August 21 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

These meditations are on the psalms. All those songs about Zion, the temple, and the Son of David really make sense when they are sung In the New Testament church.

Bible Reading:

Psalm 89:19–37

Bible Text:

"I have sworn by my holiness—and I will not lie to David—that his line will continue forever" (Ps. 89:35–36).

Devotional:

The story of Israel's kings is a strange mixture of human sin and God's holiness. God was the King of Israel from the start. The nation did not need another leader. But the people wanted an earthly hero, whom they could serve, admire, follow into battle, and hail in victory. Reluctantly God let them have a king (1 Sam. 8). King Saul was a disaster, but with David God made a covenant. God said, "Now you shall have a king forever in the line of David, and he will be a son to me" (2 Sam. 7:13–14).

This is the secret of Israel's continued history. Though Israel was punished by the blows of the Assyrians and tried in the fires of the Babylonians, a remnant survived. Why? Not because they were so tough, but because God remembered his covenant with David.

Psalm 89 sings about the sacred oath God swore by his holiness. In the words of a song based on this psalm, "I sing of mercies that endure, forever builded firm and sure, of faithfulness that never dies, established changeless in the skies."

The song is full of gratitude that the almighty God cannot do what we do so easily—lie. Although God will punish us for our lies and treachery, he remains faithful to his promises.

Therefore it should not surprise us (but it is quite a thrill) that the first line of the New Testament says this is the story "of Jesus Christ the son of David."

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.