God Keeps His Covenant
Several times in the Old Testament, and in today’s Bible reading* we see that despite how godless the kings may have been, God keeps His covenant with David.
You may remember that God promised to keep one of David’s descendants on the throne. (2 Samuel 7:12-17) With only a few exceptions, (eg, Joab, Jehoshaphat) God exhibited a great deal of patience as king after king after king followed the ways of godless kings instead of following after David toward God’s heart.
Today, we read about King Jehoram and King Ahaziah. They are compared with King Ahab in that they didn’t follow God. Instead, they chose evil. (2 Kings 8:18, 27; 2 Chronicles 21:6, 22:4)
Application
As you read through the Bible, you’ll see some people (e.g., King David) pointed out as examples to follow. Others (e.g., King Ahab) are pointed out as examples to not follow. The Bible never whitewashes over David’s sins of adultery with Bathsheba and conspiracy to commit murder of Uriah the Hittite.
And yet, David is consistently given high marks and held up as an example to follow. Why? Because “David was a man after God’s own heart”. (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22) David was truly a man of the covenant. He wasn’t perfect, but he chose to live in a covenant relationship with God.
How will people remember you? Will they remember you as someone for your consistent — and persistent — faith in Jesus and someone they should pattern their life after? Or will they remember you as someone to avoid patterning their life after?
I don’t ask this question to condemn you. But I ask it as something to prayerfully consider as you face the rest of your life. It’s never too late (on this side of eternity) to turn to God, faithfully committing your life to Him and seeking God and His Kingdom first. (Matthew 6:33)
As I said in church last year, you’re never destined to live at a lower spiritual level than your spiritual ancestors. You can always choose to sit in the “First Chair”.
Choose to live in the blessings
— and obligations —
of a covenant relationship with God.
* Chapters covered in today’s reading:
2 Kings 8:16-29
2 Chronicles 21
2 Chronicles 22:1-9
This devotional was slightly modified from one originally published on June 26, 2021.
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