I Will Not Forsake You or Leave You

David said: The Lord who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. Saul said to David, Go, and God shall be with you. — 1 Samuel 17:37
God delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us. — 2 Corinthians 1:10
Charles Spurgeon

Author

Charles Spurgeon

Summary: Although David’s words were not themselves a promise, the Lord confirmed their meaning: the one who delivered us before will help us again. In Jesus, God’s promises are Yes and Amen. Let us remember his mercies: it was not our own strength that saved us in the past. Like David facing a new enemy, we can go forward with courage. Today’s danger may not resemble a bear or a lion, but God remains the same, and his honor is still bound up with his people. So we need not tremble: he has said that he will not forsake us or leave us.

God's Promises EndureGod's Unfailing PromisesGod Protects His PeopleGod's PromisesGod's ProvisionGod's Promises Fulfilled

This is not a promise if we consider only the words, but it truly is one in its meaning; for David spoke a word that the Lord endorsed by making it true. He argued, on the basis of past deliverances, that he would receive help in some new danger. In Jesus, all the promises are Yes and Amen to the glory of God through us, and so the Lord’s former dealings with His believing people will be repeated.

Let us, then, remember the Lord’s former mercies. We could not have expected to be delivered before by our own strength; but the Lord delivered us. Will He not save us again? We are sure that He will. Just as David ran to face the enemy, so shall we. The Lord has been with us, is with us, and has said, “I will not forsake you or leave you.” Why do we tremble? Was the past a dream? Think of the bear and the lion, now dead. Who is this Philistine? It is true that he is not the same Philistine, nor is he a bear or a lion; but God is the same, and His honor is as much at stake in one case as in the other. He did not save us from the beasts of the forest only to let a giant kill us. Let us take great courage.

Source: The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith. Translation by Allan Roman.

http://www.spurgeon.com.mx/chequera/meditames/febrero.pdf