Eternal Faithfulness and Mercy

Psalms 89:19-37

19 Then You spoke in a vision to Your holy one,
And said: "I have given help to one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.

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

The promised seed to David is the Messiah-Christ who followed twenty-eight generations later as promised (Matthew 1:17).  God’s faithfulness and mercy chose David from tending sheep to shepherding God’s people and then promising a seed from him, the seed from Adam promised to redeem mankind from the curse of sin (Genesis 3:15) by that eternal gospel (Revelation 14:6, Ephesians 3:9).  David had God’s strength and grace keeping him to glorify God through him by His faithfulness of the covenant promise and mercy of deliverance.  We also have God’s faithful new covenant written eternally in Christ’s blood which bestows unending mercy in forgiveness of our sins by an ever-effectual sacrifice (Hebrews 9:26-28, 10:10, 14, 18).  This seed of David is spoken of here as His Son, the firstborn over all (Colossians 1:15), the king of all kings (1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14, 19:16), and the solid foundational rock of salvation.  He was not just the rock of David’s foundation, but of ours as well by the same faithfulness and mercy of grace.  His throne endures forever!  The same warning to us applies, namely that we are not to forget His word to live by, or suffer the discipline to correct us, just as the Seed of David suffered many stripes in our stead for our sin (Isaiah 53:5).  As the psalmist reminds us, God’s lovingkindness of grace is not taken from we who are covered in Christ, though we suffer loss (1 Corinthians 3:14-15).  This is our hope of eternal salvation, a certain promise and not a loan according to our performance.  He will not break His covenant according to His word spoken to us.  David’s Seed endures forever as does His throne which He rules from.  Think about these things and give God the glory for His work in Christ from eternity to eternity.  Amen.