A Forever Promise!

Psalm 89:34-37- My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips. Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David: His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before Me; It shall be established forever like the moon, even like the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah NKJV

Most people enjoy a great love story. Or at the very least, most women do! One of my favorites is the movie, “Ever After” with Drew Barrymore as Danielle, and Dougray Scott as Prince Henry. It’s another spin on the story of Cinderella, and it’s a joy to watch. In this version, the mean stepmother gets her just rewards, and Danielle gets her Prince Henry in a way that is entertaining and heartwarming. If it’s not a classic, it should be!

Forever after seems to truly be a storybook fantasy in many of our lives. On my second date with my husband, he asked me if I knew of any marriages that had lasted. Sadly to say, at that time, the pickings were really slim. Today, however, I know many couples who have been together for decades, and seem to truly be on the road to their personal forever after! We’re included in that number having celebrated 34 years this month! Here’s a place for a “Wonderful Jesus” shout!

God is a forever God! There’s nothing temporary or flaky about Him, or what He says, or what He does. His promises are sure and they are true!

David was minding his own business when he was called to dinner with Samuel and his family. Unbeknown to him, they were waiting for the next king of Israel. Or so we think! Could it be that while David was watching sheep, fighting off the bear, and ripping the lion apart that God had already spoken to him about being king? Is it possible that he had already received the promise? I don’t know, but I know this, God made Him a forever promise.

From that day, David was the king of Israel. He was favored of God, a warrior who won many battles for the Lord. He took back territory from the Philistines, established worship in the temple, united the kingdom, and won the respect of those near and far. But one day, he wanted to build a house for the Lord. It was not to be because God said that David had too much blood on his hands. But then God said this to David:

“When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.”’ ”. 2 Samuel 7:12-13,16 – NKJV

David was so delighted. He just wanted to build a place for God. He wasn’t looking for anything in return. God had been so good to him already that he just wanted to do something to show God how much He meant to him. But you can never repay the generosity of the Father. David responded to the Lord by saying:

“And now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.” 2 Samuel 7:28-29 – NKJV

David knew the integrity of God’s promises. When he was anointed king that day, he returned to the sheep, not to the palace. As a matter of fact his journey to the palace was a long and arduous one. He went from the one who was heralded as a hero after killing Goliath, to the one who hid in the cave of Adullam, and was found weeping at Ziklag, and finally to kingship. But through it all, God was faithful to David, and gave him exactly what He had promised him.

We see David later in years, about to transition to glory, as he turns the kingdom over to Solomon. We see a man who slept with another man’s wife, and had the man killed. We see a man who ran from his son who took the kingdom from him. We see a man who had children killing each other. A hard and often difficult life. But God had blessed David richly and said He would have given him more if he would have just asked. This David! The one who seemed to have lost his way! This David, was promised a forever kingdom!

Great deliverance He gives to His king, and shows mercy to His anointed, to David and his descendants forevermore. Psalm 18:50 – NKJV

Not only did God promise David a forever kingdom, but He also promised David and his descendants great deliverance and mercy forever! Isn’t that something? Well, that’s just like God. He didn’t change His promise based on David’s actions, but He kept His promise based on His word.

Let’s return to our text.

My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips. Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David: His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before Me; It shall be established forever like the moon, even like the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah NKJV

God promised that He would not break or alter the word that had gone out of His lips to David. He even said that He would not lie to David! (Do you want to know something else, God isn’t lying to us!). God promised that David’s seed would endure forever and that is so through Jesus, and also through many in the nation of Israel who trace their ancestry to David. God said that his throne would be established forever, and again, this was made a reality through the throne of Jesus! God made a forever promise to David, and He kept His word!

This week I have an objective, if you haven’t noticed. Two in fact. The first is to remind us of the surety of the promises of God. The second is to remind us of the faithfulness of God to His word. Scripture lets us know that He watches over it to perform it. (Jeremiah 1:12)

As we journey through 2021, let’s do so, learning to trust in His promises like never before. Let’s set our face to know what those promises are and learn how to receive them in our lives. Let us determine that we will say like the song of old:

Standing, standing
Standing on the promises of Christ my Savior,
Standing, standing
Standing on the promises of God!

Wonderful Jesus!