Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. (Joshua 21:45 ESV)
It is the final round of the Club Championship. You tee off at 10:30 am. You arrive at the course an hour before your tee time—a little stretching, then a nice warm-up hitting wedges. You move through the bag, finishing up with some drivers. A short walk over to the practice green, you get some putts in and have a good feel for the speed of the greens. You’re ready!
When you arrive at the first tee, your competitors welcome you. As you grab your club for the first shot, the Head Professional grabs your shoulder and says, “So that you know, you have been declared the winner.” Puzzled, you ask, “Say that again.”
“No matter what happens today, you will be declared the winner.”
Could you imagine?! What an enormous amount of confidence you’d have knowing that you would win before you ever hit the first golf shot of the day. Oh, if that was the case in this crazy game!!
In other words, no matter what, victory was yours.
One of the 12 tribes of Israel was the tribe of Levi, known as the Levites. They had God-assigned priestly responsibilities for the nation of Israel.
At that time, the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord to stand before the Lord to minister to him and to bless in his name to this day. Therefore, Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers. The Lord is his inheritance, as the Lord your God said to him.
Deuteronomy 10:8-9
The other 11 tribes of Israel were God-commanded to take care of the Levites so that they could devote themselves to the Temple and Tabernacle.
In Joshua 21, the responsibilities of caring for the Levites were carried out. They were given 48 cities (21:41) to live in and for raising livestock (21:3). Further, the Levites were protected in every direction from the threat of harm (21:44). All the care and provision of the Lord God for the tribe of Levi were fulfillments of His promises. What He said He would do, He did.
As God kept His promises for the Levites and all the tribes of Israel, He continues today. Much like Israel from the Old Testament, even when we fail and wander from Him, He keeps His promises:
In times of worry – “…fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)
In times of affliction – “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
In times of uncertainty – “The steps of a man are established by the Lord when he delights in his way; though he falls, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. (Psalm 37:23-24)
In cries for the forgiveness of sins – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
Prayer: Father, May my life reflect my enormous gratitude for the promises you’ve kept for me.