As we celebrate the Fourth of July—the beginning of the United States as a nation—I’d like to take a moment to reflect on a deeper spiritual perspective tied to this holiday. Even among church members, there can be skepticism or uncertainty about how God’s promises are being fulfilled today. Without taking away from what I know will be an enlightening and meaningful study this Sabbath by Mr. May, I wanted to briefly highlight some of God’s promises to Abraham and their connection to July 4th.

Let’s begin with the foundational promise made to Abraham in Genesis 12:1–3:

“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (NKJV)

Abraham believed God and obeyed, departing as instructed. As Abraham continued in faith, God progressively revealed even more promises, both for him and his descendants. In Genesis 17:6–7, God says:

“I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.” (NKJV)

Notice this is described as an everlasting covenant—not to be confused with the covenant made later with the children of Israel at Mount Sinai, which had conditional blessings. This covenant with Abraham continues to carry relevance—both physically and spiritually—right up to our time.

God confirmed these promises again in Genesis 22:15–18:

“By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (NKJV)

These were unconditional promises made because of Abraham’s obedience. And God continued to extend them to Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, as seen in passages like Genesis 26:3–5, Genesis 27:26–29, Genesis 35:11, and Genesis 48:18–20.

So why reflect on this on July 4th?

Because the blessings we see in this nation—and in other nations—are not random. They are rooted in the promises God made to Abraham. And ultimately, these blessings extend beyond physical prosperity to include spiritual promises through Christ.

Consider Galatians 3:7–9:

“Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’ So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.” (NKJV)

I share these scriptures as a preview and encouragement to appreciate what we will hear tomorrow in Mr. May’s message titled “The Birthright Promises to the Patriarchs”—part of the Fulfilled Prophecy series.

As we observe this national holiday, may we also take time to reflect on the incredible promises made by God to Abraham—promises that continue to shape history, nations, and spiritual destiny.

I hope you enjoy the July 4^th Holiday and have a very restful and spiritual Sabbath.