Psalm 132
We have come We have come into his house, and yeah, it is Christ. So forget about yourself. Concentrate the Vow your head with me this morning. Father We do lift up holy hands and worship of who you are. Oh, help us to forget about ourselves concentrate on you and worship you.
Prayer: God, you are worthy of our praise.
You are worthy of all of our praise. You’re worthy of glory and honor and majesty. This morning, we, we want you to know that we love you for first loving us. We love you for sending your son to die on a cross to pay the penalty of our sins, to give us new life, to release us from the captivity of sin to set us free to run-in the ways of your direction. Oh, we worship you today.
I pray this morning in these next few moments as we are opening our hearts and opening your word that Holy Spirit, you would take the words that have been recorded for us and our consideration, you would help those words of truth to We planted and plowed deep into the soil of our hearts so that it would bear forth fruit today. Pray that you would be exalted through the ministry of your word. We ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen. Amen.
Thank you, boys, for reminding us that the lord is worthy of our praise. Let us forget about ourselves and concentrate on him. Amen. Inviting you this morning to turn in your Bible to the book of Psalms. I have mentioned this before, and I just referenced it to my wife again last night.
Ministry of the Psalms
I looked back over the ministry of my preaching over the years. And for many years, the early years of my ministry rarely did I ever preach out of the Psalms? But it seems like in the last year or year and a half, I have been drawn more and more to the to the book of Psalms for sermon content, there’s some great truth, in the book of Psalms. If you want a great exposition, of Psalm 139. You need to go back about 2 Sunday nights ago.
And Doctor Hutchison spoke, about reasons why we should trust the lord from Psalm 139. Beautiful, beautiful stuff. This morning, we’re considering Psalm 132. I’m gonna invite you to stand with me as we read this Psalm. So I’m 132, beginning in verse 1.
Lord, remember David and all his afflictions how he swore into the lord and vowed into the mighty god of Jacob. Surely, I will not come into the tabernacle of my house. Nor go up into my bed. I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids until I find out a place for the lord and habitation for the mighty god of Jacob. Lo, we heard of it in Afrezza.
We found it in the fields of the wood, We will go into his tabernacles. We will worship at his footstool. Ariso, lord, into thy rest, thou and the arc of thy strength. Let thy priest be clothed with righteousness and let thy saints shout for joy. For thy servant David’s sake, turn not away the face of thine anointed.
The lord hath sworn in truth and to David, he will not turn from it, of the fruit of thy body, will I set upon thy throne? If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne forevermore. For the lord hath chosen Zion. He have desired it for his habitation. This is my rest forever.
Here will I dwell for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provision. I will satisfy her poor with bread. I will also clothe her priests with salvation and her saints. Shall shall shout aloud for joy.
There will I make the horn of David to bud? I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed His enemies, will I clothe with shame, but upon himself shall his crown flourish? He may be seated. Psalm 132 is a unique Psalm for several reasons. First of all, it is a part of a series of Psalms that are known as the Psalms of ascent.
Purpose in Reciting the Psalms
These were Psalms that were written and would be recited by the children of Israel’s. They would be making their way up to Jerusalem on feast days. They would be recited by those companies of people that would be, ascending into the city of Jerusalem. Maybe if I could put it into perspective to us today, this is a Psalm that is a part of a body of Psalms that if we were to put it in modern context, you would recite these on your way to church every Sunday morning. How many of you want to go and memorize these Psalms so that as you come to church, you can be reciting these Psalms.
It was a reminder of what the lord has done, and they were Psalms to draw the people’s attention towards god. These Psalms of ascent were divided into 5 different categories, 3 Psalms apiece, this particular Psalm is the first Psalm of the final set of Psalms of ascent. It’s a Psalm that is really the longest of the Psalms of ascent. Now I asked you if you’d like to memorize these. If you just have your Bible open or your Bible app open, you can scroll.
If you have your Bible open, you can flip pages. Some of you don’t know what pages are anymore. You know, what a finger and a scroll is, and you just thumb, down through. But if you look through them, you’ll discover that a lot of the Psalms of sent They’re very short. This one is lengthier.
