Let's ask the Lord's blessing as we open up his word.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of your word.
! Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of your word.
We thank you that you have preserved this psalm, Psalm 132, through the ages.
Lord, it is about the building and dedication and the purpose of your temple.
And although your temple does not stand in Jerusalem any longer,
it is still so very pertinent for us this morning.
Help us to understand the reality of your temple,
that you have always desired to dwell amongst your people.
And Lord, we thank you that your son, Jesus Christ, has done just that.
We ask your blessing on this morning.
We pray this in Christ's name. Amen.
Amen.
If you have a Bible, please turn with me to Psalm 132.
We have a stack of Bibles at the back welcome table.
Grab one at any time.
You'd do me a great favor if you could follow along.
This may be familiar to many of you, maybe all of you.
I will insert my own name and actually the name of Christine as well into this.
These were the vows we said, probably similar to the vows you said if you're married.
And it went something like this for us.
I, Daniel, take thee, Christine, to be my wedded wife,
to have and to hold from this day forward,
for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health to love and to cherish,
till death do us part according to God's holy ordinance,
and there too I give thee my troth.
I don't think we said that last part.
Christine said something similar.
She said, I, Christine, take Daniel,
take thee, Daniel, to be my wedded husband,
to have and to hold from this day forward,
for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish,
till death do us part according to God's holy ordinance,
and there too I give thee my troth.
Sweet words.
These are vows and promises that men make to women
during the wedding ceremony.
And it's, the language is taken from the Book of Common Prayer,
and they will be familiar to you
because most vows in the English language
draw upon the words of the prayer book.
I bring that up just to say that
those vows are beautiful,
but for those of you who are married,
do you remember making those vows
and thinking, what if I can't follow through?
For me, it was, I think, the second day,
not the day after we were married,
but the day after that,
I just thought, I mean, I felt the weight of it,
of what I, the promises I made to Christine,
and I was really scared.
Not that I made the wrong decision, not a bit,
but my goodness, what on earth was I promising?
What on earth was I promising?
I was making vows to her,
to a church full of our friends and family,
and to God himself.
vows that, I mean, I hope,
I would hope to keep in all circumstances,
but there are so many factors
outside of our control
that to make a promise
is a bit of a scary thing.
There's so many things we cannot account for,
so many contingencies that may come up
that we can't necessarily figure out
or get around.
And this might seem like a really down thing to say,
or maybe even an irrational thing,
but for those who are married,
in some ways, it's actually very rational,
because it's rooted in reality.
The factors that are completely outside of our control,
promises turn out to be extremely hard to keep,
even for the most noble and capable of us.
One of the things in the marriage ceremony,
just in case I'm coming across
as if I am already planning on breaking my vows,
not at all,
that's why we ask the Lord for his help.
We ask the Lord's blessing in a marriage ceremony.
Nevertheless, promises in general.
You know,
I don't know if it's just because I'm getting older,
but when people promise me things,
I'm just immediately suspicious
that they can't keep the promises.
And it's not because I have a whole
kind of history of broken promises,
but because life is tough,
and promises are easy to make,
but are extremely hard to keep.
Trusting in the promises of God
found in Holy Scripture
also are,
it's not necessarily an easy thing to do.
I mean, at first it seems like a wonderful thing,
a sure thing.
The promise of salvation,
peace in the storm,
joy that transcends circumstance,
eternal life, and so on.
But then an unforeseen illness happens.
Somebody betrays our trust.
We fail to meet expectations.
Maybe we've just come in second place
a few too many times.
All right?
All these different circumstances
that come our way
that are not ideal,
and suddenly the promises of God
begin to show cracks.
We might think God is unjust.
We might think he is aloof.
Or that maybe
we have run out of grace.
The promises of God
are then treated like
the promises of Daniel,
the promises of you,
or you,
the promises of people
that don't keep promises.
We view the promises of God
as riddled with cracks
and rendered seemingly untrustworthy.
So having faith in the promises of God
has,
it requires belief.
It requires faith.
And the difficulty with that
is that keeping faith
can be very difficult.
So as that is a bit of an introduction,
we continue on in our series
on the Psalms of Ascent.
And we get to Psalm 132.
Now the Psalms of Ascent
go to 134,
but really Psalm 132
is kind of the pinnacle
of the Psalms of Ascent.
They express,
all of them,
and especially this one,
expresses a deep longing
for the promise-making,
promise-keeping God
to remain faithful
to his promises,
and especially the promise
of his presence,
that he will be with us
and that we will be with him.
The question is whether
God has kept his promises
in the past.
Has he proven true in the past?
And the answer to that question
will help us to decide
if we can trust God
to keep his promises today
and for the future.
So a lot rides on it,
on if God is a promise-keeping God.
So our Psalm 132 envisions
God blessing the temple
with his presence.
So we will examine
the three main players
and their actions.
Verses 1 to 7,
we're going to look at
David's efforts.
Verses 8 to 10,
we're going to look at
Solomon's prayer.
And then finally,
11 to 18,
we'll look at
the Lord's promise.
So David's efforts,
Solomon's prayer,
the Lord's promise.
Turn with me
to verse 1.
We'll read verses 1 to 5.
A song of ascents.
Remember, O Lord,
in David's favor
all the hardships he endured,
how he swore to the Lord
and vowed to the mighty one
of Jacob.
I will not enter my house
or get into my bed.
I will not give sleep
to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids
until I find a place
for the Lord,
a dwelling place
for the mighty one
of Jacob.
