Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 132:11-18
Ps 132:11-18
The LORD swore an oath to David, a sure oath that he will not revoke: "one of your own descendants I will place on your throne--if your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever." For the LORD has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling: "This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it--I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor will I satisfy with food. I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints will ever sing for joy. "Here I will make a horn grow for David and set up a lamp for my anointed one. I will clothe his enemies with shame, but the crown on his head will be resplendent."
Phil 4:19-20
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
To God be the glory! Great things he has done! When we consider what else God has in mind for us, we begin to see HIS greatness and not our own. It was God who chose David to be King over his people. It was God who decided that his city would be Jerusalem. It was God who declared that Solomon would build his temple, and it was God who made Israel the greatest nation on earth!
But living in a palace that was indescribable and having a temple that glowed from the reflection of the sun, not from brass but from gold, made it easy to think that somehow, they had attained it on their own. Every nation on the earth was subject to them. In the later days of David and in the years of Solomon, Israel was a nation that exceeded any before it or after it in power, glory, and splendor. It was all this that incited David to number the people near the end of his life.
But it was true then and it is true now that everything comes with a cost. While the cost was far less than the benefits, it still was a cost to the recipients. God told Israel that they must put their trust in him and they must follow his laws in order to keep receiving the blessings. They could not serve other gods and they must be morally pure and never forget the poor. They failed and because they did, they were taken into captivity. They left God and he left them for a time.
O Lord God, it is with joy that I serve you and seek to be like Jesus. But the more I know about you and about your Son, the more I realize just how far short I am of being like you. I want to be strong but too often I am weak. Keep me from being proud and use me as your servant to do your will in all things. Continue to forgive me when I fail. Give your peace to those who are hurting, your strength to the struggling and your wisdom to the foolish. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