In fact, it’s the lengthiest, the lengthiest song of ascent. It’s also a historical Psalm. If you paid attention to the reading, it recounts, in its broad spectrum, god’s establishment of the covenant with Israel, all the way back to Abraham. You may not have caught all of that just from reading it. If you follow through the Psalm, you’ll see that, but it doesn’t end.
The Psalm really doesn’t end. Until the book of Revelation. And so, I want for us this morning to look at this particular song, There’s no author that is ascribed to the Psalm of ascent. Some would say that this is a Psalm that David wrote. Some have attributed it to Solomon.
References in to the Psalms
We know that this Psalm has been used in various other passages of scripture, for example. If you were to go to 1st King’s chapter 8, you would discover that some of the words that are penned in this Psalm Solomon recites these words at the dedication of the tabernacle. In fact, this Psalm talks to us about the Tabernacle. This is a Psalm that was also repeated by Jesus, in, I’m sorry, by Peter in his sermon that he preached on the day of Pentecost. He references this Psalm.
Stephen references this Psalm in Acts chapter 7 in his discourse there. The Psalm unveils for us god’s promises that he has given from ages past to ages to come. It’s a beautiful psalm of promise to us. In fact, it’s really broken up in to 3 promises. The first being a promise that David has made to God.
And as you read through it, then you discover that David has made this promise to the lord, but the lord responds with a promise for David. But it ends with a promise to us today, and I want for us to look at this together. The first promise that I want us to consider is the promise that David made to the lord. The Psalm opens with a with a plea for the lord to remember for David’s sake, the affliction that he endured. Now we all know, I’m sure, the affliction that David experienced in his life and his pursuit to being the king.
He was mocked by his brothers when he went into the camp and discovered that Goliath was mocking the armies of god. And his brothers made fun of him. You’ve only come down here just to see what’s going on. You carry that through and you discover the affliction that David experienced in his ascent to the throne. Saul hated David, wanted this to destroy his life.
And for years, David ran for his own safety. You trace through David’s life and you discover that within his own family, his son sought to usurp his position and David fled from Jerusalem for his life as Absalom sought to take the throne. Then you read about the turmoil within David’s own family, the destruction that was there, but I don’t believe that the psalmist is pointing to those afflictions that, David experienced. I believe what the psalmist is pointing to was David’s passionate concern for the building of a habitation for the lord. And the bringing of the arc of the covenant back into, Jerusalem.
And finding a place for its housing. The arc of the covenant is we read this Psalm plays a central role in all of this. The arc of the covenant was was given to Israel as a representation of the place upon which god would come to dwell. If I could carry us for just a moment all the way back into the book of Genesis, God has established a covenant relationship with Abraham. He’s made a promise to Abraham that through his seed all of the world would be blessed.
And that through Abraham, he would build for him a great nation. We carry that all the way down through, and we discover Israel finding their way into, into Egypt at the end of Genesis. And when we pick up in the book of of Exodus, we discover that Israel spends over 400 years in captivity. And upon their departure, god comes and and he speaks to Moses, he gives them the law but he also gives him the plan for the Tabernacle and the arc of the covenant. And upon that arc of the covenant god comes and he dwells, and you remember the story is The Tabernacle was set up, and the glory of the lord came down and filled that Tabernacle and when Moses would go in to be before the lord and and be with the lord, he would come out and his face would shine with such glory.
That were told that he would veil his face that arc that was a representation of this the place that god would come to dwell at this particular juncture is by and large been in obscurity. In fact, if you read through the history of Israel, you come down to the book of judges and you find a tragic scene with the arc of the covenant. You may remember the story. We’re coming out of the period of the judges. It’s it’s a dark period in in Israel’s history.
We’re told in first Samuel that there is there is no word or the word of the lord is precious. It’s rare in the days of of Samuel. And you remember the story of how Israel goes into battle against the Philistines and they lose, and they send word to Shiloh that that the Israelites have lost. And so Hafna Infineas, Eli, the high priest sons, devise a plan. Let’s take the arc of the covenant.
