JESUS: THE SERVANT OF PROMISE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Here is My servant, whom I uphold, My chosen one in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on Him.”

This is what God the Lord says—the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it:

“I will keep you and will make You to be a covenant for the people.”

Isaiah 42:1a, 5, 6b

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Do any study of God and you will quickly learn that He is a God of covenants or promises for His people. You will also discover that He always perfectly keeps His promises.

Go all the way back to the Book of Genesis and you will find God making the following covenant after sending the great flood that annihilated the earth minus Noah, his family members, and the animals they placed on the ark:

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “I now establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between Me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”  Genesis 9:8-17

Always remember these words of God and you’ll never look at a rainbow the same again for it’s far more than just a beautiful phenomenon to look at. It’s a sign of hope for all mankind and has been so for more than 2,000 years.

Later, we find God making the following covenant with Abraham, the great patriarch of God’s beloved Israel:

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before Me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make My covenant between Me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”

Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”  Genesis 17:1-8

Abraham placed his full hope and trust in God through obedience to what He called him to do and in return, God made Him the father of many nations (Romans 4:18).

Still later, we find God making a promise to His chosen king, David, through the prophet Nathan:

After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.”

Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with you.”

But that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying:

“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build Me a house to dwell in. I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent site to another, from one dwelling place to another. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their leaders whom I commanded to shepherd my people, “Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?”’

“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men on earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies.’”

“‘I declare to you that the Lord will build a house for you: When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for Me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. I will set him over My house and My kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.’”

Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.  1 Chronicles 17:1-15

Note here that David, a man who was after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), lamented that there was no temple for the ark of the covenant, the ark being under a tent while David slept in a lavish house. The king had it in mind to build a proper place for the Lord but note here that it was not the Lord’s will for that to happen. There would be a temple built but it would be David’s son, Solomon, who would oversee the work as king and not David. God promised David that this would happen and that He would ensure Solomon would be watched over and cared for when he assumed the throne after David’s death. And as we know, God kept His promise and it was Solomon who saw that the temple was constructed.

Three distinct cases. Three promises given by God. Three promises kept.

Of course, there were many more promises made and kept, more than could possibly be included in this devotion but you get the point as we turn to our verses from Isaiah 42. God was a God of covenant making and covenant keeping. Look at our verses today to find the promise that grants eternal hope to everyone, no matter their ethnicity, gender, or age, and eternal hope that comes through the promise found in Jesus, the perfect Servant:

“Here is My servant, whom I uphold, My chosen one in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on Him.”

This is what God the Lord says—the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it:

“I will keep you and will make You to be a covenant for the people.”  Isaiah 42:1a, 5, 6b

We know Jesus in so many ways as we have examined through the first seven devotions in this series but perhaps there is no more critical way that we know Him than the One God made to be a covenant to all people, rather Jew or Gentile (i.e. anyone who was not a Jew). This new covenant through Jesus was given to us through the words spoken by our Savior in John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God gave His Son as a covenant for all people and those who place their faith, hope, and trust in Jesus will find God’s promise fulfilled. For Christ Jesus tore down the barriers separating God and mankind and made available a way to live with Him forever. That way, the only way to God, was through Jesus who told us this:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

In other words, the only way to the Father is through His Son.

Friends, what an amazing promise we have sealed through a covenant God made with us through the servant Jesus, the servant of promise. Let us all take time today and every day to rejoice and be glad in the covenants God has made and continues to keep, for they offer us hope, faith, reassurance, and certainty as we live seek to carry out His will in this uncertain world.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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