalm 108:9 ESV
God’s enemies are described here as subservient. This reminder is emphasized throughout this section of the Psalms. Famously at the beginning of Psalm 110…just 2 Psalms later:
The Lord says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”
2 The Lord sends forth from Zion
your mighty scepter.
Rule in the midst of your enemies! -Psalm 110:1-2 ESV
The Bible is truly amazing!
Ok, in the words of Chad Strasbaugh – “Let’s land this plane” …
Russell Kelso Carter…when faced with a hopeless decline in health, chose to ‘stand on the promises’. David, when faced with war and enemy attacks, chose to ‘stand on the promises’.
…and they both wrote songs about it!
What storm are you facing right now? Are you feeling hopeless and powerless? I invite you to ‘stand on the promises of God.’ Because He is faithful to keep His promises.
Oh grant us help against the foe,
for vain is the salvation of man!
13 With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes. -Psalm 108:12-13 ESV
Amen.
Sean Wagner