Covenant Faithfulness (Psalm 89:30-37)

³⁰ “If his sons forsake my law
and do not follow my statutes,
³¹ if they violate my decrees
and fail to keep my commands,
³² I will punish their sin with the rod,
their iniquity with flogging;
³³ but I will not take my love from him,
nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
³⁴ I will not violate my covenant
or alter what my lips have uttered.
³⁵ Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
and I will not lie to David—
³⁶ that his line will continue forever
and his throne endure before me like the sun;
³⁷ it will be established forever like the moon,
the faithful witness in the sky.”

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What is striking is the depiction of the grace and promise shown to the line of David.  The Lord promised that He would never undo the covenant that He had made with David and his family.  Even should the people prove unfaithful, He will still be faithful to what He has promised.

What struck me is that these same promises have been made to us as members of Christ’s body, His church.  Actually, we are in that same line about whom these promises and these words speak. The covenant with David finds its chief fulfillment in the Son of David, Jesus.  He is the One Whose throne will never be taken away and will endure forever.  But we are the brothers and sisters of Jesus.  We are the royal priesthood, the royal family that will reign with Him forever as well.

We too have the promise that our sin and unfaithfulness will not undo the faithfulness of God.  My sin cannot undo the cross. My failure will not negate the resurrection. My lack of love will not unmake the love of God.

But why such constancy on the part of God?  It is not quite enough for us to say: “Well, God loves David. That settles it.”  It’s more than that.  David was placed on the throne to rule, and to act as God’s representative, the one through whom the true King, God Himself, would build His kingdom.  The same is true for us. We are shown such grace not as an end in itself, but rather that we, royal sons and daughters, would live as His representatives and work for His kingdom now, that God would reign through us, our actions, and our interactions with the world.

So my prayer today is one of thanksgiving for God’s grace, but also a prayer that I may live today as the royal son, royal priest that God has called me to be.

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