The Lord made a promise to Abraham. However, the latter didn’t live to see the promise come true, for it came to pass more than four hundred years later.
As we traverse the Book of Acts via our Bible Study, our main reference for today is Acts 7:1-7.
So, we continue Deacon Stephen’s defense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Deacon Stephen sees an opportunity to preach Christ and he seizes it. Therefore, he says:
“Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran” (Acts 7:2).
Could You Do This?
He begins to lay a foundation that the Jewish people could relate to. As a result, he starts by recounting Abraham’s first experience with the Lord God. He tells of a promise of land.
“And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee” (Acts 7:3).
This may appear to be an easy thing to do but it is not. The Lord promised Abraham land. Today, this land is Israel in the Middle East. It’s something similar to the following.
A Promise to You and Posterity
Imagine that you reside in Canada. And you had a dream or a vision that you should move. Relocate to a country that you only will know of while you are in transit. Therefore, you don’t know where this place is situated. You don’t know where to go.
Moreover, you shouldn’t take any relatives with you, just your immediate family. Would you do it? Could you do that? Stop everything and disrupt and interrupt your life and the lives of your relatives?
“Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell” (Acts 7:4).
Sometimes the promise of God may seem anything but a promise. The Lord promised Abraham the land, yet He wouldn’t allow him “to set his foot on” it, (Acts 7:5).
Would You Consider a Promise That Would Take 400 Years to Come True?
Additionally, not only did the Lord promise Abraham the land but also his posterity. But at that time he had no children.
“And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child” (Acts 7:5).
Anytime the Lord makes a promise to us, we just need to wait for the right time. Don’t try to help Him and get things moving faster. His time is the perfect time.
“And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years” (Acts 7:6).
The fulfilment of God’s promise to Abraham’s would take at least four hundred more years to come true. Generations later before the promise fulfilled.
“And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place” (Acts 7:7).
To see your promise come true you must act. Act on that Word. Believe! Obey! And prepare.
The Lord doesn’t provide dates. He supplies markers. Observe them. Keep them in mind while you believe, obey, and prepare to see your promise come true.
Leroy A. Daley is an author, blogger, YouTuber, and Bible teacher. Globally, he's helped hundreds of Christians understand the Bible better. He has been studying and teaching the Bible for more than forty years. He is passionate about the Lord and spends quality time with the Word of God every day.
His Books are available for purchase wherever books are sold.
