How does 1 Kings 9:20 illustrate God's fulfillment of His promises to Israel? Setting the scene Solomon has completed the temple and his palace. The Lord appears to him, confirms His covenant, and then the narrative pauses to describe the labor force Solomon used. Verse 20 zooms in on a specific group: the survivors of the Canaanite peoples still living in the land. Reading the verse “Now as for all the people who remained of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—the people who were not Israelites—” (1 Kings 9:20) Tracing the promise • Genesis 12:7—God pledges the land to Abraham’s offspring. • Genesis 15:18-21—The Lord lists these same nations as occupiers who will be displaced. • Exodus 23:23—God promises, “I will wipe them out.” • Deuteronomy 7:1-2—Moses repeats that God will “drive out” these seven nations and give Israel their land. Evidence in the text • Verse 20 identifies the exact groups named centuries earlier, showing continuity between promise and fulfillment. • They are now described as “the people who were not Israelites,” highlighting that the covenant family is established in the land as God said. • Their status has shifted from owners to laborers (v. 21), matching Joshua 24:13 where God promised Israel “cities you did not build” and “vineyards you did not plant.” • No hint of Israel’s strength explains the outcome; the narrative credits God’s faithfulness, echoing Joshua 23:14—“not one of all the good words the LORD your God spoke… has failed.” Implications for us today • God’s timeline can span generations, yet every word stands firm (Isaiah 55:11). • The Lord’s fulfilled land promise undergirds confidence in remaining promises, including the future restoration of Israel (Romans 11:25-29). • Scripture’s detailed historical notes, like listing these peoples, remind us that God works in real places with real people—our faith rests on verifiable acts, not myths (2 Peter 1:16). |
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