Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance; they were eating and drinking and rejoicing.
— 1 Kings 4:20
In this verse we see the fulfillment of a promise God made to Solomon’s great-great-grandfather. Many years had passed since the days of Abraham back in Genesis 22, when God promised him that his descendants would be as numerous as the sand on the seashore — and here we see that promise fulfilled.
It is worth pausing to trace the long journey that began with a promise from God and was brought to fulfillment by God for His people. Back in Genesis, a man advanced in age, with a wife who was also barren and beyond childbearing years, was promised children as numerous as the sand on the seashore. God providentially and miraculously worked to give them Isaac. Isaac then fathered Jacob, who was later renamed Israel, and who went through his own fair share of life experiences before fathering many sons — from whom the twelve tribes of Israel descended.
We then follow the story of Joseph, which brought the children of Israel into Egypt, leading to four hundred years of slavery. Through the hand of Moses, God eventually delivered His people from that slavery and led them through the wilderness for forty years, after which He brought them into the promised land of Canaan. Through the books of Joshua and Judges, we see the Lord with His people as they conquered the land and laid hold of the promise of a land flowing with milk and honey. Then came Saul as king, followed by David, and finally Solomon.
It is here, in the reign of King Solomon, that the Bible pauses to bring us back to that original promise — reminding us that the Israelites had indeed become as numerous as the sand on the seashore.
God Is a Promise Keeper
When we consider this, we are reminded that our God is a faithful God — a keeper of promises. In Numbers 23:19 we read:
God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
— Numbers 23:19
Unlike the words of men, which can be questioned and broken, the Word of God is tested and true. Scripture tells us that all of His promises are yes and amen in Jesus Christ.
When we examine the long history between Abraham and Solomon, we find it filled with disappointment, challenges, deep valleys, steep hills, and seasons of swimming against the current. There were many moments along the way when one could reasonably conclude that the Lord had forgotten His promise or changed His mind.
Yet in this one verse, we are reminded that God is faithful — what He promises, He will accomplish.
Looking Forward With the Same Lens
This should cause us to look at all of God’s other promises through that same lens. He has promised us eternity. He has promised us a new heaven and a new earth. He has promised us new and glorious bodies that will know no sin. He has promised to wipe away every tear. He has promised us a future with no pain and no sorrow.
When we look at our current lives and the state of the world today, it is easy to think that perhaps the Lord has moved on — that perhaps He has fallen asleep, or grown apathetic to our sufferings.
But this verse should remind us that that is simply not so. The Lord is faithful and continues to be faithful. In 2 Peter, we read of mockers who taunt believers because Jesus has not yet returned. Peter’s response is instructive:
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
— 2 Peter 3:9
In fact, since God is the one who created time, God is always on time.
Finding Comfort
Let us find comfort in knowing that the promises of the Lord will always be fulfilled — in the fullness of time, in God’s time. And let us be willing to wait and endure, as the Lord providentially navigates us through the drying heat of our own seasons of captivity, through the barrenness of our own wildernesses, and into the fullness of all that He has promised.
Amen.
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