The Lord’s servant reminding Jehovah that he has pledged himself to bless Zion

It is thought that David brought up the Ark from Kirjath-jearim (the place of woods), where it had reposed for twenty years. David speaks of finding it there. His design was to build a place for it at Jerusalem, but that was denied him and granted to his son, Solomon. Nevertheless, he brought the Ark up and tabernacled it at Jerusalem. This typified the ascension of Christ into His church as its Head, and worship was rendered unto Him. 

The first part of the psalm shows David’s desire, intention and pledge. He was restless until a place of worship was erected. Then the second half describes God’s covenant engagement with David, that his seed would continue to reign upon the throne. This looks beyond Solomon and his successors to the coming of Christ, who was “Made of the seed of David according to the flesh.” And in Christ, His spiritual offspring shall inhabit Zion, the church. This is where God loves to dwell, this is His rest. Christ would be the One, the horn of David, whom God would make strong for Himself. He assures that He will provide all spiritual benefits, and a ministry that would preach salvation.

-Pastor Jeff O’ Neil

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Psalm 132

¹David, and his afflictions all,
LORD, do thou think upon;
²How unto GOD he sware, and vow’d
To Jacob’s mighty One.

³I will not come within my house,
Nor rest in bed at all;
⁴Nor shall mine eyes take any sleep,
Nor eyelids slumber shall;

⁵Till for the LORD a place I find,
Where he may make abode;
A place of habitation
For Jacob’s mighty God.

⁶Lo, at the place of Ephratah
Of it we understood;
And we did find it in the fields,
And city of the wood.

⁷We’ll go into his tabernacles,
And at his footstool bow.
⁸Arise, O LORD, into thy rest,
Th’ ark of thy strength, and thou.

⁹O let thy priests be clothed, Lord,
With truth and righteousness;
And let all those that are thy saints
Shout loud for joyfulness.

¹⁰For thine own servant David’s sake,
Do not deny thy grace;
Nor of thine own anointed one
Turn thou away the face.

¹¹The LORD in truth to David sware,
He will not turn from it,
I of thy body’s fruit will make
Upon thy throne to sit.

¹²My cov’nant if thy sons will keep,
And laws to them made known,
Their children then shall also sit
For ever on thy throne.

¹³For GOD of Zion hath made choice;
There he desires to dwell.
¹⁴This is my rest, here still I’ll stay;
For I do like it well.

¹⁵Her food I’ll greatly bless; her poor
With bread will satisfy.
¹⁶Her priests I’ll clothe with health; her saints
Shall shout forth joyfully.

¹⁷And there will I make David’s horn
To bud forth pleasantly:
For him that mine anointed is
A lamp ordain’d have I.

¹⁸As with a garment I will clothe
With shame his en’mies all:
But yet the crown that he doth wear
Upon him flourish shall.