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August 22 Daily Devotional

Twilight: A King with a Mantle of Shame

the Rev. Andrew Kuyvenhoven

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 89:38–52

Bible Text:

You have put an end to his splendor ... cut short the days of his youth; you have covered him with a mantle of shame (Ps. 89:44–45).

Devotional:

A jarring break appears in the middle of this psalm. First the poet sings of the "mercies that endure" and the golden cords of God's love that hold forever.

Then he cries out to God: But what are you doing now? "You have renounced the covenant with your servant and have defiled his crown in the dust.... You have cut short the days of his youth; you have covered him with a mantle of shame" (vv. 39, 45).

These words remind us of the eighteen-year-old King Jehoiachin, a descendant of David. For three months he sat on the throne in Jerusalem. Then he languished in a Babylonian prison for thirty-seven years (2 Kings 24:12; 25:27). He was cut off in his youth and wore the mantle of shame. This was not the only time Jerusalem cried that the glory of the house of David had departed. Often the crown rolled in the dust. the throne lay on the ground, and the king wore the mantle of shame.

Anyone who takes the time to read 1 and 2 Kings will see how insistent the writer is that it was the sins of Judah that caused all the sufferings in the royal line.

At God's time, however, the great Son of David was born. God cut off his life when he was young. He wore a robe of shame. He suffered—but not for his own sins. He died, but not as a victim. He arose. And he is now on the everlasting throne.


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.

 

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