Faithful: Week 5

Introduction

So far in our study of God’s Promises and Covenants, we’ve seen over and over that God’s people often have to wait for God’s timing rather than getting things to happen the way that they would like. Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac to be born. The Israelites were in slavery in Egypt for 400 years. Noah was on the Ark for 40 days after spending decades building it. God’s timing doesn’t always line up with ours and we see yet another example of this tonight in our Bible study as the Israelites cross the wilderness and eventually enter the Promised Land!

Sin has consequences and sometimes those consequences are a simple delay for ourselves. Other times whenever we sin, that sin impacts not only us but lots of other people. Think about the sin of David with Bathsheba - that sin not only impacted him but it impacted her, her husband, their eventual son, and perhaps other people with awareness of the situation. We often think that sin is a private thing that only hurts us but that simply is not true. Tonight we’re reminded of the Israelites in the wilderness as they first reached the promised land but refused to go into the land because there were giants in the place God had promised them. Think through this: What are some ways God had provided for His people up to this point?

Plagues in Egypt

Pharoah let them go

Left Egypt with lots of possessions/wealth

Guided in Wilderness by cloud of smoke and pillar of fire

Manna from heaven

Parted Red Sea

Egyptians destroyed

Law on Mount Sinai

God provided in lots of ways! Yet, they finally get to the Promised Land that God PROMISED them and they doubted that God would come through. This sin had a consequence and the consequence was that for 40 years they’d wander in the wilderness even longer and an entire generation would die off and new leadership would be in place. The leaders we see in Joshua are Joshua and Caleb. Joshua trusts in God’s plan and he previously believed that God was going to deliver the giants over to them 40 years earlier. Why did Joshua believe that they should enter the land the first time?

Because he was convicted that the battle wasn’t first theirs… it was first God’s and God had promised them the victory… Therefore, they simply needed to be strong and courageous in God’s promise as Joshua 1:9 says

Joshua 1:9 CSB

9 Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

See, Joshua believes that God will come through and this is what God does - He parts the water again (Jordan River) and provides for His people with victory after victory. God is faithful to His promises and we trust that He is still faithful today! Just as He was with Joshua and Moses, He is with us too! Romans 8:31 reminds us of this glorious truth

Romans 8:31 CSB

31 What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

As a Christian, God has a purpose and plan for your life - you are a part of something so much bigger than you can even imagine! Our responsibility is to simply trust and obey as the beloved hymn tells us. Joshua led the people into the land and God provided as He promised to - but the Israelites still had issues because of their sin. People didn’t follow God’s instruction and as a result there were some consequences. The next generation of Israelites didn’t know or keep the law as Judges tells us

Judges 2:10–11 CSB

10 That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works he had done for Israel. 11 The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. They worshiped the Baals

In the first 6 chapters of Judges, we are told 6 times that the people of God did what was evil in God’s sight. This wasn’t a rare occasion, this was the pattern. It was the norm. And sin has consequences. Again, in our world people doubt this, they think that sin isn’t a big deal and that they should just follow their heart and do whatever looks to be the right thing to do… this leads to problems though because the Bible tells us to learn not in our own understanding but to trust in the Lord! Whenever people live our Judges 17:6, problems quickly arise

Judges 17:6 CSB

6 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him.

The people desire a king and this is what God gives them. He provides them with a mighty man to match the other nations around them and Saul is what people would look for: tall, strong, a mighty warrior… but his character is lacking. The people of God, just like us today, failed to remember that God looks on the inside and this is what God illustrates with His choosing of David to be the next king.

God’s Covenant with David

David served God faithfully, even though he was still a sinner with shortcomings and mistakes as we’ve already talked about, but he was a good king and called the man after God’s own heart

1 Samuel 13:14 CSB

14 but now your reign will not endure. The Lord has found a man after his own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over his people, because you have not done what the Lord commanded.”