Let’s use it as a as a good luck charm. Let’s take it into battle. Israel goes into battle with the arc of the covenant and they lose and the the arc of the covenant is taken by the Philistines. Eventually, as a result of the lord cursing the the cities of the Philistines, they send it back into Israel. And it’s housed for 20 years in Curieth Durham where it seems to be lost to the children of Israel.
8 miles away from the city of Jerusalem, but it’s in obscurity. David has a passion to bring the arc of the of the covenant into the city of god into Mount Zion. And so he calls for the arc to be brought back into Jerusalem. And you know the story, no doubt, as it’s being brought up on a cart in disobedience to how the lord has prescribed for the arc to be transported Usa reaches out to steady the arc as it it begins to teeter on that cart, and the lord strikes him dead. Talk about reigning on the parade that David had of bringing the arc of the covenant back.
David says we’re not transporting it any farther, and it stays for 3 months with, obed edom, and it’s housed there for 3 months. But eventually, David says, no. Let’s bring the house or or bring the arc of the lord back to Jerusalem. And when he brings it back into the city of Jerusalem, This is where our Psalm begins to really pick up. It tells us that David is is so burdened about the fact that there is no place to house the arc of the covenant.
David says, I I look at my palatial mansion. I look at this house of cedar that I have to dwell in, but there’s nowhere but a tent for the arc of the covenant. And David purposes in his heart and promises to makes a promise to the lord. I’m gonna build a place a housing, a dwelling place for the lord. The section of this Psalm recounts David’s passion to build this permanent house for the lord, the place where the lord can dwell, a place where the ark of the covenant can can be placed in for the mercy seat to bring about the presence of the lord.
He wouldn’t rest, he says, until that happens. You know the account. You know the story. The lord says to David through the prophet, no, David, you’re not to you’re not the man to do that. Now imagine if you have a passion to do something, and now the lord reigns on your parade.
I have a feeling there are probably some of us that would just go back home, and we’d pout, say, well, I had a desire to do it, but I’m not allowed to do it. David didn’t do that, did he? No. David put everything in place. He goes out.
He begins to he buys up the property where the house of the lord would be built. He goes to the nations and begins to collect all of the goods. He puts everything into place. Reminds me quite a bit. A number of years ago, those of you that are new to EBMC, you you wouldn’t know the name JD Smith.
Buying up property
Many of you would. A number of years ago, as the church was in the process of making preparations for the building of this new facility. Brother Smith was a part of that that committee. And he had in mind a piece of property that he thought we need to build here. It was over off of 135.
And he encouraged the purchase of that property. It was eventually chosen that this place right here along Gentry Memorial Highway would be the place that we’d build. When the vote came down that this would be the property we would build and brother Smith was out voted, Rather Smith pulled out his checkbook and wrote a $1000 check, and he said, I want to be the first person. To put money down on the purchase of that new property. Reminds me a lot of David in this Psalm He says, look, the lord may say, no, I can’t do it, but I’m going to do everything necessary to put into place the building of a permanent habitation for the lord.
Passion for the House of God
David’s passion for the house of god speaks to us, I believe, in at least two ways. Wanna believe that you and I should have a passionate drive to enjoy god’s presence in our own lives that our hearts would truly be the place his dwelling. Amen? Yes. And second, we should have a passionate desire that the blessing and the benefit of the house of god would be for us as a community of believers.
Listen, I can’t stress to us the importance that as long as we live on this earth, you and I need this church. Amen? You and I need the fellowship of the community of believers. And David recognized the importance of a place of dwelling for the lord to dwell. And he had a passion for it as you and I should have a passion.
Charles Spurgeon said, he said, I wish that this same zeal would take firm hold of all Christians. How many there are who dwell in their ceilinged houses while the house of god lies waste. They can provide abundantly for themselves, but for god’s cause, for god’s gospel, for a place wherein the poor may meet for the preaching of the word, they do not seem to take care. Oh, may that not be true of our lives? May you and I have a similar passion in our hearts as David promised to the lord, I want to build to you house.
