Read Psalm 132
A song of ascents.
1 Lord, remember David
and all his self-denial.
2 He swore an oath to the Lord,
he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 “I will not enter my house
or go to my bed,
4 I will allow no sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5 till I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 We heard it in Ephrathah,
we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:
7 “Let us go to his dwelling place,
let us worship at his footstool, saying,
8 ‘Arise, Lord, and come to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
9 May your priests be clothed with your righteousness;
may your faithful people sing for joy.’”
10 For the sake of your servant David,
do not reject your anointed one.
11 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.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons will sit
on your throne for ever and ever.”
13 For the Lord has chosen Zion,
he has desired it for his dwelling, saying,
14 “This is my resting place for ever and ever;
here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.
15 I will bless her with abundant provisions;
her poor I will satisfy with food.
16 I will clothe her priests with salvation,
and her faithful people will ever sing for joy.
17 “Here I will make a horn grow for David
and set up a lamp for my anointed one.
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but his head will be adorned with a radiant crown.”
Go Deeper
In the Psalms, one might be tempted to assume they all just happen to repeat the same teaching or the same theme. While there are obviously repeated themes throughout the Psalms, each is unique, each was placed there by God for a specific reason, and He teaches us through His Spirit what each and every psalm is there for.
In this specific psalm, we see the psalmist reflect back to David, keeping with the theme of reflective praise found throughout the psalms. Many psalms include a reflection back to David or Moses or Abraham, back to the Lord’s goodness in Israel’s past. While reflecting on that, and praising Him for it, the psalmists lift their own spirits as well as those of the readers, cementing them in the fact of God’s proven character throughout history. As we continue, let’s take this same strategy, rejoicing in the goodness of the Lord and believing He will do it again.
This psalm is split into two halves, the first half (v. 1-10) talks about David’s oath sworn to the Lord. The second half of the psalm (v. 11-18) talks about the Lord swearing an oath to the Lord. In reading this psalm, two verses stick out for us to reflect on, verses 9 and 16. In verse 9, David asks for the Lord’s priests to be “clothed with your righteousness” and that the faithful people might “sing for joy.” The Lord responds to this specifically in verse 16, saying Zion’s priests will be “clothed with salvation” and her people will “ever sing with joy.” What’s so significant about this is that God didn’t just say this, He backed it up with His actions.
In Christ, we are “clothed in salvation” and we have been given reason to “ever sing with joy.” In Romans Paul tells his readers to “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ,” and in 1 Thessalonians we see Paul call his readers to “Rejoice always!” We see this reality that God promised in Psalm 132 coming to fruition here in the New Testament, and now in our lives, through Jesus Christ. He is the culmination of this oath God made with David!
It is God’s consistency that we can see here in Psalm 132, and it is His faithfulness that we can reflect on and expect in the present and future. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Questions
- What are some attributes of God you can begin to reflect on throughout your days? Jot down a list of ones you see as you continue through the Bible Reading Plan.
- How has God shown these attributes in your life? Can you remember specific times in your life you saw God work? Reflect on those.
- Where is another place in Scripture you’ve seen God’s faithfulness on display? If you’re new to reading Scripture, awesome! So glad you’re here! Take a peek at the section below and start there.
By the Way
Paul summarizes God’s faithfulness in Romans as well as it has ever been summarized:
“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
God didn’t just say He loved us, and wanted to reconcile us to Him, He showed it in Christ.
5 responses to “Psalm 132”
Here we have that word REMEMBER. This time it is not about us remembering what God has done but what He is about to do. Here it is about a covenant; asking the LORD to remember what he has promised. We were promised a King, a great High Priest; 11 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. God delivered and Jesus is King of King and Lord of Lords. So our kingship will go on for all eternity. God followed through with His promise.
God’s promises will and have been fulfilled. Remembering what God has done and also looking forward to remembering the promises of the future.
God thank You for remembering. Thank You for Your Word, for Your love and for Your grace and mercy. God help me to be thankful in the remembering of the past but also the joy with the future. God thank You for these minutes of this day that all I say and do can honor You in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!
Yes, remember!
I appreciate how the notes in my NIV Application Bible summed up this chapter:
“Psalm 132 invites us to think more deliberately about how we cultivate memory and how we nurture hope. Both are necessary for those who seek to walk in the way of the Lord.”
May we continually bless the Lord night & day not forgetting his benefits. (Psalm 103:2).
“Cultivate memory”!
1 Lord, remember David and all his self-denial.
Ironic and instructive that David is remembered for his “self-denial”!
We are more than our worst moments!