God makes a covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7 and this covenant builds on the ones previously given to people like Abraham and Moses. God promises to make David a great name - this is what God promised Abraham as Abraham was promised numerous descendants. David is promised to be king and He is also promised peace from their enemies. Most significantly, God promises to build David a house. This isn’t talking just about a physical building with 4 walls and a roof… this is talking about a dynasty as His offspring will rule over the people of Israel and that His descendant will build God a house and rule over God’s Kingdom forever and ever. That’s an incredible promise! God even says this in 2 Samuel 7:14

2 Samuel 7:14 CSB

14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod of men and blows from mortals.

God made this covenant with David - God always comes through on His covenants. How will this happen? Who is this promised descendant of David? We know that David’s son Solomon becomes king after David dies and Solomon is blessed by God with wealth, possessions, and wisdom. He even builds the temple in Jerusalem that God said would happen! If you are a Jew at this time maybe you’re tempted to think that Solomon is the promised Messiah! But Solomon falls short. He’s a sinful man too. He has hundreds of wives. He worships false gods. He breaks God’s covenant over and over again… but God promises that Solomon cannot ruin God’s promise to David. Solomon partly fulfills this covenant - he builds God a temple. He rules as King… but the ultimate fulfillment must come from someone else because God made a promise that David’s descendant would rule as king forever and be the Son of God. This sounds good - but after Solomon the Kingdom of Israel splits in half! You have the northern kingdom called Israel and the southern kingdom called Judah. The northern kingdom quickly rebelled against God and they would be captured by the Assyrians in 722 BC because they failed to worship God alone as He commanded. The southern kingdom had several good kings like Josiah and Hezekiah but they too would be captured and in 586 BC they were taken into exile in Babylon. There was no king in Jerusalem at this time… did God fail? God promised David a dynasty that would rule for forever on the throne and here it looks like the line of David was no more.

Can God go back on His promise?

No! God does something unconventional and unexpected. For nearly 600 years there wouldn’t be a king in Israel. That’s a long time to wait! But God cannot fail. He is working, even if we cannot see Him at work, He is doing something. He is preparing our hearts and the hearts of His people. He is using the circumstances around us to point us to Him so that we trust in Him alone. Eventually, God’s plan will be seen but until then, we know that He is faithful and that He cannot go back on His promise. This is true for His covenant with Noah, Moses, Abraham, and David as well! It’s also true for His covenant with His people today. If God promised to never leave or forsake you like Hebrews 13 tells us

Hebrews 13:5 CSB

5 Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.

If God promised this - we can rest assured that He means it! He won’t abandon us! What if we mess up? Is God upset? Absolutely. Will He kick us to the curb? Absolutely not. How do we know this? Because He promised to be with us always through His Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives as Christians.

Philippians 1:6 CSB

6 I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

God is at work in our lives and He’s going to keep on working. This is good news!

Jesus, the Greater David, Fulfills the Davidic Covenant

Jesus fulfills God’s covenant with David, not Solomon. 600 years after the people of Jerusalem were taken into exile, we celebrate the good news that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and He is called the Messiah - the anointed one. Just like David was the anointed king of Israel, Jesus is anointed or chosen by God to be the Savior of God’s people. If you look in the Gospel of Matthew you immediately look in chapter 1 and there are a bunch of names and some of them are hard to pronounce! We see a genealogy and the first section of Jesus’ genealogy traces from Abraham down to David. Ultimately David’s offspring are traced all the way to Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph. You see that Jesus has the right genealogy - while He wasn’t Joseph’s biological son (virgin birth), Joseph was his earthly father. God made a promise to David that his offspring would be called God’s Son and that is what we see of Jesus in places like John 1 and 3

John 3:16 CSB

16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

God made a promise to David that his offspring would have a great name and Jesus doesn’t just have a great name but He has the name above every name as Philippians 2 tells us

Philippians 2:9–11 CSB

9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This demonstrates that Jesus is not just a powerful figure, but He’s the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His rule is everlasting and He sits on the throne forever as Hebrews 1:8 told us weeks ago

Hebrews 1:8 CSB

8 but to the Son: Your throne, God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.

