Advent Week 4

Psalm: Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26
Old Testament: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16
Gospel: Luke 1:26-38
Epistle: Romans 16:25-27

So, I am obviously behind on my writing this week. That is what happens when you work all weekend. It’s ironic that this week’s scriptures revolve around the idea of faithfulness. I might not be faithful to write my blog by Sunday night, but we serve a God who is faithful.

Our scriptures open up with a Psalm of thanksgiving and praise to the Lord. The Psalm recounts the history of Israel and God’s faithfulness in the section not given this week. Verses 5-18 tell the history of the Exodus and the giving of the Promise Land. The second half of our reading, 19-26 tells of God’s faithfulness to David for all generations. But if we keep reading the Psalm we discover that God’s faithfulness isn’t apparent. The people have turned against and God seems hidden. (46) The people cry out to the Lord to restore his promise to David. The Psalm, which begins in praise of God’s faithfulness, ends in a lament and a prayer for God to continue his faithfulness when it seems he is no longer.

2 Samuel speaks of the covenant with David. David seeks to build God a temple and although he is denied that privilege, God assures him that his heir will be the one to build the temple. What is significant about the Davidic covenant is that it becomes a dynasty. God will bless the line of David forever. (16) Unlike Saul, who lost the Lord’s anointing and whose heir did not inherit the throne, David’s sons will. Again, we see the idea that God has been faithful and that he will continue to be faithful.

As we move into the New Testament and the familiar story of the Mary with the Angel, we can take it in the context of the Old Testament. Twice we read that Jesus will be a descendant of David. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant. He is the one who will sit on the throne of David forever. I find it interesting that Joseph is a descendent of David; it doesn’t say anything about Mary however. (27) But Mary isn’t disturbed this fact, maybe she is also of Davidic lineage. What concerns her is how she is going to get pregnant as she is a virgin. The calling of Mary isn’t unusual if you consider the amount of barren mothers (nice oxymoron) in the Old Testament, even Elizabeth in our reading. But in those instances, the dad was the husband. Mary gets a special calling; the Holy Spirit will impregnate her.

Mary, of course, is confused, but the angel assures her by saying, “For no word from God will ever fail.” God is faithful and through her he will fulfill his covenant to David despite the seeming impossibilities.

Our reading from Romans is an appropriate benediction over the readers. God is faithful and he will establish us according to the Gospel of Christ. If you looking closely into the benediction as well, Paul alludes to the faithfulness of God in the past. The “revelation of the mystery” has been fulfilled in Christ and his church. God is continuing to be faithful to his promises today.

This is a powerful word to the Church today as it was when Paul wrote it. After 2,000 years, I was beginning to wonder if God will be faithful to come again and redeem all creation. I was beginning to doubt that God would be faithful to his promise. But one only needs to read the Old Testament to realize that God works on his own time when it comes to fulfilling promises. Abraham had to wait until he was 99 to have Isaac, 25 years after the initial promise, I think. But during this time of waiting it is important to reflect on the idea of God’s faithfulness. We serve a faithful God, and as the Psalmist reminded us this week; God has been faithful in the past and he will continue to be so in the future.