ONE PROMISE, ONE KING, ONE COVENANT FULFILLED
Psalm 2, Exodus 6:2-9, Hebrews 8:1-7
Over the past week, I’ve been practicing a simple but surprisingly helpful form of daily devotion. Each day, I hand-copy the Scripture I’m reading, and on the page next to it, I jot down whatever thoughts surface as I read and write. There’s nothing fancy about it. It’s slow, a little tedious, my handwriting is terrible, and my reflections are not always profound.
But it’s been effective.
Writing the text by hand has a way of slowing me down and forcing me to really sit with the words. It’s helped move Scripture out of the realm of “something I read” and deeper into something I carry. In a very real way, it’s been getting the Word of God into my bones—and that’s exactly what I want.
Today’s devotional comes directly out of that practice. I worked through these texts with pen and paper, listening for how they speak to one another. What follows are those reflections, shared in the hope that they might also help you listen more closely.
Psalm 2, Exodus 6, and Hebrews 8 are doing the same work from different angles. Together, they tell one story: God claiming a people as his own, dwelling with them, and ruling the world through his anointed King.
In Psalm 2 and Exodus 6, we hear the language of promise. God speaks of a land he will give his people—not something they seize for themselves, but something he gives by grace (Ps. 2:8–9; Ex. 6:4). This land is more than geography. It represents rest, belonging, and God’s faithfulness to do what he has promised.
Both passages also speak honestly about the Lord’s wrath. In Psalm 2, that wrath is aimed at the rulers of the earth who refuse to submit to God’s anointed Son. In Exodus 6, it is directed toward Egypt, the power that enslaves and crushes God’s people. In both cases, God’s anger is not reckless or cruel—it is purposeful. God acts against whatever stands in the way of life, justice, and covenant faithfulness.
But judgment is never the end of the story. Psalm 2 declares, “Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Ps. 2:12). Exodus echoes that same promise when God says, “I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God” (Ex. 6:7). Refuge and relationship belong together. To be God’s people is to live under his protection, his care, and his presence.
This is where Hebrews 8 sharpens the picture.
Exodus marks the beginning of the Mosaic covenant—the tabernacle, the priesthood, and the liturgical life of Israel. These were God’s gracious gifts, providing a way for a holy God to dwell among an unholy people. They answered the question: How can God truly be their God, and they his people?
Hebrews proclaims that this question has now been fully answered in Jesus Christ. The anointed Son of Psalm 2 is no longer standing to work, but seated at the right hand of the throne of Majesty. His priestly work is complete. The judgment symbolized by the iron rod has been dealt with at the cross. Now Christ reigns, and his kingdom will one day be fully revealed when every nation bows before him.
Because of this, we no longer need a tabernacle made with hands. God’s presence now dwells in his people through the Holy Spirit, made possible by the once-for-all priestly work of Christ.
Read together, these passages remind us that God has never abandoned his promises. He still gives us a people, a refuge, a kingdom, and a King. What has changed is not the promise—but the depth and finality of its fulfillment in Jesus.
Blessed, indeed, are all who take refuge in him.