May 12, 2017

A PINKY PROMISE

Psalm 89:19–52

Shelly Mueller
Friday's Devo

May 12, 2017

Friday's Devo

May 12, 2017

Central Truth

God's love for us is unchangeable, faithful, and devoted—even when we sin and make decisions that need correction.

Key Verse | Psalm 89:28

My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
and my covenant will stand firm for him.
(Psalm 89:28)

Psalm 89:19–52

19  Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, 1 89:19 Some Hebrew manuscripts godly ones and said:
    “I have granted help to one who is mighty;
    I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20  I have found David, my servant;
    with my holy oil I have anointed him,
21  so that my hand shall be established with him;
    my arm also shall strengthen him.
22  The enemy shall not outwit him;
    the wicked shall not humble him.
23  I will crush his foes before him
    and strike down those who hate him.
24  My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,
    and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25  I will set his hand on the sea
    and his right hand on the rivers.
26  He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,
    my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’
27  And I will make him the firstborn,
    the highest of the kings of the earth.
28  My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
    and my covenant will stand firm 2 89:28 Or will remain faithful for him.
29  I will establish his offspring forever
    and his throne as the days of the heavens.
30  If his children forsake my law
    and do not walk according to my rules, 3 89:30 Or my just decrees
31  if they violate my statutes
    and do not keep my commandments,
32  then I will punish their transgression with the rod
    and their iniquity with stripes,
33  but I will not remove from him my steadfast love
    or be false to my faithfulness.
34  I will not violate my covenant
    or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
35  Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;
    I will not lie to David.
36  His offspring shall endure forever,
    his throne as long as the sun before me.
37  Like the moon it shall be established forever,
    a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah

38  But now you have cast off and rejected;
    you are full of wrath against your anointed.
39  You have renounced the covenant with your servant;
    you have defiled his crown in the dust.
40  You have breached all his walls;
    you have laid his strongholds in ruins.
41  All who pass by plunder him;
    he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
42  You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
    you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43  You have also turned back the edge of his sword,
    and you have not made him stand in battle.
44  You have made his splendor to cease
    and cast his throne to the ground.
45  You have cut short the days of his youth;
    you have covered him with shame. Selah

46  How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever?
    How long will your wrath burn like fire?
47  Remember how short my time is!
    For what vanity you have created all the children of man!
48  What man can live and never see death?
    Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah

49  Lord, where is your steadfast love of old,
    which by your faithfulness you swore to David?
50  Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked,
    and how I bear in my heart the insults 4 89:50 Hebrew lacks the insults of all the many nations,
51  with which your enemies mock, O LORD,
    with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed.

52  Blessed be the LORD forever!
    Amen and Amen.

Footnotes

[1] 89:19 Some Hebrew manuscripts godly ones
[2] 89:28 Or will remain faithful
[3] 89:30 Or my just decrees
[4] 89:50 Hebrew lacks the insults

Dive Deeper | Psalm 89:19–52

Awhile back, my oldest grandson warmed my heart when he slid down a slide and held his chubby pinky out to me saying, "Pinky promise, GiGi?" This idea came from a few weeks before when he had been eyeing the candy jar and pleading for M&Ms before dinner. Trying to distract him, I looked into his precious face, held out my pinky, and made our little pact that after dinner he could for sure indulge. Although he may not have understood exactly what the pinky promise meant, he certainly remembered it and knew that it was made with a special love.

In this passage, the psalmist Ethan sings praises to God recounting blessings of joy, strength, and security from God. He talks about the unconditional promises God made to David in His covenant (2 Samuel 7:5-16). He recounts over and over that God's faithfulness and steadfast love will be with him forever. And the most important promise is that David's offspring will endure forever (verse 36), meaning Christ our Savior would come from the lineage of David!

Then, ​later in the passage, Ethan begins to sound like he feels that God could have gone back on His promises and asks, "[W]here is your steadfast love of old, which by your faithfulness you swore to David?"(Verse 49) God's people had strayed, were being disciplined, and were having to deal with the results of their actions. How often did His people disobey? And yet, God still pursued them and never gave up!

Like the psalmist, we may complain about our circumstances without first realizing that the consequences are from our own choices. At the time, it may make us feel far from God's love. Yet, we are likely in the process of being drawn nearer to Him (James 1:2-4). And we know that His promise is true, that He is faithful, and His love for us is steadfast. How wonderful to know that we have a Father who desires to draw us close to Him so that through Christ we can exhibit a life that reflects His true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24).

Discussion Questions

The Tweetable Truth was a play off the phrase from the book Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss. In the book, Horton the elephant is faithful in sitting on the lazy bird's egg through many circumstances, making good on his promise. In the end, the hatched bird ends up looking very much like Horton, just as we reflect God's holiness when we rest in His love and pursue the relationship He desires from us.

1.  Have you told others recently about the faithful, steadfast, amazing love God has for them?

2. Have you ever made decisions or found times in your life when you find yourself in a place in which you felt far from God?

3. If so, did you feel your relationship with God grew or was strengthened in that time of correction?

4. What did you learn from the situation?