The Apostle Paul knew there would come a time when so-called believers would no longer enjoy reading the Bible. So, in his letter to the Romans, he asked us to renew our minds by reading the word of God. The man after God’s own heart, you know him as King David, also advised a man to pay attention to the Bible so that he would not sin against God. But, even if you do not take their word, please take mine and study (not just read) the eighth chapter of the book of Zechariah for the abundance of God’s promises you will find there.
That book is in the Old Testament, and yes, it is okay to look at your Bible index. It is the reason every serious publication contains an index, for use until you become familiar with the various chapters and headings. I hope that by reading Zechariah, especially chapter eight, you will clearly see the secret of God’s heart, how kind it is. That chapter alone contains an abundance of God’s promises.
We shall start it off here, not only for your sake but for mine as well; who does not like wonderful promises? I love God’s promises and hope to spend more time considering them. You see, the more we talk about the promises of God, the sweeter Jesus grows. The chapter starts with a declaration of God’s jealousy over us (I assume we are all believers). Healthy jealousy is the highest form of love. If you are married and wayward and your spouse does not complain, that is a sign that they do not love you.
There Is Fullness Of Joy
The first of this abundance of God’s promises is that He will return to us, so that we can dwell permanently in His Presence. Now, God was merely being kind in saying He would return because He never left us; we are the ones who left. Remember that always: If God seems far away, you are the one who left Him. The good thing about that is that since you left, you can return anytime, just like the prodigal son.
So, verse 3 says God will return and live in our midst so that we can enjoy His Presence. You may not know why God chose to state that promise first. It is because in the Presence of God, there is fullness of joy. By stating that promise first, all others follow naturally and easily. He could have stopped there, and the chapter would still be sweet, but our God is a lavish God. When He feeds thousands, there have to be leftovers.
He continued with the promise of a long, healthy life, not a long but miserable life. Some people who claim to have an abundance of God’s promises live long but not in good health. But with God’s presence, the old people will sit in the streets, enjoying the evening breeze (v 4). The young boys and girls are there, playing and gladdening the hearts of the old ones. Picture it; it is almost like a taste of Heaven.
The Best of the Abundance of God’s Promises
It is hard to pick one out of the abundance of God’s promises, but what could be better than that God says we shall be His people and He shall be our God? Once you belong to someone, whether as a child or a spouse, all your responsibilities become theirs. You never have to concern yourself with what you shall eat or what you shall wear, etc. And that is what God says in vs 8 of this chapter. I hope you are tracking and discovering how good our Heavenly Father is.
The next verses show how real and authentic our God is. He did not shy away from the fact that He caused the trouble we had been in. But now that He has forgiven our iniquities, the pain is over. God will no longer treat us as in the former days. Perhaps I can get a hallelujah for that particular promise. The strife is over, the victory is won.
But the abundance of God’s promises is still ongoing. In verse 12, God says: “For the seed shall be prosperous, the vine shall give its fruit. The ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew. I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these.” If He ended it there, that would already be enough of an abundance of God’s promises, but He continued.
In The Kindness of His Heart
Verse 13 says we shall be a blessing. Do you know you are not truly blessed until you become a blessing? Remember that the next time you sing “Abraham’s blessings are mine.” The man was a blessing to the world, so here, in the abundance of God’s promises, we see ourselves becoming a blessing.
God does not leave us thinking that these promises are automatic; there is always a trigger. And He is too real to let us think otherwise, so He states it clearly. It is so good, I will simply copy and paste God’s trigger. “These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor. Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace. Let none of you think evil in his heart against his neighbor. And do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate.”
Can God make it any clearer than that? If you want an abundance of God’s promises to manifest in your life, avoid A and do B. I love God, don’t you?
Maranatha!
