Sermon Tone Analysis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.