A Throne Forever
God made a covenant with David, promising that his kingdom would last forever. And yet after the reign of David’s son Solomon, the kingdom was divided, and within a few hundred years both the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom were destroyed (2 Kings 17 and 25).
For those living in the generations of captivity that followed, God’s promise to David must have seemed like a fairy tale. Their experience held no evidence of any great Israelite kingdom or king on the rise. Psalm 89, written during this time, begins with God’s faithfulness but ends with the people’s troubles: “Lord, where is your steadfast love of old, which by your faithfulness you swore to David? Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked, and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations” (Psalm 89:49-50). Speaking into that context of distress and hopelessness, the prophets reminded the people, Wait a minute! Though it doesn’t look like God’s promise is still in effect, you can be sure it is, because of His covenant love. There’s more to come. They spoke of the future:
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)
There was still, said the prophets, another place, another name, another rest, another kingdom, and another throne to come. The failures of God’s people did not mean that God had forgotten His promise. It would all be fulfilled in Jesus.
History repeats itself. Whether because of disease, persecution, politics or grief, we will at times find ourselves in that place of confusion that Psalm 89 gives voice to. In such a time (which is really any time before Jesus returns), we need prophetic voices to remind us of God’s covenant faithfulness—that our Lord reigns on His throne both now and forever. So today, take heart. Your failures do not mean that God has forgotten His promise. There is more to come.
How is God calling me to think differently?
How is God reordering my heart’s affections — what I love?
What is God calling me to do as I go about my day today?
I Will Sing of the Steadfast Love of the Lord
A Maskil1 of hEthan the Ezrahite.
1iI will sing of jthe steadfast love of the Lord, forever;
with my mouth I will make known your kfaithfulness to all generations.
2For I said, j“Steadfast love will be built up forever;
in the heavens lyou will establish your kfaithfulness.”
3You have said, “I have made ma covenant with my nchosen one;
I have osworn to David my servant:
4‘I will establish your poffspring forever,
and build your qthrone for all generations.’” Selah
5Let rthe heavens praise your swonders, O Lord,
your faithfulness in the assembly of tthe holy ones!
6For uwho in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
uWho among the heavenly beings2 is like the Lord,
7a God greatly vto be feared in the council of tthe holy ones,
and awesome above all wwho are around him?
8O Lord God of hosts,
xwho is mighty as you are, O yLord,
with your faithfulness all around you?
9You rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, you zstill them.
10You acrushed bRahab like a carcass;
you cscattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11dThe heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;
ethe world and all that is in it, you have ffounded them.
12gThe north and the south, you have created them;
hTabor and iHermon jjoyously praise your name.
13You have a mighty arm;
strong is your hand, high your right hand.
14kRighteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
lsteadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
15Blessed are the people who know mthe festal shout,
who walk, O Lord, in nthe light of your face,
16who exult in your oname all the day
and in your righteousness are pexalted.
17For you are qthe glory of their strength;
by your favor our rhorn is exalted.
18For our sshield belongs to the Lord,
our king to tthe Holy One of Israel.
19uOf old you spoke in a vision to your godly one,3 and said:
“I have vgranted help to one who is wmighty;
I have exalted one xchosen from the people.
20yI have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have zanointed him,
21so that my ahand shall be established with him;
my arm also shall strengthen him.
22The enemy shall not outwit him;
bthe wicked shall not humble him.
23I will ccrush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
24My dfaithfulness and my dsteadfast love shall be with him,
and in my name shall his ehorn be exalted.
25I will set his hand on fthe sea
and his right hand on fthe rivers.
26He shall cry to me, ‘You are my gFather,
my God, and hthe Rock of my salvation.’
27And I will make him the ifirstborn,
jthe highest of the kings of the earth.
28My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
and my kcovenant will stand firm4 for him.
29I will establish his loffspring forever
and his lthrone as mthe days of the heavens.
30nIf his children forsake my law
and do not walk according to my rules,5
31if they violate my statutes
and do not keep my commandments,
32then I will punish their transgression with othe rod
and their iniquity with stripes,
33but I will not remove from him my steadfast love
or be false to my faithfulness.
34I will not violate my kcovenant
or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
35Once for all I have sworn pby my holiness;
I will not qlie to David.
36His loffspring shall endure forever,
rhis lthrone as long as sthe sun before me.
37Like sthe moon it shall be established forever,
ta faithful witness in the skies.” Selah
38But now you have ucast off and rejected;
you are full of wrath against your vanointed.
39You have wrenounced xthe covenant with your servant;
you have ydefiled his zcrown in the dust.
40You have abreached all his walls;
you have laid his strongholds in ruins.
41aAll who pass by plunder him;
he has become bthe scorn of his neighbors.
42You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43You have also turned back the edge of his sword,
and you have not made him stand in battle.
44You have made his splendor to cease
and cast his throne to the ground.
45You have cut short cthe days of his youth;
you have dcovered him with shame. Selah
46eHow long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath fburn like fire?
47gRemember hhow short my itime is!
For what vanity you have created all the children of man!
48jWhat man can live and never ksee death?
Who can deliver his soul from the power of lSheol? Selah
49Lord, where is your msteadfast love of old,
which by your mfaithfulness you swore to David?
50nRemember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked,
and how I bear in my oheart the insults6 of all the many nations,
51with which your enemies mock, O Lord,
with which they mock pthe footsteps of your qanointed.
52rBlessed be the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.
Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg, published by The Good Book Company, thegoodbook.com. Used by Truth For Life with permission. Copyright © 2021, 2022, The Good Book Company.
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