Friday February 9
“A Dwelling Place for the Mighty One…”
Psalm 132:1-18 A Song of Ascents.
1 LORD, remember David And all his afflictions;
2 How he swore to the LORD, And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 "Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house, Or go up to the comfort of 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."
Psalm 132 is the thirteenth of the fifteen “Ascent Songs” or “Pilgrim Psalms”. The title doesn’t tell us who the writer is but from the psalm itself many have come to the conclusion that it was Solomon. Since verses 8-10 are quoted by Solomon in his prayer at the dedication of the temple (2 Chron. 6:41-42), perhaps this psalm was written for that occasion. You might also notice the references to David in Solomon's prayer (2 Chron. 6:3-11, 15-17). This psalm could well have been a litany, with the worship leader opening (vv. 1-5) and the people responding (vv. 6-10). The leader then quoted God's words to David (vv. 10-12), and the people or a choir closed with a recital of God's promises to Israel (vv. 13-18).
As I read this psalm, I am reminded of the importance of the presence and the blessing of the Lord upon our lives, our families, our churches, and our nation. We might experience success and outwardly appear to have great happiness and prosperity, but unless the blessings and presence of God is there, we really have nothing worth having! When David turned the kingdom over to Solomon the borders were secure, the nation was prosperous beyond imagination, and everything was great! But the Ark of the Covenant wasn’t in its “resting place” in the Holy City of Jerusalem. The Shekinah glory of God was missing.
First in verses 1-5, we must make sure that God is in His rightful place in our lives and in our worship! It is interesting to note that in the 150 psalms, that this is the only psalm where the ark is mentioned. The ark represented God's throne on earth (Psalm 80:1 and 99:1), and its rightful place was in the Holy of Holies of God's sanctuary. Unless God is on the throne of our lives, no enterprise we attempt can be really successful. The ark had been in several places before Solomon put it into the temple (2 Chron. 5). The ark went before the children of Israel as they followed the cloud and pillar of fire through the wilderness, and it also went before them into the water as the people crossed the Jordan River and entered Canaan. It is possible that the ark was temporarily at Bethel (Judg. 20:27) and then Mizpah (Judg. 21:5), but it finally rested at Shiloh (1 Sam. 1-3).
The wicked sons of Eli used the ark as a "good luck charm" and took it into battle against the Philistines, but the Philistines captured it (1 Sam. 4-5). Frightened by the judgments God sent, the Philistines returned the ark to the Jews, and for twenty years it rested in the house of Abinadab in Kirjath Jearim (1 Sam. 6:1-7:2). When David became king, he wanted the ark in Jerusalem and prepared a tent for it, but his first attempt failed (2 Sam. 6:1-11). The ark remained in the house of Obed-Edom for three months, and then David successfully brought God's throne to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:12-19; 1 Chron. 15-16). It appears that the tabernacle of Moses and its holy furniture were in Gibeon (1 Chron. 21:29).
David had two great ambitions: to bring the ark to Jerusalem and then to build a glorious temple to house it. He even made a vow to the Lord, and the Lord permitted him to fulfill the first desire but not the second (2 Sam. 7). David had gone through much hardship, “affliction” (v. 1), with reference to the building of the temple (v. 1; 1 Chron. 22:14), for the wealth he turned over to Solomon came from the spoils of his many battles. The worship leader called on God to "remember—pay attention to" what David had done, for humanly speaking, without David there would have been no temple. Even purchasing the property on which the temple was built cost David a great deal of pain (2 Sam. 24). The words spoken in verse 4 do not mean that David forsook sleep all those years but simply expressed the passion of his heart and the desire to accomplish his goal quickly (Prov. 6:4). "The Mighty One of Jacob" (vv. 2, 5) is an ancient name for Jehovah, for Jacob used it in his last words to his family (Gen. 49:24; and see Isa. 1:24; 49:26; 60:16).
Today, if we have received the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, our vey bodies have become the temple of the Holy Spirit and God (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Are you allowing Him to sit upon the throne of your heart and direct your every decision and step in life? Do you desire and seek His presence so much that you get up early or stay up late (v. 4), to spend time in His Word and prayer, in fellowship with Him?
Today, it is my prayer that all of us would make our hearts and lives a “dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob”! The world desperately needs to see His Glory today!
God bless!