Psalm 89b - My faithful love

Read: Psalm 89 vs 19-37

King David is a huge figure in the overall story of the Bible. The name ‘Paul’ is mentioned 206 times in the Bible, ‘Peter’ 169 times, ‘Moses’ just under 800 times. David’s name however is found 889 times across 28 Old and New Testament books (the number goes up to over 1000 if we include references to him in the Psalm titles). 

So what was it about David that led to him having such a pivotal role in God’s great story of salvation? We meet David in 1 Samuel 16. Israel already had a King, Saul, but Saul turned out to be a bad King, someone who was more focused on himself, than he was on God.

In 1 Samuel 16 God chooses David and the prophet Samuel ‘anoints’ him to be King. David is not chosen because he is biggest or the best. The Hebrew text describes him as being ‘the least’ among a family full of brothers. David is chosen because of something God sees in His heart: ‘The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’ (1 Samuel 16: 7)

From the word go the sense is not only that David is different but that God is dealing with him on different terms. God is committed to David, and God sticks with David. The Old Testament uses a phrase to describe God’s commitment to David and His commitment to His people. It’s the phrase ‘faithful love’ and it’s found in vs 24: ‘My faithful love will be with him.’ 

When you read through this section of Psalm 89 (vs 19-37) what is so striking is the permanence of God’s love for David (vs 28). God is doing something in David’s life and through His reign that isn’t going to end. King David becomes an Old Testament signpost to Jesus and to His eternal Kingdom. When a blind man in Mark 10:47 cried out to Jesus ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ he saw more than he knew. Jesus has come to bring God’s faithful love into the lives, not of those who see, but of those who look to Him. His love is poured out not on the biggest or the best. His mercy and His choosing looks for those who will have a heart for Him. In His mercy He will never take His love from those who trust in Him (Psalm 89:33).