We move to Psalm 132, which opens:
O GOD, remember David, remember all his troubles! And remember how he promised GOD, made a vow to the Strong God of Jacob, “I’m not going home, and I’m not going to bed, I’m not going to sleep, not even take time to rest, Until I find a home for GOD, a house for the Strong God of Jacob.” (Psalm 132.1 – 5, MSG)
It’s a “don’t follow-your-heart” example, where even though David’s heart was in the right place, he was not the one to build the temple. I wrote about this last year. Instead of God’s allowing David to build God a house, God, instead declared that he would build David’s house. Psalm 132 speaks of this promise:
GOD gave David his word, he won’t back out on this promise: “One of your sons I will set on your throne; If your sons stay true to my Covenant and learn to live the way I teach them, Their sons will continue the line— always a son to sit on your throne. Yes—I, GOD, chose Zion, the place I wanted for my shrine; This will always be my home; this is what I want, and I’m here for good. I’ll shower blessings on the pilgrims who come here, and give supper to those who arrive hungry; I’ll dress my priests in salvation clothes; the holy people will sing their hearts out! Oh, I’ll make the place radiant for David! I’ll fill it with light for my anointed! (Psalm 132.11 – 17, MSG)
We’ve been using Eugene Peterson’s A Long Obedience in the Same Direction as our guide for these Psalms of Ascent. In nearly every case, Peterson has expanded on my observations and deepened my understanding. In this case, however, we didn’t see quite the same thing.
He sees the psalm’s opening as David’s bringing the Ark back to Israel as recorded in 1 Chronicles 13 – 15 and writes:
It is a psalm of David’s obedience, of “how he promised GOD, made a vow to the Strong God of Jacob.” The psalm shows obedience as a lively, adventurous response of faith that is rooted in historical fact and reaches into a promised hope.
Either way, obedience is not a bad theme. In my interpretation, David was obedient in NOT building the temple, while providing materials for Solomon’s eventual success. In Peterson’s version, David obediently brought the Ark back to Jerusalem.
In either case, we have to recall something from Israel’s history. The psalm doesn’t review that history, it merely alludes to it expecting the reader to know. The challenge then is that to be obedient we must REMEMBER. My friend Mike Metzger just published a piece last week that’s worth the read: If you stop remembering, you forget!
Peterson writes:
This history is important, for without it we are at the mercy of whims. Memory is a databank we use to evaluate our position and make decisions. With a biblical memory we have two thousand years of experience from which to make the off-the-cuff responses that are required each day in the life of faith.
Another good reason to stay in the Word!
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (James 1.22, ESV)
The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29.29, ESV)