Psalm 132
A Song of Ascents.
1 Remember, O LORD, in David's favor, all the hardships he endured,
2 how he swore to the LORD and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
This psalm is likely associated with the events of 2 Samuel 6 when David brought the ark of the covenant up to Jerusalem. These verses highlight the afflictions of David and his vow to elevate the ark (which represented God’s presence on earth) to the highest place in his kingdom and in his heart. David’s hardships were many. By this point in his life he had been pursued by Saul and engaged in a bloody, anguished civil war for seven years. He had experienced the death of his loyal and best friend Jonathan, the estrangement of his wife Michael (Saul’s daughter), and countless near death experiences on the battlefield and on the run from Saul. Now that peace has been secured, Jerusalem captured and given a new name, the City of David, David can perform his capstone achievement -- securing a place for the ark of the covenant and the tabernacle of God. Located on the highest point in Jerusalem, it would be a sign to all that YHWH is king over all, and David’s own palace would be the closest dwelling place to God. May our afflictions and God’s deliverance of us from them move us to elevate God to such a place in our lives.
3 “I will not enter my house or get into my bed,
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
This is David’s vow: “I’m not going to rest until God has a place to rest.” Using the same terms of address as in verse1, “LORD, Mighty One of Jacob”, David promises a resting place for the ark of the covenant and the tabernacle. From the time the ark and its sacred environment were built and consecrated immediately after the exodus from Egypt, God’s house had been on the move. A mobile home that traveled with the people, leading them with a cloud by day and fire by night, going before them in battle, and even killing their enemies when it was captured, the ark had never known “rest” in any permanent sense. David has determined that this 400+ year period of homelessness must end. It’s not right that he has a palace fit for a king while the ark rests in a barn. There’s no command in scripture for David to this. There are no commands from God related to the tabernacle, ark or even the temple after its construction. The power of God’s presence cannot be commanded (as the Israelites learned in battle with the Philistines where they used it as a talisman). And David would learn later as he transported the ark to Jerusalem, that God’s holy presence could not be kept in a box. (Actually, Uzzah felt that lesson most acutely.) God has never lived in a box, but still we act like we can command him. In our prayers we may make subtle demands and when things don’t go as we wish, we ask Him why he didn’t do as we wished. This prayer was probably sung by pilgrims as they made their way to Jerusalem for one of the feasts. They were probably thinking about the ark and stories about the ark while on their journey. This psalm brought those to mind and reminded them that just as the ark went up to Jerusalem, so must they go up to Jerusalem to find rest in the resting place of God’s throne on earth.
6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.
7 “Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool!”
The speaker of the psalm moves from that of David to the people of Israel. “We heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.” Ephrathah is a region associated with David’s family (Ruth 4:11) and later with the messiah (Micah 5:2). “Jaar” means “woods” so it could be referring to the woods in Ephrathah, or more likely, it might refer to Keriath Jearim, the last known location of the ark before David brought it up to Jerusalem (1 Samuel 6:21). The Philistines abandoned it there after it had brought nothing but misery on them (cancerous tumors). It brought misery on the first Israelites to peek into it as well (70 of them died just like that in Beth-Shemesh). Out of fear and reverence it was moved away from any population centers, and there it remained for about twenty years. There may have been some ambivalence about the ark. David longed for God’s presence, but feared his power because it was beyond his control. Centuries later the pilgrims would sing this song, “Let us go to his dwelling palace; let us worship at his footstool”, referring to this same ark. The ark represented the throne of God, and the footstool of a throne was the closest place that a person could get to the king. It was the place where one fell to seek the king’s favor, to make a petition, to show submission and surrender. Whether it was kissing the king’s feet in humility or being “under his feet” to demonstrate surrender to his domination, worshiping at the footstool meant assuming a position of humility and worship. Is this how we approach God when we worship with the church? In our personal worship? In the gospels we read of a woman who anointed Jesus’ feet as a supreme act of worship, gloriously wasteful it was. I fear that we can become too casual with “the man upstairs” and forget that we are to worship at his footstool.
8 Arise, O LORD, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.
9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your saints shout for joy.
10 For the sake of your servant David, do not turn away the face of your anointed one.
The liturgy of entrance unfolds in these verses. The worshipers envision YHWH and his throne (the ark) making its way from the countryside to the city from which it will never be moved. This is the only reference to the ark of the covenant in the Psalms. Historians presume that the ark was captured in 586 BC when the Babylonians sacked the city, and from there it is lost to history. Other theories suggest that it was carried away before the Babylonian assault and hidden somewhere. The point is that by the time this psalm was written, Israel was not in possession of the ark. The 2nd temple, rebuilt on the foundations of Solomon’s temple, did not contain the ark as far as we know. So the worshipers in this psalm are recalling the enthronement liturgy of David in 2 Samuel 6 hundreds of years earlier. Three prayers are made in this psalm -- that the priests be clothed in righteousness (integrity, justness, moral purity), the saints (devoted ones) shout out with ringing cries of joy (wholehearted celebration), and that the LORD would never turn away from his covenant with David. This final question was a big issue at this time because the exile of the king to Babylon made it appear that the line of David was cut off. The “anointed one” here in the text refers to the king, and the worshipers ask that God remain faithful to his promises to David, namely that one of his descendants would always reign. The fulfillment of that promise seemed sketchy until the son of David, Jesus, ascended to forever reign on David’s throne in a more far reaching way that these 5th century Jews could have imagined. The Jewish people praying this prayer as they made their way to the festivals in the 5th century BC were just hoping for a little kingdom of their own, secure and prosperous. What God ultimately had in mind was a global empire embracing every nation, tribe and tongue, a kingdom of love and justice that can never be overcome. May we never think so small. May we live in purity (like the priests) and celebration (like the saints) as we advance this great kingdom through the power of the king.
