Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”
NL Daily Devotion for Thursday, November 24, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Does God play favorites? I mean, sure, David conquered Jerusalem originally and established it as Israel’s capital. Is that why God will save the city for David’s sake? Solomon was far and away a better king, as I see it. And why not save the city for the sake of the people currently living in it?
Maybe this is just a statement of God’s faithfulness, and I shouldn’t try to read any more into it than that. David held a special place in God’s heart for lots of reasons, and maybe not least of those reasons is because David was so flawed—so painfully and completely human. David epitomized some of the best and some of the worst to be found in all humanity, and God loved—and loves—humanity so deeply and profoundly it’s hard to comprehend. It’s possible God is here declaring in a different way “I am your God and you are my people, and therefore of course I will act on your behalf!”
May that declaration bring hope and joy into your own life today: God is your God and you are God’s beloved child, therefore God has your back. Amen.
Why do I think God always seems to have held David up as the most beloved of all the kings?
