Friday December 29, 2023
Theme: “A Savior is born to us”
Text: Psalms 89:21-30
20. (89:21) I found David my servant, and I anointed him with my holy oil. 21. (89:22) My hand will uphold him, And my arm will strengthen him. 22. (89:23) The enemy will not overtake him, nor will the wicked oppress him; 23. (89:24) I will crush his adversaries before him, and I will strike down those who hate him. 24. (89:25) My faithfulness and my goodness will be with him, and his strength will be exalted through my name. 25. (89:26) I will put his hand on the sea, and his right hand on the rivers. 26. (89:27) He will call on me: You are my father, my God and the rock of my salvation! 27. (89:28) And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. 28. (89:29) I will always preserve my kindness to him, and my covenant will be faithful to him; 29. (89:30) I will make his seed everlasting, and his throne as the days of heaven.
Let's remember:
This song by the cantor Ethan the Ezrahite depicts King David as a type of Christ. The text highlights the alliance that God proposes to David and by extension to the Jewish people of Israel as it is written in verses 3. (89:4) “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; This is what I have sworn to David my servant: 4. (89:5) I will establish your descendants forever, and I will establish your throne forever. Ethan recounts for us the smallest details of the blessing promised by God. This message is very rich and very precious; he is the exact manifestation of all “the assured graces of David,” the foundation of all blessing for Israel. Behind this text showing David, there is the person of Jesus Christ because David is only the visible face of the iceberg. A Savior is born to us; it carries all the blessings described in this psalm. Here is the best reading to make of this psalm: I have found Emmanuel / Jesus Christ, my servant, I have anointed him with my holy oil. [Jesus is the only one who answered the question, “Who is worthy to open the book, and to break its seals? Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome to open the book and its seven seals.] Let us know that it is of the Root of David (Jesus) that this psalm speaks. The faithfulness and goodness of God are with him, and his strength is exalted above all names that are in heaven, on earth, in the waters, and even under the earth. It is this Jesus who is the firstborn from the dead, the highest of the kings of the earth. A Savior is born to us. Excellent Friday and good start to the weekend. Amen
Alain Louz.-