Psalm 132

The Eternal Dwelling of God in Zion

1 O Lord, remember in David’s favor

all the hardships he endured;

2 how he swore to the Lord

and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,

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.”

6 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.”

8 Rise up, 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 faithful shout for joy.

10 For your servant David’s sake

do not turn away the face of your anointed one.

11 The Lord swore to David a sure oath

from which he will not turn back:

“One of the sons of your body

I will set on your throne.

12 If your sons keep my covenant

and my decrees that I shall teach them,

their sons also, forevermore,

shall sit on your throne.”

13 For the Lord has chosen Zion;

he has desired it for his habitation:

14 “This is my resting place forever;

here I will reside, for I have desired it.

15 I will abundantly bless its provisions;

I will satisfy its poor with bread.

16 Its priests I will clothe with salvation,

and its faithful will shout for joy.

17 There I will cause a horn to sprout up for David;

I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one.

18 His enemies I will clothe with disgrace,

but on him, his crown will gleam.”

 

Reflection

Like other royal psalms, Psalm 132 articulates Israel’s conviction that the rule of God is manifested concretely in the world of people, space, and time. In building the temple, God’s people made a home where God’s presence dwelt among them. This image of God coming to earth is later echoed in the Christian understanding of Jesus Christ. In a real sense, Jesus is the messianic fulfillment of the royal psalms. God has become flesh and dwelt among us; Jesus is the son of man who rules in perfect submission to the will of the father. The Kingdom of God has come and is coming, blurring the lines between heaven and earth until the day when they are indistinguishable. In the meantime, God uses us to lead the way for others to witness the coming Kingdom of God.

Royal psalms remind us that God cares about politics and God cares about the injustices and hardships of this world. Earth is not simply a holding pattern that we will one day leave behind; it is a place that is being redeemed back into the very Kingdom that God intended it to be. Amen.

Closing Prayer:
God, we thank you for dwelling within the physical, concrete world and that you desire all things to be redeemed back to your Kingdom. Forgive us when we choose apathy over the wellbeing of our neighbors, and we pray that you would instill in us a desire to be your partners in bringing your Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.