2 SAMUEL 8
This chapter outlines all of David’s military victories after becoming king of Israel. Incidentally, after defeating the Philistines, the Moabites, the Arameans, the Edomites, and the Ammonites, Israel had finally acquired all the territory that the Lord had promised to Abraham in Genesis 15:18-19, over 1000 years before.
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Over 1000 years before?! Talk about taking time to fulfill a promise! How many generations had risen up and passed away since Abraham—all of them being told of the promise, and all of them looking for the fulfillment of the promise? Yet, in their eyes, the fulfillment of the promise was delayed.
But in God’s eyes, the fulfillment was right on time. And I think that one of the reasons this whole story is in the Bible is so that we would know that when we don’t see the fulfillment of God’s promises when we think they should happen, that doesn’t mean that God has forgotten about us. The Bible says that God’s concept of time is completely different from our concept of time: "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness." (2 Pet 3:8-9)
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So, the next time you feel like God has abandoned you and the promises He’s made to you, remember David and the Israelites. In just the right time, God’s promises will come to pass. You can trust completely in Him!