To Claim a Promise

Sermon on Ascent Psalm 132

Does anyone remember the lyrics to last year’s National Day song? Or the year before? I think there are very few. But if I were to say the words, “There was a time when people said that Singapore won't make it.” What follows? (But we did) “There was a time when troubles seemed too much for us to take.” What follows? (But we did) These lyrics come from the National Day song “We are Singapore”. There is something special about these older national day songs such as this one because they quickly reach the hearts of the people. They tell of stories of the past where we have struggled yet overcame, where we have doubted yet prevailed. These old songs are powerful because they bring back memories and remind us of important things as we go forward.
The psalm for today’s sermon, Psalm 132, works exactly the same way as these old national day songs that are so powerful in what they do. Psalm 132 is a prayer to God that included many lyrics from old songs of the Israelites that bring back memories. These memories are powerful because they trigger for the listeners the stories of their forefathers. These stories tell of the close relationship between God and his people. These stories speak of important matters that are the foundation of their prayers to God. It is greatly unfortunate that the lyrics of these old songs do not have the same impact on us as the original readers since they are not our songs. This is just like us listening to the national day songs of Papua New Guinea. But I hope to retell all these stories today, so that we can all better appreciate what the psalm is trying to do.
1 O LORD, remember David and all the hardships he endured.
2 He swore an oath to the LORD and made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
10 For the sake of David your servant, do not reject your anointed one.
11a The LORD swore an oath to David, a sure oath that he will not revoke:
The Psalm is divided into 2 parts. Both parts begin with 2 similar lines. The psalmist in verse 1 requested God to remember David. And then he goes on to talk about an oath that David swore to God. In the second part, the psalmist in verse 10 requested to God that in remembering David, God accepts David. And then he goes on to talk about an oath that God swore to David. We see there is great beauty in the construction of this prayer by the psalmist. It is based on reality, because it is about the actual relationship between God and David. It is based on truth, because it is about promises that they made to each other. There is great power in such a prayer because it is not blind haggling with God; it is not a command or a negotiation. I am sometimes appalled by some people’s prayers as if God were an idol for them to be used or manipulated. It doesn’t work that way. This prayer is possible because of a relationship with God, and that is what all prayers should be like. It should be based on thousands of years of revelation and understanding of God.
The psalmist asked God to remember a promise that David made.
3 "I will not enter my house or go to my bed--
4 I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids,
5 till I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob."
6 We 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--
8 arise, O LORD, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.
9 May your priests be clothed with righteousness; may your saints sing for joy."
These are the lyrics of an old song that will bring back memories of a story between God and David. Let me now try to tell this story to you, so that when you read these verses, you can enjoy the memories like a true Israelite. This story is about the ark. “The ark of the covenant was a box approximately forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches broad and seventy-seven inches deep, constructed of wood and covered with gold. It had been made under the supervision of Moses and was a symbol of the presence of God among his people. The ark has accompanied Israel from Sinai, through the wilderness wanderings.” In a battle, the ark was used like a good luck charm, and everything went wrong. It was captured by the enemy Philistines and was a trophy of was displayed in the Philistine cities until everywhere it went, it created chaos for them. They returned it to Israel and it was abandoned in an obscure little village called Kiriath-jearim for twenty years.
It is at this juncture that the story from the old song began. “News had come to David of where the ark was; he vowed to get it and was obedient to his vow. He gathered his people to himself to go to worship God at the ark. He went to the ark and brought it up to Jerusalem in festive parade. As the song was sung, we are told, David danced with great abandon before God. The whole country was with him as he brought the ark of God with shouts and trumpet blasts.” It is important to note why David was doing all this. He was bringing the ark back to Jerusalem so that it could be the center of Israelite life. He was restoring the unity between the life of the people and the worship of God. God states clearly in Deuteronomy his instructions for worship. It is to be carried out in a specific way, and in a specific place. David in fulfilling God’s will was finally placing the center of worship at its rightful place.
But David goes even beyond this in his fervor for God. His promise to God is that he will not rest until God has a good resting place. He said to his prophet Nathan, “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.” He wants to build a house for the ark. One that will imply the permanence of God’s presence instead of a moving tent. So far, this is the first half of the story, and this is the first half of the psalm. For all the obedience of David that he completed what he said in his oath, God has a response. And the response of God is the second half of the story, and the second half of the psalm. God responds to David with his own promise to David. The psalmist again uses lyrics of old songs to trigger the memories of his listeners, and I will now attempt to continue the story and show you what the memories are.
