A Sure Oath

The Lord swore an oath to David, a sure oath that he will not revoke: “One of your own descendants I will place on your throne— if your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever.” (Psalm 132:11-12, NIV 1984).

My Musings – “If your sons keep my covenant.” They did not. “Then their sons,” no longer sat on David’s throne. First Israel fell to the Assyrians (722 B.C.) and then Judah fell to the Babylonians (586 B.C.). They eventually were returned to the land, but not to the throne.

“The Lord swore…a sure oath that He will not revoke.” Yes, if David’s descendants had only kept the covenant. Because they did not, God would have been justified in abandoning His oath. He did not. He had already made other plans. “The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.'” (Luke 1:30-33, NIV 1984).

So, what happened to this Jesus? Did He regain the throne? If He did, why is He not reigning still? He did not regain the throne. At least, not yet. “It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour. ‘Here is your king,’ Pilate [the Roman Governor] said to the Jews. But they shouted, ‘Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!’ ‘Shall I crucify your king?’ Pilate asked. ‘We have no king but Caesar [Rome’s king],’ the chief priests answered. Finally, Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.” (John 19:14-16, NIV 1984). They did not like His “platform,” so they rejected His “candidacy.” Less than a generation later (70 A.D.), Jerusalem fell to the Romans and were dispersed. Only recently (1948) have the oath breakers returned to the land.

Once again, God would have been justified in foregoing His oath. We most likely would. But then again, He is God, and we are not. His plan was not thwarted. “Brothers, I [Peter] can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God. Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:29-33, 36, NIV 1984).

Today, He sits at the right hand of God. But one day, the King will return to sit on David’s throne. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ He said to me: ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this.'” (Revelation 21:1, 5-7, NIV 1984).

My Advice – The question we all must ask ourselves is, will we continue to be oath breakers and disinherited, or will we swear allegiance to the one who died for us “inherit all this?” Jesus Christ is the only way God will fulfill His “sure oath” in your life. To be part of His Kingdom. A true exile returning to the promised land.

“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” (Revelation 22:17, NIV 1984). Won’t you come?