@ 124 Know Certainly

The Book of Genesis Day 124 Ge 15:13 Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 "And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Before God passes between the pieces of meat and verifies His covenant with Abram, He wants to make sure Abram knows what he is getting into! It’s sorta like Jesus saying to His disciples (and that includes you and I) in Joh 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." In Abram’s descendant’s case. A promise to inherit the land might seem like a pipe dream during 400 years of captivity and affliction, but God assures Abram (and consequently, his descendants) that the day will come when they will be released with great reward. Beloved, this is a picture that we need to capture in our hearts and minds as well. There will be tribulation while we are in this world, but one day, Jesus will return, and we will finally be set free and receive our great reward! Please note the words “know certainly!” I wonder how often those two words were repeated as this covenant was passed down through the generations? Those two words would be a great source of comfort to a people who would be in bondage for 400 years! Knowing certainly that it was coming, and knowing certainly that they would eventually be coming home to the Promised Land with great reward would go a long way in consoling the people. The New Testament equivalent of “knowing certainly” is the phrase “most assuredly.” Before Jesus departed this earth He said this to His disciples in Joh 16:20 "Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.” And in Joh 10:7-9, He said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 "All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” Let us not allow the delay of our Lord’s coming to muffle these proclamations! Most assuredly there is salvation for whosoever enters through the door of faith in Jesus! What great words of comfort for those times that we may wrestle with our own eternal security on earth! So whether it’s Jesus prefacing His statements with “most assuredly,” or God prefacing His statements with “know certainly,” we can receive great comfort from them. History tells us that those words to Abram came true, just as God said they would, and the words that Jesus spoke to His disciples came to pass just as He said they would, and therefore we know with certainty that His words concerning eternal life will also come true. Most assuredly, anyone who enters through Jesus will be saved! Come to the sheepfold through faith in Jesus today! Pray: Lord, Your Word is life! When doubt assails me, help me to turn to Your Word, paying special attention to those parts of Scripture that say, “know certainly,” or “most assuredly.”