July 25, 2018 Wednesday

“20  I have found My servant David; With My holy oil I have anointed him, 21  With whom My hand shall be established; Also My arm shall strengthen him. 22  The enemy shall not outwit him, Nor the son of wickedness afflict him. 23  I will beat down his foes before his face, And plague those who hate him. 24  “But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him, And in My name his horn shall be exalted. 25  Also I will set his hand over the sea, And his right hand over the rivers. 26  He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.’ 27  Also I will make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth. 28  My mercy I will keep for him forever, And My covenant shall stand firm with him. 29  His seed also I will make to endure forever, And his throne as the days of heaven. 30  “If his sons forsake My law And do not walk in My judgments, 31  If they break My statutes And do not keep My commandments, 32  Then I will punish their transgression with the rod, And their iniquity with stripes. 33  Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him, Nor allow My faithfulness to fail. 34  My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips. 35  Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David: 36  His seed shall endure forever, And his throne as the sun before Me; 37  It shall be established forever like the moon, Even like the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah” (Psalm 89:20-37 NKJV)

            When God places us in a position of power and authority we should not respond with pride and a sense of our own worth but with humility and knowledge of our dependency on God.

            David had the example of Saul who had a crash and burn. Saul went from hiding in the baggage wagons to in his arrogance as King took on the priestly duties of offering a sacrifice and reinterpreting God’s commands. And so Saul was not only replaced but indeed destroyed.

            God makes incredible promises to David while these promises were for David they would be fulfilled by Jesus Christ who is the seed of David and the son of God!

            Like many of the promises God makes to his people they have a present and also a future fulfillment. God has a plan and uses people - everyday people to fulfill that plan. The lineage of Jesus goes back to Abraham in a constant stream of faithfulness to God! Faith in God and of his plan flowed from generation to generation until finally and completely all was fulfilled by the coming of Jesus Christ!

            The covenant God makes with David could only be fulfilled by Jesus Christ as the only one who could fulfill verse 32 and take our punishment upon himself!

            God calls for us to look to the sky and just as the moon the sun and the stars faithfully and obediently follow the course God created them for so God will faithfully fulfill this prophecy!

            If you are struggling whether to trust in God’s faithfulness or not lift your head high and see God’s faithfulness in the sun and moon and stars God created!

            When you are called to a position of power and authority do you react with pride or humility? Like David do you recognize you are part of an eternal lineage of faith in God that has eternally changed the world?  Can you trust in Jesus who bore your punishment?