Psalm 132

The writer of this psalm led the Israelites in praying that God would bless Israel for David's commitment to the Lord.

 1. The prayer to remember David 132:1-5

132:1 This verse expresses the theme of the psalm. It is a cry to God to remember David's afflictions that he experienced concerning his desire to glorify God by finding a suitable place for the ark to dwell.

132:2-5 Specifically David underwent personal discomfort because he wanted to build a temple for Yahweh (2 Sam. 7). This led him to make great personal sacrifices to prepare for its construction even though the Lord did not permit him to build the building himself. His desire to erect a magnificent temple was a desire to glorify God. In the ancient Near East people associated the splendor of a temple with the greatness of the deity it honored. Therefore David wanted to build the most glorious temple he could. David's desire to build God a house resulted in God promising to build David a house or dynasty. The psalmist's prayer that God would remember David then involved His remembering and fulfilling His promises to David.

 2. The prayer to bless David's descendents 132:6-10

132:6-8 The antecedent of "it"(v. 6) is the ark (v. 8). Ephrathah (Ephratah) is an old name for the area around Bethlehem (Gen. 35:16, 19; 48:7). Jaar evidently refers to Kiriath-jearim, the town where the ark rested for 20 years after the Philistines returned it (1 Sam. 7:1-2). Perhaps there was a rumor that the ark was somewhere near Bethlehem, but Israel's leaders found it in Kiriath-jearim that lay about 10 miles northwest of Bethlehem. From there David brought the ark into Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6) ²⁰²

The Israelite pilgrims who sang this psalm resolved to go to worship God on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem where the ark stood (v. 7). That was where God dwelt in a localized way among His people. It was His earthly throne. They called on God to meet with them there. They spoke of the ark of God's strength because it represented God's strength in Israel's previous battles.

132:9-10 The Israelites also called on God to establish a righteous group of priests among them and to enable the godly in Israel to rejoice because of His blessings. They asked God to remember His promises to David, His anointed king. In view of these requests this psalm may date from the return from exile (cf. v. 16; Zech. 3:1-7).

 3. The Lord's promises to David 132:11-18

132:11-12 God promised David that He would raise up a dynasty of David's descendents that would follow him on Israel's throne (2 Sam. 7:12-16). If they were faithful to the Lord, He would give them an unbroken succession. Of course this did not take place because David's descendents did not all follow God faithfully. Nevertheless God preserved David's dynasty.

132:13-16 God also promised to make Zion His special habitation (2 Chron. 6:6; 34-39). He said He would bless it by providing food for the poor, salvation for the priests (cf. v. 9), and joy for the godly.

132:17-18 The horn of David that God promised would spring forth refers to a ruler that He would raise up from David's descendents (cf. Dan. 7:24; Luke 1:69). The lamp is a figure for a leader (cf. 2 Sam. 21:17; 1 Kings 11:36). It refers to the same person God said He would prepare for His anointed, David. In other words, God promised to raise up one of David's descendents who would defeat His enemies. This promise found partial fulfillment in some of David's successors who followed him on the throne of Israel, but Messiah will fulfill it ultimately.

This royal psalm should encourage God's people to believe that He will fulfill His promises, specifically the promises regarding David's descendent and capital.