Word of Encouragement (09/17/2024)
He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth. 15 Remember his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, 16 the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, 17 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, 18 saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan, as your portion for an inheritance." (1 Chron. 16:14-18)
After acknowledging that “the LORD” (YHWH) is “our God,” David goes on to declare that “his judgments are in all the earth.” This is another way of saying that the God of Israel is the Lord of all the earth. David is declaring that the LORD is not just a tribal god, who is in charge of just a small area in the world, competing against other regional deities. He is the one and only true God, before whom there is no other god(s). Not just Israel but all the nations of the world are accountable to God. They will have to face His judgment for not acknowledging and worshipping Him, who is their Creator and Lord. They cannot excuse themselves from their accountability to God and His judgment. “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them” (Rom. 1:19).
So then, it is no small privilege to have YHWH as “our God.” David goes on to talk about what that meant for the people of Israel: “Remember his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations.” God entered into a special relationship with Israel through a covenant (of grace). David describes the covenant in this way: “...the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant” (vv. 16-17).
This statement reflects the fact that God chose to establish the covenant in three generations. Why? One of the reasons is given in David’s description: “...which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute.” God’s covenant was made not only to Abraham but also to his descendants: “I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you” (Gen. 17:7). So, by renewing His covenant with Abraham and his descendants for three generations—Isaac, his son, and Jacob, his grandson—God demonstrated His unswerving commitment to the covenant.
Also, in renewing the covenant for three generations, God also demonstrated the gracious nature of the covenant. God chose an old, childless Abram to be “the father of many nations” (Abraham) to show His grace. God chose Isaac, whose name means “he laughs,” because, when the angel of the LORD announced to him the coming birth of a son, Abraham laughed, saying, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child” (Gen. 17:17)? Isaac was a testament to God’s grace, which was so incredible that Abraham could not help but laugh upon hearing about it. Jacob, the younger, was chosen instead of Esau, the older, while the twins were in Rebekah’s womb before they had done (Rom. 9:11) to show the principle of grace in God’s election.
If so, Israel could not boast of its special standing with God because it was chosen on the basis of God’s grace, not its goodness. It had no reason to be arrogant but every reason to be humble for all the benefits and privileges it enjoyed as God’s people. The same is true all the more so for those who are God’s people through faith in Jesus Christ. Does your faith produce humility and gratitude and lead to humble worship of God and joyful service to Him?