May you and I have a similar promise that says, lord, I desire to build your house, your church, your kingdom. What is your passion for the house for the lord this morning. David’s passion drove him to make promises to god. What about for us? The second section of this Psalm tells us about the promise of David.
From David’s Promise to God & God’s Promise to David
I’m sorry. The first section of this Psalm tells us about the promise of David to the lord, but the second section tells us about the promise to David. In verse 10, if you have your Bible still open, I want you to notice this. David makes a promise to the lord. I want to build to you a house.
I’m going to I’m not going to let slumber or sleep come to me until I’ve done something about this until I’ve brought the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem until I’ve found a dwelling place for the lord because of David’s promise to the lord. The lord responds with a promise to David. Look at it. For the sake of David, your servant, do not turn away the face of your anointed The lord has sworn to David a truth from which he will not turn back. The fruit of your body I will set upon your throne.
If your sons will keep my covenant and my testimony, which I will teach them, their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever. The promise that god gives to to David is twofold One is based on a condition. The other is unconditional. If you looked at it this morning, you will notice that the first promise that he made was the unconditional. The second was the conditional.
I’d like to start with the conditional promise, if you will. The conditional promise was that the sons of David would be the ones who would be seated on the thrown in in Jerusalem as long as they kept the the covenant of the lord. If you follow Israel’s history, sadly, David’s sons did not keep the covenant of the lord. Sadly, for Israel’s history, you you read through the remainder of the old testament and you find that this the nation of Israel divides And it’s not long until Judah, the southern kingdom, the place where Jerusalem was at. Was eventually overrun in 586 BC by nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonians.
And the last king of David’s line Hezekiah was taken into captivity, and there would never again be a son of David to sit. On the throne in Israel and the city of Jerusalem. A tragedy. Reminds me this morning of the importance for you and I to keep the commandments of the lord or suffer the consequences of rejection of his promises. But there was an unconditional promise made to David.
Wasn’t there? God said to David, there will be one who will sit on your throne forever. And that was realized in the person of Jesus. God made this unconditional promise. The lord has sworn to David a truth from which he will not turn back the fruit of your body, I will set upon your throne.
While for years, after the last king of David’s line, had been had disappeared. The lord sent in the fullness of time, his son listened to what Paul writes to the Galatians But when the fullness of time came, god sent forth his son, born of a woman born under the law, so that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons because you are sons, god has sent forth the spirit of his son into hearts crying Abba father, hallelujah. Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir through god what a wonderful promise you and I have received through the promise that god gave to David. You and I are reaping this morning the promises of god.
You say, pastor, what are you trying to say to us? If there’s anything that I want you to catch this morning is I want for us to live in light of the promise. The promise that god gave through David is that you and I have reaped the advantage of becoming the sons of god through Jesus Christ. The unconditional promise that god made today that has great bearing on us today because of the promise made to David regarding the Messiah as a promise that was made to you. And to me.
I believe as we wrap up the final element of this Psalm, you begin to see the promises of god that are for us through the promises that came to David. The psalmist closes this this particular Psalm with a reminder that god has chosen Jerusalem to be the place of his habitation. Now that seems odd to me. When when I read the rest of scripture. Does it you?
Heaven is God’s Throne: Isaiah 66
Let me just read to you, Psalm, 60, I’m sorry, Isaiah chapter 66. Thus says the lord, heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where then is a house that you could build for me. Where’s a place that I may rest? The Bible tells us that the lord dwells in all places.
And in Isaiah, recounts the words of god. Where can you build me a place that I can rest? And yet, David has desired to build a Tabernacle, a temple, a place where the lord can find a resting place. The truth is currently the lord dwells within our hearts. Amen?
That’s the dwelling place where the lord resides presently, but can I tell you that this Psalm reminds us that there’s even more yet to come? There is more that is yet to come about the place of Israel. There’s a present tense comfort that you and I can have in that Christ can dwell within our hearts by faith but can I remind you what Peter tells us in his first letter, chapter 3, beginning in verse 8, but do not let this one fact escape your notice beloved that with the lord one day is like a 1000 years and a 1000 years like one day, the lord is not slow concerning his promise? As some count slowness, but is patient toward you not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance Listen to me this morning, the promises that the lord has made to us are sure instead fast. Do you feel like the lord has forgotten about his promise?
