Psalm 105:19 Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.
Don’t you just love tests? Whether you do or not, this is the time of year when we are either giving or taking tests again, especially in the school setting. Even if you are not in school, every day you are tested and every day you have a choice. You can choose to take God at His Word or you can choose to falter and live in accordance with what you see in front of your face. God’s Word, His truth and promises, will test you as you try them every day.
Psalm 105 is speaking about Joseph. God sent Joseph as a servant into Egypt in preparation for Israel’s going into the land. Then, verse 19 says, “Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.” What is the Bible talking about? It is talking about God’s Word to Joseph’s life.
Joseph had been given a dream about what would be. That was from God. What did that get Joseph? It got him nothing but trouble. When Joseph approached his brothers, who threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery, they said, “Behold, the dreamer.” Then they said, “We will see what will become of his dreams.” For a long period of time Joseph waited. God revealed something to Joseph, and Joseph waited for a long time to see it fulfilled.
Later, we read in Genesis 41 that God had given Joseph a dream, while he was in prison, about the release of Pharaoh’s butler and baker. Although the butler promised to mention Joseph to Pharaoh, Joseph still languished in prison. The Bible says, “And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed.” Patience is trusting God’s timing for what you want right now. There was a long elapse of time between the dream God gave to Joseph and the fulfillment of that dream.
Well, Joseph’s story is just a small part of a bigger story, and that is God’s Word to Abraham that He would make of Abraham a great nation. The book ends of Psalm 105 are verses 8 and 42 which say, “He hath remembered his covenant,” and, “For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.” In between these verses are all the ways in which God kept His promise, His Word. God gave Abraham’s descendants the land of Canaan. He allowed no one to do them wrong. But He also sent a famine, slavery, and plagues. All of these things, good or bad in the eyes of men, were part of God’s keeping of His promise. It was not a deviation from God’s promise; it was a fulfilling of God’s promise. So it was with Joseph, and so it will be with you.
The Bible here speaks of a covenant. It speaks here of the Word, the statutes, and the laws. In other words, it speaks of God’s truth in our lives. God’s Word will always pass the test. God’s truth will test you as you try it every day. “Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.” Many, many years passed between the word God gave Abraham and the fulfillment of it and the word God gave Joseph and the fulfillment of it, but God remembers His Word. God remembers what He promised. He will keep what He has said.
God also remembers His people. Verses 43-45 say, “And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness. And gave them the lands of the heathen… that they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws.” God keeps His promise, and I should keep God’s Word. God remembers His promise, and I should remember God’s truth.
So, take God at His Word and take action, knowing that whether you find yourself in a pit or a palace, God’s Word will always pass the test. God will keep His Word to you.