Deuteronomy 4:31  (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

These words were spoken by Moses to the children of Israel.  They communicate one general fact and three facts which are specific to the nation of Israel.

The general fact is that God is merciful.  This is true for the Jews and the Gentiles.  Regardless of who you are, God is merciful.

Psalm 118:1-2  O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.  2 Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

 

Romans 15:9   And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.

God gives specific promises to the nation of Israel.  First, He states that He would not forsake them.  The Hebrew word translated “forsake” is rich in meaning.  It carries the ideas of “let go”, “drop”, “withdraw from”, and “abandon”.  God will not do this to Israel.  He has been and will be faithful to them.

Second, He promises not to destroy them.  Regardless of what Israel does, God will not remove them from this earth.  Why?  Because He has made unconditional promises to them which He will carry out.  God always keeps His word.  This brings us to the next promise.

Third, He promises not to forget the covenant which He made with them.  He promised Abraham a land, a seed, and a blessing.  That promise was passed down to Abraham’s progeny and expanded upon to Issac, Jacob, David, Solomon, and others.  King David was told that the throne of his seed would be established forever (2 Samuel 7:12-13).  God will ultimately bring this about through David’s seed, Jesus Christ (Rev. 19:11-15; 22:16).

God, in His mercy, is not done with Israel.  He has more plans for that great nation.