To be your helper? Do you feel like he has forgotten you and has left you where you are? Do you feel like he is sealed up heaven and barred you from entering therein? I have good news for you this morning, church. Paul says in 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 verses 1920 for the son of god, Christ Jesus, who is preached among you by us by me and by by Sylvanius and Timothy was not yes and no, but is yes in him.
Listen to this. For as many as are the promises of god in him, they are yes. Aren’t you glad that the promises of the lord to us today are always yes, and amen. Therefore, also through him is our amen to the glory of god through us. The promises that god made to David, that he would seek one upon his throne that would dwell forever Is a reminder of a promise to us that the lord dwells with us today
Yes. He dwells in our hearts, but can I just complete the rest of this Psalm? Because the Psalm reminds us that god has a dwelling place in Jerusalem. Amen? Right now, we’re witnessing upheaval in the world around us, particularly in the Middle East.
You look at the Middle East and what’s going on there and you look at the nation of Israel and you look at the nations around them that hate Israel, and have literally, in some cases, their their guns trained upon the country of Israel. Can I just remind us this morning? That’s god’s holy place. The city of Jerusalem is god’s holy city. When I read the headlines and I hear the rise of anti Semitic rhetoric around the world, It almost seems as if god has abandoned Israel, but he’s not.
He is never slack concerning his promises. His promises as his promises to us are always yes in Amen. Can I tell you this morning god hasn’t abandoned his dwelling place? He’s simply getting it ready for his permanent occupation. I I’m not a prophet.
Not a son of a prophet, but I know this much the lord is shaping up things in our world today. The things that are happening in our world today are in preparation for the lord’s final fulfillment of the promise that was made in in, Psalm 132. Listen to what John writes to us in Revelation chapter 21. Let me just remind us of the promises that are ours in Christ Jesus because the promises that were made in Psalm 132 are promises for us. Listen to what what John recorded Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.
For the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there’s no longer any Sea, and I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from god, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying behold, the tabernacle of god is with men. Did you catch that this morning? The tabernacle of god is with us. The tabernacle is with us, and he will dwell among them.
And they shall be his people, and god himself will be among them. And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no longer any death. There will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain. The first things have passed away and he who sets up upon the throne said behold, I’m making all things new. And he said, right, for these are words that are faithful and true.
Then he said to me, it is done. I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the springs of water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his god, and he will be my son. I say to us this morning, Hallelujah for the promises of god that are sure instead fast.
I know we’re living in a world that sometimes we look at and we scratch our heads and we wonder What in the world is god doing in the world around us? Can I just tell you? He’s fulfilling his promises. He’s fulfilling his promises, church. Oh, that you and I will live in light of the promises that are ours today.
Sure the enemy will come and bring fear and doubt and question, but the promises of god to us are yes in Amen to the glory of god. Can I encourage us this morning? Let’s live in light of promises that are ours today. Let’s stand together. Father, this morning, we rejoice in the promises of god that have been given to us.
Thank you for the promise that you gave to David. Who had a passion to build a dwelling place for you, a place that you would have a habitation Lord, this morning, you promised to David that you would have one who would sit on his throne forever. And this morning, we rejoice in knowing that Jesus Christ is seated on the throne. We rejoice in knowing that that throne will be a throne that will be forever. This morning, lord, we rejoice in the promises of what is to come Right now, you’re making preparation and ready heaven for us.
We rejoice in knowing this morning that your promise is is that you’re gonna bring the new Jerusalem down and that we, your children, can dwell with you. Oh, help us this morning to live in light of promises. Help us to live our lives, worthy of the calling, wherewith we’ve been called father, we delight in you today. We love you. We thank you for the promises that you’ve given to us.
Oh, may you give us grace? May you give us courage? May you give us strength to live in the light of those promises? I pray in Jesus name. Amen.
Amen. The lord bless you. You are dismissed.
