the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac,
David has just brought the ark into Jerusalem, and the song sung that day reaches back to a promise God made to one family. So why does a song of national triumph rest everything on a covenant with Abraham and an oath to Isaac?
Why David Chose This Psalm
The words of this song were not new that day. David chose older songs, and his choice shows what he thought the day meant.
C. E. StuartThe king chose three Psalms: 105, 96 and 106. All three come from the fourth book of Psalms, and none of them are credited to David. He picked them to give everyone fitting words for that occasion. They began with part of Psalm 105, verses 1-15. David linked that day's ceremony with God keeping His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: to give their descendants the land.
Grace, Not Sinai
God dealt with Israel under two very different arrangements. One is the law He later gave at Mount Sinai. This verse points to the older one.
H. L. RossierThis is a covenant of pure grace. It rests on God's faithfulness to His promises, unlike the covenant of Sinai, which rested on the people's responsibility... Not one word here mentions Israel being oppressed by the nations because of their disobedience. All is free grace in this passage.
Made, Sworn, Confirmed
The wording changes with each name. God makes the covenant with Abraham, swears it to Isaac, then confirms it to Jacob and to Israel. One writer draws out why.
Numerical Bible NotesHe made it with Abraham, and swore it to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree that cannot be changed, and to Israel as an everlasting covenant... To Jacob, with all the weakness and sin that the name implies, it still comes as a decree, the fixed expression of His absolute will. To Israel, the name in which His transforming power has done its work, it is an everlasting covenant.
What the Oath Adds
God's word alone would be enough. So the oath does not make the promise stronger; it makes us sure of it.
Leslie M. GrantNotice first that His purpose cannot change: change is impossible. The oath adds nothing to His Word; it only confirms it. But it shows the rich goodness of God's heart, and how willing He is to give the heirs of promise every encouraging assurance.
A Promise Not Yet Kept in Full
Israel lived in Canaan, then lost it. That raises a problem, because this covenant promises the land for ever.
T. B. BainesFinally, God gave the land to Abraham's descendants "for ever," or as it is put elsewhere, "for an everlasting possession." Israel's hold on Canaan was clearly nothing like that. But has the Lord forgotten His promise? Far from it. In the same prophecy where He speaks of holding the land on condition, and warns that Israel will be cast out if they disobey, He points forward to the time when the promise made to Abraham will receive its true fulfilment... So the conditional, temporary possession Israel enjoyed is not the fulfilment of the covenant with the fathers.
Summary
- Made — God makes the covenant with Abraham, long before the law came at Sinai. David's song reaches back to that beginning and says nothing about Israel's later failure.
- Sworn — to Isaac the same promise comes as an oath. God's word could not have been truer, but He stooped to swear so that the heirs would have every assurance.
- Confirmed — to Jacob it becomes a fixed decree, and to Israel an everlasting covenant. The names change as the promise is repeated; the promise does not.
- Held — this is a covenant of pure grace. It rests on God's faithfulness, not on the people's obedience, so their disobedience could not break it.
- Unfinished — Israel's short hold on Canaan was never the fulfilment. The promise God swore to Abraham and Isaac still waits for the day He keeps it in full.