Psalms 132
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Lord, remember David, and all his afflictions:
2 How he sware unto the Lord, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob;
3 Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed;
4 I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids,
5 Until I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.
6 Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood.
7 We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool.
8 Arise, O Lord, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength.
9 Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.
10 For thy servant David's sake turn not away the face of thine anointed.
11 The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
12 If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.
13 For the Lord hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.
14 This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.
17 There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed.
18 His enemies will I clothe with shame: but upon himself shall his crown flourish.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
Psalm 132:1-18
The Lord Has Chosen Zion
A Song of Ascents.
1Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor,
all the hardships he endured,
2how 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,
4I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5until I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6Behold, 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!”
8Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
9Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let your saints shout for joy.
10For the sake of your servant David,
do not turn away the face of your anointed one.
11The 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.
12If your sons keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their sons also forever
shall sit on your throne.”
13For the Lord has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his dwelling place:
14“This is my resting place forever;
here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15I will abundantly bless her provisions;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16Her priests I will clothe with salvation,
and her saints will shout for joy.
17There I will make a horn to sprout for David;
I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
18His enemies I will clothe with shame,
but on him his crown will shine.”
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Psalm 132:1-18
Psalm 132
A song of ascents.
1Lord, remember David
and all his self-denial.
2He swore an oath to the Lord,
he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3“I will not enter my house
or go to my bed,
4I will allow no sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5till I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6We heard it in Ephrathah,
we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:
7“Let us go to his dwelling place,
let us worship at his footstool, saying,
8‘Arise, Lord, and come to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
9May your priests be clothed with your righteousness;
may your faithful people sing for joy.’ ”
10For the sake of your servant David,
do not reject your anointed one.
11The Lord swore an oath to David,
a sure oath he will not revoke:
“One of your own descendants
I will place on your throne.
12If your sons keep my covenant
and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons will sit
on your throne for ever and ever.”
13For the Lord has chosen Zion,
he has desired it for his dwelling, saying,
14“This is my resting place for ever and ever;
here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.
15I will bless her with abundant provisions;
her poor I will satisfy with food.
16I will clothe her priests with salvation,
and her faithful people will ever sing for joy.
17“Here I will make a horn grow for David
and set up a lamp for my anointed one.
18I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but his head will be adorned with a radiant crown.”
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
Psalms 132 is divided into three sections; the first is David’s desire and intent to build an appropriate temple for the Lord. He has vowed his attention will not be diverted by anything; he cannot and will not rest until his objective is completed.
The second section recounts the discovery of the ark and the subsequent joy, then entreaty for the Lord’s blessing on priests and people.
Third are the Lord’s promises to David and his people, promises of an unbroken line of succession to the throne, abundant prosperity including food for the poor and the joy which comes from walking with God. In conclusion, God also promises to crown David with splendor.
We must note however that these promises of God, as always, are conditional upon obedience and the right use of His blessings. Had Israel faithfully followed the Lord’s instructions they would have been continually blessed with peace, prosperity and the opportunity to be a powerful influence for heaven.
Today God’s people have the same choices-- reject His love and follow the world, or fix our hearts on following Him and reap the glorious future He has planned for us in His presence forever.
Eileen VanTassel
Riverside Seventh-day Adventist Church, Washougal, Washington USA (as of this writing)
