Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David because of the covenant that he had made with David and since he had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.
– 2 Chronicles 21:7
I love this picture in 1 Chronicles 21:7, that even when the people of God are unfaithful, God is always faithful. The whole picture here is God not destroying the house of David, though the people of God at this point deserved destruction. They had sin, rebelled against God. They had worshiped all kinds of other idols, indulged in all kinds of immorality, yet because of the covenant God had made with David, the promise God had made to David, since God had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever, God says, “I will not destroy the house of David.”
The whole picture here is God not destroying the house of David, though the people of God at this point deserved destruction.
Even as we think about Christmas and the way Matthew and his gospel account introduce us to Jesus through the line of David, we see a picture of God’s faithfulness to very unfaithful people.
2 Chronicles 21:7 Reminds Us God is Faithful
Aren’t you glad that God is faithful, even when we are unfaithful? I, by God’s grace, am celebrating 22 years of marriage today. I’m so thankful for the covenant of marriage, for this picture of love that I’ve received from my wife and that I hope I have faithfully shown to her. But even that is intended to be a picture of something far greater, of a love, a faithfulness and a relationship that will last forever because God is faithful to all who trust in him.
Oh God, I praise you for your faithfulness us in my life, despite my unfaithful to you. I’m confident I can pray that on behalf of everybody listening to this right now, because I know every single one of us has been unfaithful to you.
This Verse Reminds Us to Praise God
We have turned constantly from you. We are prone today, to turn from you in our foolishness. Yet we praise you, that amidst our foolishness, you demonstrate faithfulness to us day in and day out, that your faithfulness wakes us up every morning with new mercies. All glory be to your name, oh God. For your love for us, for your faithfulness to us. The Lord, oh Lord, you are good and your steadfast love endures forever.
We praise you for your faithfulness in the 2 Chronicles 21:7. We praise you for your faithfulness to send your son, through the line of David, to save us from our sins. And we praise you for your faithfulness to hold us, to keep us, to guard us, to lead us, to guide us today. And not just today, but for all of eternity, as we trust in you and your faithfulness to us.
All glory, be to you, oh God. We pray in Jesus’ name, in the name of the faithful one. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
