stephen R Harrison

In Psalm 132, the psalmist’s desire was to give God His rightful dwelling place (vv. 1-5), give God worship He deserves (vv. 6-9), and trust God for His blessings through His covenant (vv. 10-18). Those are excellent priorities for the Christian today – to desire God’s presence, worship Him, and trust His faithfulness. So many times, we start with the last one but question His covenantal devotion. We worry if or when God will answer our prayers or come to our defense. Truth is, His promises become more of a reality and our trust for Him to do what He does grows as we put the order right of desiring and living in His presence, worshipping Him, and then believing in Him. The more you are around someone and get to know them, the more you discover their character and personality. The same is true of God. We must spend time with Him and through that our confidence in His perfect character will increase our trust in faithfulness to us.

Solomon, most likely the writer of Psalm 132, teaches us something very important about his father David in Psalm 132:1 – self-denial! We must be people who crucify the flesh (Galatians 5:24), take on the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5), and submit to God (James 4:7). David was a man after God’s heart (1 Samuel 13:14) and a man of faith (Hebrews 11:32). He was devoted to building a place for the Ark of the Covenant, which represented God’s presence on earth during David’s day. Before Solomon put the ark in the Temple, it was in several places including the wilderness with the Israelites and Shiloh. It was even captured by the Philistines, but they quickly gave it back. It stayed in the house of Abinidab for several years. When David became king, he wanted it to be in Jerusalem as a permanent sign in the new capital that Yahweh was Lord over Israel and they desperately needed His presence. After a failed first attempt, David succeeded in placing it in a tent he built for it. He knew the importance of God’s presence being with them and leading them in all ways.

With the Ark of the Covenant, the presence of the Lord, in place, David could go to worship and call the people of God to worship more consistently. When you experience the presence of the Lord, you want more of Him. I want the stable and persistent presence of the Lord in my life instead of a temporary evasive experience. Desiring and being in His presence will call you to worship the Lord with your entire life. Worshipping in the presence of the Lord caused David and the Lord’s people to “be clothed with righteousness” and to “sing for joy” (v. 9). Today, worshipping reminds us of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and the righteousness Jesus gave us through His death and resurrection. This leads us to great joy!

The Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7) Solomon spoke of in Psalm 132:10-12 was continued with Solomon becoming king and ultimately fulfilled with Jesus being the King of Kings (Luke 1:30-33). The covenant God made with us through Christ will never fail. The promise of salvation for trusting in Christ is guaranteed by the seal of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Ephesians 1:13-14 says, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of His glory.” The Lord desires to dwell with us eternally (Psalm 132:13-14), lavish blessings on us (v. 15), and save us (v. 16). Jesus is the messiah and anointed one (v. 17) and He is crowned as King eternally (v. 18)!

Questions:

1. Do you desire more and more of God’s presence in your life?
2. Do you have consistent patterns of worship throughout your day?
3. Are you trusting in His covenantal promises?

Prayer:
Lord, help me to desire more of You. Thank You for fulfilling all Your promises. You are faithful and trustworthy. I am eternally grateful for salvation. You are the King of Kings and I make my life a place of dwelling for You. I worship You! I trust You! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.