A song of ascents.
Lord, remember David
and all his self-denial.He swore an oath to the Lord,
he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
‘I will not enter my house
or go to my bed,
I will allow no sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
till I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.’We heard it in Ephrathah,
we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:
‘Let us go to his dwelling-place,
let us worship at his footstool, saying,
“Arise, Lord, and come to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
May your priests be clothed with your righteousness;
may your faithful people sing for joy.”’For the sake of your servant David,
do not reject your anointed one.The Lord swore an oath to David,
a sure oath he will not revoke:
‘One of your own descendants
I will place on your throne.
If your sons keep my covenant
and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons shall sit
on your throne for ever and ever.’For the Lord has chosen Zion,
he has desired it for his dwelling, saying,
‘This is my resting place for ever and ever;
here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.
I will bless her with abundant provisions;
her poor I will satisfy with food.
I will clothe her priests with salvation,
and her faithful people shall ever sing for joy.‘Here I will make a horn grow for David
(Ps. 132:1-18 NIV)
and set up a lamp for my anointed one.
I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but his head shall be adorned with a radiant crown.’
This Psalm celebrates the bringing of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. Just as each pilgrim makes their way to Jerusalem for one of three major festivals so before them the ark of the covenant made the journey to Jerusalem.
The Psalmist calls on God to remember the covenant made with David. With the plea it is understood that it involves a call to remember with a view to bless. David had suffered greatly in his endeavours to conquer Jerusalem and bring the ark to Jerusalem. David was determined to build a house for the Lord. There is some hyperbole in the vow that David makes, and it should not be interpreted too literally. In modern parlance we might say a similar thing such as ‘we will not rest until the deed is done.’ Of course, we will take our daily rest but we mean that this deed will be on my mind until it is accomplished.
David and his men heard of the whereabouts of the ark, and they set out to ensure that the ark was brought to Jerusalem. In festal procession they call upon God to arise and come to the chosen dwelling place in Jerusalem. The priests who served in the dwelling place were to be clothed with righteousness. Perhaps the thought of the wickedness that was carried on in Shiloh where the priests were a scandal to the nation. When righteousness is established and maintained at the centre of worship then there will be reason for the people of God to sing songs of joy.
The Lord promised David that there would always be one of his descendants sitting upon the throne. The Lord Jesus Christ beings the fulfilment of that promise. Jesus is the Son of David. Many of David’s descendants did not sit upon the throne because these descendants were disobedient and did not keep God’s word. The Lord Jesus Christ came and kept the whole law and fulfilled prophecy. As the Son of David, He has the right to take His place upon the throne and He will reign forever and ever.
The Lord had chosen Jerusalem to be His dwelling place and from His dwelling place He will bless His people. The Lord Jesus Christ is the anointed One and He will reign forever. All the Lord’s enemies will be put to shame.
Prayer
Our Father in heaven we thank You that our Saviour will be exalted and will rule in the coming Kingdom. We thank You that all Your covenant promises are answered in Christ. We are humbled by the promise that we have been made part of that triumph. Help us to live in hope of the final triumph of Christ and the church of all ages because we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.