"Forevermore"
Jun. 24, 2019
For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let Your Holy One see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
~ Psalm 16:10-11 (ESV)
We have God's command: "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3). David the psalmist agrees: "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You" (Psalm 16:2). The prophet Isaiah would say, "They are turned back and utterly put to shame, who trust in carved idols" (Isaiah 42:17a). David expressed a similar thought: "The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply" (Psalm 16:4a).
Although the people around him may have multiplied their sorrows by running after other gods, David remained faithful to the God of Israel, as his Descendant, the Son of David—Jesus Christ—would remain faithful. Jesus was obedient to the point of death, paying the price of our redemption with His precious blood. Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus, David's greater Son, would dwell—and then die—secure in the promise spoken by His ancestor: "For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol or let Your Holy One see corruption."
After Jesus ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit was poured out on His disciples. On the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter would use the confident words of the psalm's promise of life and resurrection to identify Jesus as the crucified and risen Messiah. David, inspired by the Spirit, wrote those words yet, as Peter points out to the crowd in Jerusalem, "His (David's) tomb is with us to this day" (Acts 2:29). The tomb was there, and so was David. But as a prophet, David looked ahead to his promised Son. He spoke of the Christ who, though He suffered death, would not be abandoned to the place of death and decay. Jesus the Christ was raised from the dead. His tomb, on that Pentecost day, was also nearby—and it was empty.
God raised His Son from the dead! Hallelujah! The Savior knows fullness of joy at the Father's right hand and, one day, so will we. Our graves will hold us for a little while, but when the Son of David, Jesus our Lord, returns on the Last Day, He will raise us up from death and our tombs will be empty, as His was. Dressed in immortality, we will know fullness of joy and, at God's right hand, pleasures forevermore.
THE PRAYER: Jesus, Son of David, in Your death and resurrection, we have the hope and promise of our resurrection to life on the Last Day. By the power of Your Spirit, help us to live as Your faithful followers as we await Your return. We look forward to the day when we will be with You forevermore. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
- Are there things in your life that can completely command your attention?
- What does it mean that at God's right hand are "pleasures forevermore"?
- Do you do anything in your life now in preparation to live forever?
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
Are there things in your life that can completely command your attention?
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