God's Promises Fulfilled In Unexpected Ways

Sometimes, God's promises and curses are fulfilled in unexpected ways.

Adam
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:16-17 KJV)
But Adam did not die immediately. He lived to 930 years old, older than most of us. But death came into the whole creation, and some animals died, skinned to cover our first parents' nakedness (Genesis 3:7, 3:21).

Abraham
I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. (Genesis 22:17 NLT)
There are more Chinese and Indians than the Jews. But the Jews are still around, keeping this promise alive for the millennium.

Simeon and Levi
Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. (Genesis 49:5-7 KJV)
Jacob's curse on his two sons came true, but fulfilled differently. For Simeon, it was fulfilled as a curse. The tribe was dispersed and absorbed by Judah. For Levi, it turned into a blessing, earned by their faithfulness when Israel turned to the golden calf in the desert (Exodus 32:29). The tribe was dispersed as priests in every town, and it is the duty of the Israelites to feed them.

Phinehas
The Lord spoke to Moses, "Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the Israelites because he was zealous among them with My zeal, so that I did not destroy the Israelites in My zeal. Therefore declare: I grant him My covenant of peace. It will be a covenant of perpetual priesthood for him and his future descendants, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites." (Numbers 25:10-13 HCSB)
Although Abiathar son of Ahimelech son of Ahitub son of Phinehas son of Eli son of Ithamar son of Aaron was the High Priest during the reign of David, the High Priesthood returned to Zadok, a descendant of Phinehas during the reign of Solomon. Abiathar was deposed for supporting Adonijah as king (1 Kings 2:27). The priesthood will remain with his sons in the Millennial Temple (Ezekiel 40:46, 44:15).

David
And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. (2 Samuel 7:16 KJV)
But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for evermore. (1 Chronicles 17:14 KJV)
For thus says the LORD: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel (Jeremiah 33:17 ESV)
But the dynasty ended in 586 BC. The promised will be fulfilled by the Messiah, who will rule in the millennium.

Jehoiachin, Jeconiah, Coniah, or Jechonias
Thus says the LORD: "Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not succeed in his days, for none of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah." (Jeremiah 22:30 ESV)
But Jehoiachin had children (1 Chronicles 3:17-18), was released from prison and his throne was set above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon (2 Kings 25:27-28) and his grandson Zerubbabel ruled successfully (Haggai 2:23).

Conclusion
Thus God was merciful in His curse, and sure in His promise, though sometimes it appears that His promise may fail.