11 The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back:
“One of the sons of your body [Hebrew of your fruit of the womb] I will set on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them, their sons also forever shall sit on your throne.”
As the worshipers sing this song they remind the LORD and themselves of his promise: A descendant of David will reign on God’s throne forever. The oath is stated twice for emphasis -- “the LORD swore” and “he will not turn back”. As the writer of Hebrews reminds us in chapter 6, the LORD cannot swear by anyone greater, so he swears by himself. The condition to this promise has to do with the obedience of David’s descendants. “If your sons keep my covenant” they will reign forever. The problem with this condition, as the nation found out in 586 BC when Babylon sacked the city and captured the king, is that men will always fail to keep the covenant. This would seem to negate God’s promise. Afterall, if God can count on men failing to keep their part of the bargain then He will not have to keep His. In order for God to keep his promise, we need a perfect man who is also a descendant of David. That’s a tall order, and one that the Jewish people (or any people) would ever fulfill. Even the best of the kings of Israel (and David himself) were fraught with moral deficiencies. Unless this psalm is just going to be pie in sky dreaming, a perfect son is required. The wait will be long, but four hundred years after this song was written, such a son of David was born, and the government would be on his shoulders. He would keep the covenant perfectly and for his trouble he would be crucified by a mob, rejected by the people. To drive this home Pilate had this sign placed above his crucified body, “King of the Jews”. This is how God would fulfill this unbelievable promise. He would install his own son on the throne. Not automatically by divine fiat, but through Jesus’ obedience as a son to the covenant and the offering of his body as a substitution (atonement) for the people.
13 For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place:
14 “This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless her provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread.
The blessings of YHWH’s presence in Zion are articulated in the statement from the LORD. David and the people spoke in the first half of the psalm, and the LORD speaks in the latter half, a reminder of the conversational nature of prayer and worship. First, the LORD chose Zion and desired to make his forever home there. This was an act of his sovereignty and is what theologians call “election”, God’s choosing. This wasn’t because there was anything special about Israel other than that she has had a history of people who have trusted in YHWH, starting with Abraham. I believe God’s choice and our faith work hand in hand. The LORD chose Zion, and Israel actively enthroned him there, building a temple and performing all of the rituals commanded in scripture. Twice in this text the LORD speaks of his desire to dwell in the midst of his people. Jesus echoes this sentiment in John 4:23-24 when he speaks of God desiring worshipers who will worship him in spirit and in truth. God is not seeking worshipers for his own sake as if he needed anything. He seeks them for their sake, for their good. It follows then that those who welcome God’s presence in their midst will experience his blessing, here described in material terms. The word “provisions” in verse 15 is typically translated, “hunting” or “game”, in other words, “meat.” That corresponds with “bread” in the following line. This connection between the material and spiritual can be found throughout the psalms. This is not an absolute promise that God’s people will never know hunger, but it is a general truth that living in relationship with God and following his commandments is its own reward. Even in hunger and want, we can still be satisfied (Psalm 16:11; 23:1; 63:5; 103:5).
16 Her priests I will clothe with salvation, and her saints will shout for joy.
17 There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
18 His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine.”
The LORD continues to speak, focusing on the worship of the people and the glory of the messiah. YHWH will clothe the priests with salvation. Clothing has several functions. First, it covers our shame. Not that we should be ashamed of our bodies, but nakedness is meant to be shared only between a man and woman in the covenant of marriage. (Even writing that makes me feel hopelessly old, but until a few minutes ago, that was nearly universally agreed upon). This meaning is clearly what’s intended because of the contrast presented in verse 18 - “His enemies I will clothe in shame.” So the LORD will remove the shame from the priests, who are representatives of the people, by covering them with salvation. Second, clothing is a way that we adorn ourselves with beauty. In reality, most naked human bodies are not that pretty. All of our imperfections are on display and we instinctively want to cover up. Clothing is a way of making ourselves more beautiful than we actually are. Clothing the priests makes them more beautiful than they actually are. God’s salvation is a beauty enhancement, a gift of grace. When Adam and Eve tried to make their own clothes they stitched together fig leaves -- functional, yes; beautiful, no. God replaced that clumsy garment with a fur coat, an act of grace requiring an atoning sacrifice. The beautification of a person that comes through salvation is to be celebrated and so the people burst forth in a shouting song. The Hebrew form is very emphatic here. The LORD will make a horn for David (actually his descendant who would return to the throne as the messiah), a horn symbolizing strength, offensive and defensive military power. Furthermore, he has prepared a lamp, a light that will never be dimmed. Finally there is a shining crown on his head. A horn, a lamp, and a crown -- symbols of the reign of the messiah. No earthly king of Judah ever fulfilled the promise of God in this psalm, but Jesus, the son of David and son of God is this messiah - a strong, light-bearing, beautiful savior.