Psalm 132
PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT
We have come to the last of our summer in Psalms [series]. We are going to be in Psalm 132, “Promises Made, Promised Kept.” We are going to be looking at one of the 15 what are referred to as “songs of ascents.” You have Psalm 119, which is the longest psalm (176 verses), and it is followed by these songs of ascents (Psalms 120 to 134). These were songs of pilgrimage that the covenant people of God would sing as they made their way up to Jerusalem for one of the annual feasts. Depending on where you lived, the journey to Jerusalem on foot could take several days or perhaps even a week. Jerusalem sits at a higher elevation than the surrounding terrain. This higher elevation plus its position in the central part of Israel make it a very strategic location. So, as you approach the city of Jerusalem from any direction, as you get closer you essentially ascend UP to it. They always talk about “going up to Jerusalem.” Now, as they neared Jerusalem, the Jewish pilgrims (that were going to these feasts) would begin singing one of these songs. There was this excitement in their hearts about being in Jerusalem – anticipation. Psalm 132 is the only one of the songs of ascents in our Psalms study that we are going to look at. Most of the songs of ascents, like this one, Psalm 132, are anonymous.
There are two main parts to this psalm. The first nine verses are David’s promise to God and the last nine verses, v 10-18, are God’s promise to David. In both cases, promises made and promises kept.
The historical setting for this psalm can be found in Second Samuel. In Chapter 5 David was anointed king over a united Jewish kingdom. David had been king of Judah for about seven years after Saul’s death. Following a period of civil turmoil, David was anointed king of both Judah and Israel. This “united” kingdom adopts the covenant name of Israel. One of David’s first acts as king of a unified Israel is to take Jerusalem by driving out the Jebusites. He makes that city his capital and it becomes known as “the city of David.” God blesses David and the nation of Israel prospers and expands its borders under his leadership.
Then, in 2 Samuel Chapter 6, the ark of God is brought up to Jerusalem. There was an attempt to move the ark with an ox drawn cart from Kiriath-jearim (where it was located), but that ended in disaster. On the way, a man named Uzzah accidentally touched the ark when the cart was jostled and when he tried to settle it, he was struck dead. David became afraid of God and they decided to leave the ark where it was, in the house of Obed-edom. For three months God blessed Obed-edom and this prompted David to try again to move the ark to Jerusalem. This time it was carried, as the Law required, by Levites using poles. The Levites carried the ark from the house of Obed-edom the remaining 8 miles up to Jerusalem. David led the joyful procession into the city, shouting and singing.
And then, in 2 Samuel Chapter 7, David announced his desire to build a temple for God. But that was not God’s plan. Instead, God promised to build up David’s house (his family line) and to establish David’s throne forever. This is known as the Davidic Covenant. God lets David know that David’s son Solomon (and not David) will be the one to build God’s temple. So, that gives you some historical context for what we are about to see in Psalm 132. Everything I just told you would have been common knowledge by the Jewish people as they read this psalm. But, since it is not common knowledge for us, I felt you needed to get a little background. Then you can understand it better. So, here we go…
READ Psalm 132:1
The psalmist begins by drawing attention to King David, Israel’s greatest king. David accomplished so many good things, but along the way he suffered hardships. Now, some of those hardships were of his own making. But many were a result of his faithfulness and commitment to God. For example, all those years when David was running from Saul. Remember Saul was trying to kill him. Well, David was faithful to God. He knew that Saul was the Lord’s anointed and refused to kill him. David respected Saul’s position and would not kill him. Overall, God blessed David for being faithful and not killing Saul. Of course, in God’s time God took Saul. But those were years of hardship for David.
READ Psalm 132:2-5
You remember now the ark has been brought into Jerusalem. They have made Jerusalem their central place of worship. They were worshipping in the tabernacle. David said, “Enough of the tent. We have to build a glorious structure for God.” That was really on his heart – “a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” This was a top priority for David.
But God re-directed David’s plans. David meant well. There was nothing wrong with what he wanted. He really, really wanted to build a house for God. But God said “No.” And David would later relate the conversation that he had with God about this to his son Solomon. He is talking to Solomon and he is telling him about this re-direction by God. This conversation is recorded in 1 Chronicles Chapter 22 beginning in v 7: “David said to Solomon [he is telling him the story], ‘My son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the LORD my God. But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to My name, because you have shed so much blood before Me on the earth. Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. He shall build a house for My name. He shall be My son, and I will be his Father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever’”” (1 Chronicles 22:7-10).
God preferred that a man of peace build His temple rather than a man of war. You remember David the great warrior, the warrior king. That is why He chose Solomon over David. So, David’s vow to God (to build a house) WILL be fulfilled -- through his son. To his credit, when David received the news from God that his son will be the one to build the temple, David praised God. He did not sit around and mope. He got busy gathering up the materials or many of the materials that would later be used to build that glorious temple structure. So, that gives you a background to what we saw in the first five verses of Psalm 132.
