Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember, and I will remember the land. Leviticus 26:42
The old pickup truck pulled to a stop beside me, and the driver beckoned me to climb in. I was a young man then, and was hitchhiking into the city. He was a friendly, older man, and his truck was warm, a nice change from the bitter wind that had chilled me thoroughly. As we chatted, I told him where I was originally from, and he remarked that he had worked with a man from that area, and, to my surprise, named my father. When I told him who I was, he was so delighted that he couldn’t do enough for me. He stopped at a diner, paid for a big meal for both of us, and spent an hour talking about my father and how glad he was to meet the son. He was glad to be kind to me because of the his friendship with my father. God was glad to be kind to the Israelites, too, because of His friendship with their patriarchs.
Abraham was known as a friend of God. Isaac was a peaceful, well-digging man to whom God repeated His promises to Abraham. And Isaac was a prince with God, and he also received great promises from God. Many times, the Israelites were blessed because of God’s promises. And the fulfillment of all promises is coming, when Israel rejoices in their Messiah. But there is a different set of promises that God has made to the Gentiles in our Day of Grace, truths and doctrines that He delivered to the apostles and early fathers. And all of those promises and commitments that God made will be honoured today and into the future, just as God honours those words He gave to Israel. Although we are outside of the commonwealth of Israel, God has brought us into a rich and precious relationship with Himself, and His words to us have been gracious.
There is an Assembly not far away that has been faithfully carrying out God’s word and following God’s pattern for more than a century. In the early years of that Assembly, godly men were raised up who laid a firm and solid foundation with deep roots in the Word of God. Such was their commitment that down through the years and generations since, godly and faithful men and women have come and gone, and have preserved that Assembly. God has honoured those early Assembly fathers such that the company has maintained a strong Gospel testimony in the community, and the numbers in fellowship have remained consistent even though other Assemblies in the region have experienced dramatic declines in attendance. The Lord honours and preserves where the early foundations were solidly built on Himself.
For whose faithfulness in the past can you give thanks for the blessings of today? – Jim MacIntosh