25 Days of Advent: Forged for our Hope – Day 19

The coffee shop was buzzing with people squished into booths and sharing seats; baristas catching quick breaths between white foam creations and the grinding of fresh beans.

I listened as a friend shared with me a story of something that recently happened with her young children. Curious about details of the Christmas story, her children peppered her with questions about why baby Jesus had to be born in a manager, and where Bethlehem was let alone why He was born there. Their curiosity led to her humble confession that she did not know the story of the Messiah’s birth in any detail and greatly desired a deeper understanding of not only the legendary story, but her faith as a whole. Like her children, she is hungry for more knowledge with her own curiosity unsatisfied.

What I heard was a woman opening her heart and confessing her need for a stronger foundation of faith and desire to know her heritage as a child of God.

In the book of Samuel we find the prophet Nathan receiving a word from the Lord for King David. David had just defeated the Philistines in an epic battle and he and his army were taking the ark of God to Jerusalem. The ark was a wooden box adorned with gold that carried within it the two stone tablets of the ten commandments written by Moses, Aaron’s rod, and a pot of manna. The ark was fixed upon the top of a cart that was driven by two men, Uzzah and Ahio the sons of Abinadab. Along the journey the chosen men of David we offering up their praises to the Lord with joyous songs and the playing of various instruments. When they had finally reached the threshing floor Nacon, Uzzah put his hand out and touched the ark of God. Uzzah’s careless action angered the Lord and he was struck down immediately dying beside the ark itself.

The ark of God was to be treated with reverence, the hearts of men to be humble before it. But it was disrespect and presumption that the Lord saw within Uzzah’s heart and his careless behaviour caused him a most tragic death. David had eventually erected a tent where the ark was sheltered but had it within his mind to create a house of cedar.

But the Lord did not desire a house of cedar and had a word for David: He had been with David wherever he went, saving him from his enemies. The Lord then made a covenant with David that the coming Messiah would come from David’s lineage and when His kingdom came, His throne would be established forever:

2 Samuel 7:12-13, When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

The Lord’s promise to King David was fulfilled by Christ, recorded in the Gospel of Luke:

Luke 1:32-33, 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 Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

When we are submitted unto the Messiah, accepting Christ the Messiah as our Savior, setting aside our fleshly desires to serve only His kingdom and not our own, we become a child of the one true God. And as a child of God, a covenant is established and we are given the greatest privilege of becoming heirs to a King’s throne.

We are forged for our hope when our covenant established through Christ is given the reverence and respect it greatly deserves. We must be careful not to become careless in our actions and indifferent to the heritage we have been gifted. When the pressures of the world begin to weigh on us, our faith tested from one situation to another, one of the greatest prayers we can lay before our King is one of seeking spiritual hunger to know Him greater than we know ourselves.

Father, help me to set aside all my self-confidence only seeking God-confidence in all that I do for your kingdom. May I always be aware of my heritage, never careless or indifferent to your throne singing songs of praise for the covenant you have established through the blood of your Son. In Jesus name, amen.

 

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