READ Psalm 132:6-9
These verses speak about the ark. You all remember the Ark of the Covenant. It was originally built by a team of skilled craftsmen at God’s direction under the leadership of Moses. That happened back in Exodus Chapter 25. The ark was an ornate chest or a box. It was overlaid inside and outside with pure gold. The lid was covered with solid gold and was referred to as “the mercy seat.” Two cherubim of gold stood on the ark’s cover with their wings unfolded and outstretched. The ark symbolized the presence of Yahweh, the very presence of God. It rested in the holy of holies that was located inside the tabernacle. So then, v 8, “Arise, O LORD, and go to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your might,” refers to the ark being brought to the tabernacle that was in Jerusalem. So, now it has been brought to Jerusalem and it is in its “resting place.” It is where it belongs. By the way, v 8 is the only place in the psalms where the ark is mentioned by name. It was an important symbol for the Jewish people.
“Ephrathah” in v 6 is Bethlehem. That is its older name. That is where David was born and raised and that is where he probably first heard about the ark.
“The fields of Jaar” (that brings up another history lesson) refers to the location where the Philistines had returned the ark during Saul’s reign. There is a story behind this – First Samuel Chapters 5 and 6. The Philistines captured the ark of God in battle. They took the ark to Ashdod and placed it in the house of Dagon (one of the Philistine gods). The idol of Dagon fell to the ground before the ark and its head and its hands broke off. And then it happened again. This time Dagon shattered into a hundred pieces. The people of Ashdod (where this all happened) were smitten with tumors. Well, confused and fearful, the Philistines then moved the ark of God from Ashdod somewhere else. And wherever they moved the ark, the people in close vicinity were smitten with tumors. This happened for seven months. Finally, the Philistines were eager to get rid of this troublesome ark. They hitched two milk cows to a cart to carry the ark. The cows supernaturally headed straight for the border of Israel. When the Israelites saw the ark coming over the horizon with the cows mooing and all that, they celebrated, split the wood [of the cart], killed the cows, and offered up a burnt offering to the Lord. That happened in what they believe is the “fields of Jaar” mentioned in Psalm 132 here. So that is the event that the psalmist is talking about. Scholars believe that Jaar was another name for Kiriath-jearim, which is where the ark would remain for 20 years until David’s reign (when he had it moved). That is what v 7-9 are talking about.
[Class discussion included mention of what was contained inside the ark – the ten commandments, Aarons rod that budded, and manna. One person commented that the Israelites were “stupid” for taking the ark into battle. They believed the ark was the presence of God. But rather than trusting in the true God, they put their trust in the ark.]
You have two parts to this psalm. The first part is David’s promise to God to build Him a house. So, we get to the second part of the psalm now, beginning in v 10.
READ Psalm 132:10-12
Now God is making David a promise. This is a reference to the Davidic Covenant that is recorded in 2 Samuel Chapter 7. “If your sons keep My covenant and My testimonies…” (v 12). This part of the Davidic Covenant was conditional. There was a part that was unconditional (which we will get to), but this part was conditional – “IF you will do this, then I will do this.” A condition, right? “If your sons and all your grandsons and all your lineage keep my covenant and testimonies, then they will stay on the throne.” Well, we know from Old Testament history – you read all through the books of Kings and Chronicles and so forth – we know that David’s royal heirs did NOT keep God’s covenant and testimonies. The result was that eventually God judged them for that and He raised up the Babylonians who destroyed Jerusalem and took God’s people into captivity to Babylon. David’s line would never again reign over Israel after that. That was the end of the kings in David’s lineage. In fact, Israel did not achieve independence from foreign domination until May 14, 1948 when David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, proclaimed the establishment of the modern State of Israel. And Israel today is not a monarchy (so they do not have a king). So, there is no king on the throne of Israel. They are a parliamentary democracy, so they have a president. After that happened with the Babylonians in 586 B.C., Israel never again has had a king on David’s throne. Keep that in mind.
Had David’s royal heirs kept God’s covenant and testimonies (if they had fulfilled this part of the covenant), then, based on God’s promise, they would have remained on the throne. And if you read the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew Chapter 1, you see that Jesus was in David’s royal line. If David’s heirs had been faithful, then Jesus would have been the king of Israel. But that did not happen, did it? Their disobedience is what kept that from happening. Thus, history and the Gospels that we read now played out the way that they did.
Let’s look at the Davidic Covenant that is the unconditional part of the covenant in 2 Samuel; the unconditional promise that God makes to David. Now, when God says this to David, He is speaking through the prophet Nathan…
“And I will give you [David] rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house” (2 Samuel 7:11). “David, you are not going to build Me a house. I am going to build you a house.”
“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers [when you die], I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:12-13). We know that his offspring who shall come from David’s body is Solomon. So, Solomon will build God’s house.
“But My steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before Me. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:15-16).
So, you read all this and you say, “OK, well, that has not come about (it has not happened yet) because of everything you said. There is no king in Israel. There is nobody reigning on the throne.” While the occupation of David’s throne has been interrupted – it has now been 2,611 years and counting since they had someone on David’s throne – that did NOT render invalid this covenant. This part of God’s promise is unconditional. So, the promise that there would be a King who would sit on David’s throne and reign forever, has that happened yet? No, not yet. Like I just pointed out, it could have happened in Jesus’s day had David’s heirs remained faithful. But they did not.
