Standing on the Promises???

Passage:  2 Samuel 7:18-26

Focus: “Now therefore, O LORD God, the word that Thou has spoken concerning Thy servant and his house, confirm it forever, and do as Thou hast spoken.”  (v. 25)

A while back in a morning devotional time I read this word from Charles Spurgeon, “God’s promises were never meant to be thrown aside as wastepaper; He intended that they should be used . . . nothing pleases our Lord better than to see His promises put in circulation; He loves to see His children bring them up to Him and say, ‘Lord, do as Thou hast said.’” Spurgeon’s text for the devotional was that snippet from 2 Samuel 7:25, David’s plea to God to, “do as Thou hast said.” The beloved nineteenth-century English preacher went on to develop this thought of standing boldly on God’s promises. He wrote, “Our heavenly Banker delights to cash His own notes. Never let the promise rust. Draw the word of promise out of its scabbard and use it with holy violence. Think not that God will be troubled by your importunately reminding Him of His promises.” 

The devotional concluded, “He loves to hear the loud outcries of needy souls. It is His delight to bestow favours. He is more ready to hear than you are to ask . . . it is God’s nature to keep His promises; therefore, go at once to the throne with, ‘Do as Thou hast said’” (Spurgeon: “Morning by Morning,” January 15).

I found Spurgeon’s words encouraging and his challenge particularly timely in my life. I was even tempted to start singing the old hymn, “Standing on the Promises.” I couldn’t help but feel, however, as I reached the end of the devotional, that something was missing . . . not wrong, but missing. So, I did what I always teach others to do, check the context of the text. In 2 Samuel 7 David is crying out to God with awestruck gratitude and humility at having been chosen by his Creator to be king over Israel; and, even more so, over the fact that God would make an eternal covenant with this shepherd boy. Most of all, he was amazed that God would extend this covenant beyond himself to his descendants. He prayed, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? (v. 18).

David further declared, “You are great, O LORD God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you” (v. 22). He acknowledged that God had made the nation that he was about to lead a great nation, established and preserved by His mighty hand throughout many generations in the past, and that they would “be Your people forever; and You, O LORD, their God” (v. 24).

On the foundation of these humble recognitions, Israel’s king cried out to the King of kings, “And now, O LORD God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and DO AS YOU HAVE SPOKEN” (v. 25). Then, comes the snippet that seemed to be missing, “And Your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The LORD of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before You” (v. 26).

Do you see the key to David’s ability and willingness to ask boldly for, “the heavenly Banker to cash His own notes”? He is not a brash, impudent child stamping his foot and saying, “God, You owe me!” It is a humble plea from the lips of one who recognized how un-owed he was. It was a bold plea for God to fulfill His promises so that He be glorified . . . not David.

This is not a critique of Spurgeon’s message; because, he does say that God is “glorified when we plead His promises.” It is rather a warning that there is a dangerous theological philosophy that treats God like a magic wand. There is a legion of pseudo-shepherds that tell their flock that, because they are Christians, God is sitting up in heaven like a doting grandfather, waiting to drop love petals of wealth and health in response to their self-serving demands.

This philosophy ignores four important requirements for standing on God’s promises. First, understanding the promise as God gave it. The declaration that “every promise in Scripture can be claimed by any believer today,” is simply not true. If so, we would see a lot more 90-year-old moms in response to God’s promise of Genesis 18:10. In other words, recognize that some of God’s promises are people or nation specific. If I made a promise to one of my six children, specifically based on the need of that child, it would not authorize the other five to demand payment on the promise from me. The key principle of studying and understanding Scripture is “context, context, context.” If you’re going to claim a promise, be sure you know the whole story.

By the way, it is also helpful to note that God reserves the right to define the terms and conditions of His promises. For instance, God’s understanding of the word “riches” as fulfilled in the lives of those in biblical times often seems different from the preachers of our day who say God will fill your bank account (especially if you first fill theirs!). And, realize that every promise in the Bible has some kind of condition attached to it; even the promise of salvation. “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). What is the promise? Salvation. The condition? Call on the name of the Lord. Jesus was even more specific: “I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me” (John 14:6). Our society is filled with another pack of false teachers that proclaim that God promises, “all roads lead to Him.” But Jesus said you must, “repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). God does not obligate Himself to fulfill His promises when we refuse to come to Him on His terms.

Second, standing on God’s promises requires standing with the right attitude. David’s heart-rending question, “Who am I?” was filled with genuine humility. It astounded him that, with all the great men and great families of Israel, God would reach down from heaven and tap the family of a shepherd boy who could slay a lion but couldn’t manage to impress his own father and brothers (1 Samuel 16:11, 17:28-29).

The arrogant spirit that “demands” from God often reminds me of the child in the grocery cart screaming for every item on the shelf as mom or dad pushes him up and down the aisles of the store. James chided such attitudes: “You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:2-3). He then gets personal: “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4). Ouch! The petulant, demanding child with loving parents could find he gets something far more helpful (but much less pleasant) than that box of sugared cereal. And don’t forget . . . God is a loving Father!

Third, those who stand on God’s promises must not ignore Scripture promises they find less appealing. Be honest, most of our prayers for God to fulfill His Word in our lives (or the lives of loved ones) are pleading with God to improve a situation. That’s fine, but when is the last time you heard a preacher challenge you to go to the heavenly Banker to cash these notes: “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). That is one of Jesus’ promises. Or, how about this one, “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue” (John 16:2). Yep! Another promise from the Master. Here’s a promise from one of Paul’s letters: “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). How many of you woke up this morning, looked at this promise, and asked God to, “do as Thou hast said”?

Habakkuk discovered this principle the hard way. After hearing God’s promise of discipline that was to come on his nation because of their sin, the prophet replied. “I heard and my inward parts trembled, at the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones and in my place I tremble; because I must wait quietly for the day of distress” (Habakkuk 3:16). God was going to do as He had said, and Habakkuk was powerless to stop it. Are you getting the idea that there might be more to this “naming and claiming” stuff than some might think?

Finally—and this is the most important of the four—those who stand on God’s promises must stand for the right reason. We exist for one purpose, to bring honor and glory to the name of the King of kings and Lord of lords. The heart of David’s request that God, “do as You have spoken” in v. 25 is his recognition in v. 26, “AND Your name will be magnified forever.”

Habakkuk’s response to God’s promise of painful correction and ultimate restoration was total surrender to whatever magnified God . . . regardless of the personal cost to himself. “Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength” (Habakkuk 3:17-19). Even if it cost him everything, Habakkuk’s satisfied desire was for God to receive glory and worship. Can you make that same claim as you go before the Master?

Maybe it would be better if, instead of “standing on the promises,” we began to sing (and live!), “kneeling on the promises.” It would certainly change the focus of our prayers and the attitude of our heart as we, in faith, “make your requests known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

By all means, go before God as David had the courage to do and ask Him to, “do as You have spoken.” Just be prepared for His sovereign response. And declare, even before you know what that response is, “AND Your name will be magnified forever.” Then, go and magnify that glorious name.

“Those who stand on God’s promises must stand for the right reason. We exist for one purpose, to bring honor and glory to the name of the King of kings and Lord of lords.”