YOUTH STS
LESSON 1002
TOPIC: OUR COVENANT-KEEPING GOD
Memory Verse: “I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish forever, and build up thy throne to all generations” (Psalm 89:3, 4).
TEXT: Psalms 86:1-17; 87:1-7; 88:1-18; 89:1-52
The lesson’s texts focus on God's faithfulness in keeping His covenant and promises to His children. The study, one, begins with the prayer of David (Psalm 86:1); two, continues with his expression of confidence in the God who can deliver: “...and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell” (Psalm 86:13b); three, expresses God's love for His people and their dwelling place. “The LORD loveth the gates of Zion…” (Psalm 87:2). Four, it tells us of many troubles that confronted the psalmist. “For my soul is full of troubles and my life draweth nigh unto the grave” (Psalm 88:3). Five, it expresses God's covenant with David and His faithfulness in keeping to it. Lastly, it ends with praises to God for His faithfulness and mercies. "Blessed be the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen"(Psalm 89:52).
THE PRAYER AND CONFIDENCE OF THE PSALMIST
(Psalms 86:1-17; 87:1-7; 88:13-14; 50:15)
“Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy. Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusth in thee” (Psalm 86:1,2). The prayer of the psalmist here was borne out of the distress and perplexity he was going through at that time. He was poor and needy. His life was at risk because of the sore persecution of the enemy of his soul. This made him to pray for the preservation of his soul. “Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee” (Psalm 86:2). Christian youths should learn to trust in God at all times no matter the challenges they are faced with, knowing that our God is able to deliver them because there is no impossibility with Him. He is plenteous in mercy to all that call upon Him.
Like the psalmist prayed, “…unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul” (Psalm 86:4), Christian youths should do the same. In any situation we find ourselves, we can run back to our Maker for help and He will deliver us. The psalmist cried to God in times of trouble, with full assurance and confidence, that He is the only true God whose power and might can meet every need of man.
Question 1: What was David's prayer about and what should be the content of the prayers of believing youths today?
We can observe the following from the prayer of the psalmist: one, he prayed to know more of God and His ways. “Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name” (Psalm 86:11). His prayer was not only based on mundane things; it also included the spiritual. Christian youths should not only pray for physical blessings; they must also pray to have higher spiritual experiences. Apostle Paul prayed, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection... (Philippians 3:10). Two, he prayed for mercy (Psalm 86:13-16). Though enemies and violent men compassed him, he sought for God's mercy and deliverance from them all: “O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid” (Psalm 86:16). Youths are to pray for God's mercy. Three, he asked for strength his fainting soul. We must come to the Lord for strength when we are weakened by the challenges of life, for He is our Strength. Four, he sought God's goodness, help and comfort: “Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me” (Psalm 86:17).
From prayer, the psalmist proceeded to praise God for His love for His people, Israel. “His foundation is in the holy mountains. The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God” (Psalms 87:1-3). God regards His people as special. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
THE PERPLEXITY CONFRONTING THE PSALMIST
(Psalms 88:1-18; 89:38-51; 34:19; 42:5,11; Proverbs 24:10; Ecclesiastes 7:14; Romans 8:35)
“O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee" (Psalm 88:1). This expresses the picture of a despondent man who is losing hope for not being attended to by God despite his supplication and heart cry to Him. In this chapter (Psalm 88), the writer recounts the many challenges and perplexity that confronted him. “Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave” (Psalm 88:2,3).
Question 3: Mention some challenges that Christian youths go through today.
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19). The psalmist had his share of the afflictions of the righteous. From our text, we see the following perplexities or troubles that came to him. One, his death-like experience. “I am counted with them that go down into the pit... Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave...” (Psalm 88:4-6). Two, he had afflictions (Psalm 88:7-9). Three, he was separated from loved ones (Psalm 88:8,18). Four, he was reproached by his neighbours (Psalm 89:41). Five, he became the victim of the enemies’ craft (Psalm 89:42). Six, he experienced defeat in the battles of life (Psalm 89:43). Seven, his glory declined to a halt (Psalm 89:44). Eight, he suffered unbearable shame (Psalm 89:45).
Believing youths must know that problems of life are common to all. “Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1). So, we should not see experiences such as failure, loss of loved ones, persecution, delay in getting admission, separation of parents, poverty and lack of basic needs of life, sickness and disease, ridicule from friends and neighbours, denial of legitimate rights and many other challenges as strange.
Christian youths who are passing through troublous times should learn to hold on to God in faith despite the seeming delay in divine intervention. Just like Daniel did not succumb to the cruel decree of his day, and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego passed through fire instead of bowing down to the image of Nebuchadnezzar and came out victorious; youths should endeavor to keep the faith and not to be discouraged in the face of challenges. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or sword?” (Romans 8:35).
Question 4: How should Christian youths respond to their peculiar challenges?
THE PROMISE AND COVENANT OF OUR FAITHFUL GOD
(Psalm 89:1-37; Genesis 15:1-21; 1 Kings 9:5; 2 Chronicles 6:16; 1 Kings 8:56)
The psalmist wrote of the principal facts of God's mercies and faithfulness, which are inexhaustible. They should make us say, like him, “I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations” ( Psalm 89:1).
Psalm 89 focuses on God's covenant with David. “I have found David my servant... I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant” (Psalm 89:20,3).
Question 5a: What is a covenant?
b: Mention the covenant God had with David.
Covenant is an agreement between two parties to do or not to do a particular thing. “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah” (Jeremiah 31:31). God's promise to David was to establish and build up his throne forever. It was the promise of everlasting kingship. He added that even if David's children do not walk in His ways as he did, He will punish them but "His loving kindness will [He] not utterly take from him, nor suffer he faithfulness to fail" (Psalm 89:33). God is faithful in keeping His covenant and promises, which are “yea and Amen” in Christ Jesus. He says, “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David” (Psalm 89:34,35). He fulfilled His covenant with David to raise his seed to be king forever and it was confirmed in the New Testament through the birth of Jesus Christ, the King of kings who will rule forever.
Today, God calls every one into a covenant with Him. “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them” (Hebrews 10:16). This new covenant is a better covenant with better promises. Come to Jesus today, allow His shed blood to wash all your sins and you will be a partaker “of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24). When you come to Jesus, you become a beneficiary of the blessings of the new covenant, which is “established upon better promises” (Hebrews 8:6).
Question 6: What can we learn from God's dealings with David?
From God’s dealings with David, we learn that He is not a respecter of person, but can choose the least of persons to make His covenant. This gives every believing youth the privilege of serving Him faithfully without bias (1 Corinthians 1:9,26,29). God is faithful and will fulfil all His promises to His children, no matter the situation. We also learn that we can rest in His unfailing promises, knowing that "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19)
God is a covenant-keeping God and cannot fail. This realisation should make us turn to Him in prayer when confronted with problems. Victory will come to us at last and we will be able to say confidently, “Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant” (1 Kings 8:56).