This is why Jesus came! He said in the Gospels to repent because the Kingdom of God was at hand. If you have a kingdom, you have a king and Jesus is that King. He is the promised son of David who rules as King, is the Son of God, and provides His followers with genuine peace.

David, Solomon, and every earthly ruler and king fall short. Yet, Jesus is the better king. He’s the true and better David. He doesn’t fall short. He succeeds. He doesn’t cower down, He defeats His people’s foe and bears their punishment on Himself. David was known as the man after God’s own heart but he still had his fair share of issues… Jesus has God’s own heart as God in the flesh and though He was tempted by sin, never once sinned. He fulfills God’s covenant with David and extends its benefits to His children today.

How does Jesus serve as our King today? How will that look different in the future?

Jesus rules and reigns today. He is in control.

Whenever He comes again, though, He will rule with His people as their king. His foes will be judged. His kingdom will know no end unlike the kingdoms of this world. Our king will rule forever unlike the temporary kings of this world. One day we will gather around His throne and give Him the glory He alone deserves. He is the king today - but we live in a broken world of sin. One day, our King will return and crush sin and remove its existence for His followers. We will experience His eternal rest and peace and joy.

God Promises a New Covenant Written on our Hearts

This is great news, but how do we know that we belong to Jesus’ kingdom?

The covenants in the Old Testament required obedience and if the Israelites ever disobeyed, they deserved a punishment. This is what happens throughout the period of the Prophets. Yet, God makes a promise to establish a New Covenant and this is what Jesus does after He fulfills the Old Covenant. Look at Hebrews 8-10, we’ll get there in the end of 2023 believe it or not in our sermon series.

Hebrews 8:8 CSB

8 But finding fault with his people, he says: See, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—

This was a promise declared all the way back in the Old Testament to the prophet Jeremiah. What is so good about this new covenant? For one it is established by Jesus, God’s Son, who has done the work necessary for our salvation. That’s great news! But also, the Bible tells us that this new covenant will be written on our hearts instead of on tablets of stone

Hebrews 8:10 CSB

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

In other words, God gives life where there used to be death. The law was a reminder that we fell short and our heart was deceitful and wicked and unknowable. Yet, because of this new covenant, God writes His law on our heart. What changes have to happen in this new covenant? God has to give us a new heart! God must bring our dead hearts to life. This is what Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3 as Jesus tells him

John 3:3 CSB

3 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

This is the new covenant! We’re dead in our sins but God raises us to life. Our sinful heart will be changed with a new one that desires to love and serve God faithfully. The Holy Spirit walks with us through this life and helps us in our walk and provides forgiveness and grace where we fall short. See, the great news about the new covenant isn’t just our eternal home and the land we’ll dwell in but it’s the person who we will be with! The New Covenant shares with us that God will dwell with us. We’ll study his some this Sunday in Hebrews 3 as the preacher of Hebrews shares about entering God’s promised rest and how the people of Israel failed to do this. Heb 3:11

Hebrews 3:11 CSB

11 So I swore in my anger, “They will not enter my rest.”

What is God’s promised rest? It’s not a Sunday afternoon nap. It’s not a coffee break. It’s the presence of God in Christ Jesus. It’s not a place but a person. Through Jesus and His work on the cross, His followers are given the Holy Spirit and we are granted a new heart. We are restored to our God and His promise is that we will dwell with Him forever not because of the good things we’ve done but because of the goodness of our King! He is faithful. While we still battle the problem of sin in our lives and while our heart still desires things that are wrong, we have the Holy Spirit guiding our heart and mind daily to seek first God’s Kingdom. Our God is rich in mercy and He has raised us from the darkness and death that we were once in and now we are walking as His children into His marvelous light.

Our God is faithful to His covenants and promises! Have you trusted in Jesus as Lord and Savior? Has He changed your heart today?

Outline:

Davidic Covenant

Jesus, the Greater David, Fulfills Davidic Covenant

God Promises a New Covenant written on our Hearts