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Joshua 21:43-45 (NKJV)
43 So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it.
44 The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.
45 Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.
In Joshua 21:43-44, we see that God gave Israel the land and the rest that He had promised to give to their fathers. These two verses point to God’s faithfulness. That God will do what He promised. Then in Joshua 21:45 we see that: “Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass” (NKJV). This verse highlights that when God fulfills His promises, God is functioning at a level of faithfulness that is unmatched. Where promises are fulfilled completely.
This word “all”, as in “All came to pass” refers to the “whole of something”. To put it simply, if someone gives you a portion of what they promised to give you, they have not given you “all”. In Joshua 21:45, God did not just fulfill a portion of what He promised, God fulfilled it all.
People may not always do, or be able to do, all they said they would do. But God is totally different. What God promises, God does. Period. While we may be limited in what we can do, God can do the impossible.
Romans 8:32 states: He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (NKJV)
The question in Romans 8:32 may seem like an odd one. But actually, it is not. In the first part of the verse, we are reminded of the depth and extent of God’s love. In the ending part of the verse, we are confronted with the truth that the God who gave up His only Son for us can surely be trusted to give us other (lesser) things.
God has a perfect record of fulfilling His promises. As believers, we must know this. However, our knowledge that God fulfills His promises cannot just be at surface level. It cannot just be at the level where we repeat the words. No, our knowledge that God will do just as God promised has to be something we know in our hearts.
When we know in our hearts that God will fulfill His promises to us, we can withstand the pressures of life. We can push beyond disappointment. We can be hopeful despite delay.
When we know in our hearts that God will fulfill His promises to us, we can stand firm in the truth that God loves us and will do all that He said He would do.
Hebrews 10:23 states: Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful (NKJV).
Except where indicated, scripture references are from the American Standard Version (ASV), Darby Translation (DARBY), or King James Version (KJV) – all public domain.