So, when will this promise to David be fulfilled? When Jesus comes back. The ultimate fulfillment of these promises is going to be in Jesus. Let me read something for you that you hear in the Christmas story and you do not usually make this connection. The angel appears to Mary and this is what he says about her son… your son “will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke: 32-33). That is how we know Jesus is the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant – because of what the angel tells Mary. It is all connected.
So then, when will Jesus reign on David’s throne? It has not happened yet. When will it happen? When Jesus comes back. OK, then what happens? Revelation Chapter 20. And there is not much said about it, just a few verses, but it is a big deal… the Millennial Kingdom. The 1000-year reign of Jesus in Jerusalem, right? That is future even for us today. Will it happen? YES! How do we know? Because God keeps His promises, doesn’t He? So, we know it is going to happen based on what God’s word says. We believe that by faith. God does not lie.
So, let’s go back to Psalm 132. We know WHO will reign based on what the word of God says – the Lord’s Messiah, His Anointed One, Jesus, right? And we have read our New Testament, namely Revelation. We know WHEN that reign will take place – Revelation 20, the Millennial Kingdom. And these few verses here in Psalm 132 tell us WHERE He will reign.
READ Psalm 132:13
What is Zion? Zion is the Old Testament literary reference to Jerusalem. Why the name Zion? Because Mount Zion is one of several hills that comprise Jerusalem. The psalmist is saying that the LORD desires Jerusalem “as His dwelling place.” And then he states it for emphasis in v 14…
READ Psalm 132:14
When God says something twice, you might want to pay attention. It is going to be Jerusalem. When Jesus returns to earth, He will establish His kingdom and will reign in Jerusalem (Revelation 20). Here the LORD God delivers a prophetic message through the psalmist. The Lord’s Messiah, His Anointed One, Jesus, will dwell in Jerusalem. And when He does, He will take action.
In Revelation Chapter 20 when it talks about the Millennial Kingdom (the thousand-year reign of Jesus), it does not really go into a lot of detail. You have to go other places in the Bible to fill in those question marks about what is going on during the Millennial Kingdom. Psalm 132 is one of those places you can go. These next few verses are going to tell you some of the things that will happen during the Millennial Kingdom.
READ Psalm 132:15-18
There is a lot going on here. It all relates to the future reign of the Messiah. So, let’s go ahead and break this down so you can understand it. We know from Revelation 20 that the Messiah, King Jesus, will reign on earth from Jerusalem for a thousand years. The debate is will it be a literal thousand years or just a long period of time? Since it says it about seven times in Revelation, I am going to say it is going to be a thousand years. I feel pretty confident about that. And these verses are looking forward to that event.
V 15 speaks about how God will provide His people with all they need physically to thrive and to grow. This will be a time of peace and prosperity.
V 16 references all the spiritual blessings of God that God’s people will enjoy. It says, “her priests…” In Revelation 20:6 those who reign with Christ are referred to as “priests of God.” So, we as believers are referenced twice in this verse – “priests” and “saints.” We are going to be reigning with Him.
In v 17 “horn” is a reference to the Messiah’s strength. “Lamp” speaks about His righteousness.
Finally, v 18 very briefly speaks of judgment. It goes into a lot more detail in Revelation. So, God’s enemies will be “clothed with shame.” On the other hand, the Messiah, the Anointed One, will reign forever and ever. “His crown will shine.”
Do you all know of Handel’s Messiah? Have you heard of that before? A great musical masterpiece. Isn’t it beautiful? It is a great piece of music. If you ever get a chance to go at Christmas and listen to it, it is awesome. Have you ever recognized as you listen to the words of Handel’s Messiah that it quotes a lot of scripture? There are 81 Bible verses quoted in Handel’s Messiah from 14 different books of the Bible, all set to music. Most of those biblical references come from the book of Isaiah. Isaiah is filled with Messianic references. One of them, which applies here to Psalm 132, is Isaiah 9:7: “Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”
That is what the psalmist is saying in Psalm 132.
David’s promise to God to build the LORD a house was fulfilled through his son Solomon. God’s promise to David to establish his kingdom forever will be fulfilled through His Son Jesus. Promises made and promises kept. These promises WILL be fulfilled.
So, what can we take away from Psalm 132? What are some applications for us?
- God may at times re-direct our best laid plans as He did with David. There was nothing wrong with David’s plans, but God re-directed them. If God does, then we can rest assured that He knows best. The end result will be better than anything we could have imagined.
- God is a covenant keeping God. He keeps His promises. He has proven Himself to be trustworthy throughout history and in our lives as well, right?
- All God’s promises find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Jesus is at the very center of our faith. He is our Lord and Savior, the Author and the Finisher of our Faith, the Alpha and the Omega, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the ONE who will rule forever. King Jesus, He alone is worthy of our honor and praise.
And that, my friends, is Psalm 132.