11b "One of your own descendants I will place on your throne--
12 if your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever."
13 For the LORD has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling:
14 "This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it--
15 I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor will I satisfy with food.
16 I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints will ever sing for joy.
17 "Here I will make a horn grow for David and set up a lamp for my anointed one.
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame, but the crown on his head will be resplendent."
Here I think is the beautiful conclusion to the story. Because of all that David has done and said, God responds to him with a promise of his own. David wants to give the ark a place and a house. And God in turns gives David a place and a house. What I mean by this is that God gives him a country to govern and generations after him to continue his rule. As long as the descendants of David keep the laws of God, his house will rule the land forever. The land will be rich and the worshipers will be glorious. What I think is beautiful about the response of God is that for the temporal actions of David, God has given him a long lasting promise. For the little that David wanted to do, God has repaid in kind in great abundance. Of course, the conclusion to this story is that God fulfilled his promise when David's son, Solomon finished building what David intended to do, the Temple to house the ark.
(1Ki 9:1-5) 1 When Solomon had finished building the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do,
2 the LORD appeared to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.
3 The LORD said to him: "I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
4 "As for you, if you walk before me in integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws,
5 I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, 'You shall never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.'
Now we know the entire story. And in reading the psalm we are filled with the memories of the close relationship between David and God. Now, if it is just plain reminiscing, then it is just for nostalgia. It makes one feel good, but it has no value. One cannot just live in the past. We must ask, “Why is the psalmist bringing up all these stories?” The reality is that David's dynasty finally did end. And the Israelites were exiled during the Babylonian empire, and only just returned in the Persian empire. They may be back, but the one at the throne is not David's house anymore. At this point, we enter into the psalmist's story. As I have stated at the beginning, the psalmist asked God to remember what David did, and in the second half, to remember his promise to David. This request is important for the psalmist because he is praying based on this relationship between David and God. The request is straightforward: God, if we are obedient just as David was obedient to you, would you bless us, just as you have blessed David. This is the psalmist's prayer, and also the prayer of all the Jewish pilgrims in their journey towards Jerusalem. Remember David, God. Remember your promises, God. Bless us. And from David's family, restore his kingship so that we are not under foreign rule anymore. Jerusalem is your dwelling place. May your glory be with us in this place.
I hope that in going through these stories, we feel the beauty of the entire psalm and the power of the prayer. But there is one more element to make the entire experience complete. We have to add in our own story. The psalm only becomes relevant to us if we are connected to the story. What is that connection? Jesus Christ is the connection. The power of the old story lies in the promise to David that his descendant will rule forever. The apostle Peter saw the importance of this, which is why he witnessed on the day of Pentecost that Jesus is the descendant of David that is the new and ultimate king.
(Ac 2:29-36)
29 "Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.
30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.
31 Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay.
32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.
33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand
35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." '
36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
Jesus is not just the king of the Jews, but also king to all who profess him as Lord and king of our lives. In line with the psalmist, we too can pray to God to remember David, and to remember his promise to David. God in keeping his promise, sent his son to be the Messiah, so that he may be king of our lives. Jesus replaces the ark in displaying more gloriously the presence of God. And Jesus makes the connection with God even more intimately in worship than any temple or holy ground like Jerusalem. In that sense, God in sending Jesus, has more than ever fulfilled his promise to David.
In reading and reflecting on this psalm and linking it with our own life story through Jesus Christ, we too become a pilgrim on the spiritual journey to the final resting place. I would like to think that our journey is not a search in the dark. We are accompanied by stories of God's past revelations. This is how we pray and this is how we worship. It is not with our subjective experience to “figure out” God, but through building our faith upon what has already been fulfilled in the past. Just like the old National Day songs, in knowing that we have struggled but overcame, doubted but prevailed, we as God's people can continue to move forward with great confidence. I believe God remembers his people, and he will bless accordingly.
For this blessing to happen, it must begin with an act of obedience, just like David. It must start with our yearning for God and a desire to worship, just like David. Put God in his rightful place, and God will remember us, and our relationship with him. Jesus also demonstrated this life of obedience. If Jesus is to be king, our life must display this obedience. A passion to worship. If this is our story, I'm sure God will complete it with his blessings of great abundance and lasting till eternity.