David's devotion
to the Lord
was the defining trait
that really distinguished
him from his days
as a lowly shepherd
tending his father
Jesse's flock.
He was a man
after God's own heart.
His desire was
to fulfill the Lord's will
and to bring him honor
and glory.
And this is what
is described
in these opening
five verses.
David,
for all of
his mistakes,
all of his sins,
all of his warring,
he,
with patience
and sacrifice,
made preparations
to build a temple
for the Lord.
We can read about this
in 1 Chronicles
chapter 22,
the amount of preparation
he made.
David desired
to honor the Lord,
both he
and the nation
of Israel
that he led.
The temple
was to be
the house
of the Lord
and specifically
it was to be
the place
where the Ark
of the Covenant
would be kept.
If you're new
to the faith
or if you need
a bit of a refresher,
the Ark
of the Covenant
was a chest-like
object that the Israelites
carried through the desert
after the Lord
delivered them
from Egyptian slavery.
It held within it
the two tablets
with the Ten Commandments
on it
that Moses brought down
from the Mount of Sinai.
It also had
Aaron's staff
which had budded,
Aaron being
the brother
of Moses
and the priest
of the Lord.
But more importantly
and for us specifically
this morning
it symbolized,
the Ark symbolized
the very presence
of the Lord
amongst his people.
What happened
was that
the Ark
was neglected
and forgotten.
During King Saul's rule,
so King Saul
was the first king
of Israel
after the people
rejected God
as their king.
They wanted a king
like the other nations
so the prophet Samuel
with God's instruction
anointed King Saul
but King Saul
he failed
in his duty
as the king
and the Ark
was neglected.
For some 20 years
it was forgotten about.
We read about this
actually in verse 6.
It says this,
Behold,
we heard of it
in Ephrathah,
that is Bethlehem.
We found it
in the fields
of Jear.
But those places
as good as they may be,
Bethlehem being
the city of David,
they weren't Zion,
they weren't Jerusalem,
they weren't the city,
the holy city of God.
God chose Zion
as his home,
as the place
where he would rest.
Not Bethlehem
or the fields of Jear.
The Lord was to have prominence,
not to be forgotten
in obscurity.
That is why David
was so zealous
to bring the Ark
of the Covenant
to Jerusalem
and he noticed
that the Ark
was in a tent
while he lived
in a home
and for David
this wasn't okay.
So he desired
to build a temple
for the Lord
so that the Lord
would be honored
above all people,
that the people
would worship him properly
and David wants
to do right by the Lord
and he did indeed
do right
for he leads the people
into God's presence.
He's a good
and faithful king
and that's reflected
actually in verse 7.
If you read with me
verse 7,
let us go to the,
this is the people
speaking here,
let us go
to his dwelling place.
Let us worship
at his footstool.
You see how
this divine
selfless leadership
aiming to honor
and glorify the Lord
on his terms,
what it does
is it mediates
God's presence
to his people.
What David
isn't doing
is treating God
as a talisman.
He's not treating
God like
the Pharisees
and the Sadducees
and the money lenders
that we read about
in Luke 19
in the gospel reading.
God is not
a means
to our own glory
but rather
David is glorifying
the Lord
at the cost
of himself.
I mean,
we see this
in verse 1
David enduring
hardships
and sacrifices
so that
he could make
provisions
for the temple
to be built
and what's the result?
The people
worship the Lord
with righteousness
and joy
and gladness
that his obedience
is a blessing
to more than just him
but it extends
out to the nation.
This is what
godly leadership
looks like.
David has acted
in faith
that God's promise
to dwell amongst
his people
still holds true
and what he does
is he acts
upon the promise.
God's people respond
and God blesses them
with his presence.
It's actually
a very beautiful
opening few verses.
However,
it is not David
who builds the temple.
If you know
any of the story,
David,
I mean,
he is doing something
that is,
that God
is quite pleased with
but because David
has warred
so much,
he has too much
blood on his hands
it says in
1 Chronicles 22
that God
would not allow him
to build the temple.
Even though David
swore that he
would build the temple,
he swore to God
and again,
we start to see
a human promise
not be fulfilled.
It would be his son
that would build
the temple.
So does this mean
that the promise
of God's presence
would be negated?
I mean,
David was the one
who was supposed
to make it happen
and it didn't happen.
So,
is God's will
contingent on
man's promises?
Put differently
for us to consider,
are God's promises
of love and faithfulness
dependent on
our promises
of the same to him?
David's efforts
come up short.
Let's look at
Solomon's prayer,
verses 8 to 10.
Arise, O Lord,
and go to your
resting place,
you and the ark
of your might.
Let your priests
be clothed
with righteousness
and let your saints
shout for joy.
For the sake
of your servant David,
do not turn away
the face of your
anointed one.
Although David
did not have
the privilege
of building
the temple,
his son Solomon
was the one
to carry out
the work
until the temple
was completed.
Verses 8 to 10
is a near verbatim
quote
from King Solomon
at the temple
dedication
once it's completed
in 2 Chronicles
chapter 6.
Solomon dedicates
the completed temple
to the Lord
and the ark
of the covenant
was brought
into the temple
itself.
It's the completion
of David's vision,
the Lord's will
for the ark,
for the people
of Israel.
The temple
properly built
for the rightful
worship of God
was a blessing
for the people
and therefore
the next chapter
in 2 Chronicles
chapter 7,
God comes down
with a show
of his presence
that would be
unmistakable.
He is pleased.
God is dwelling
amongst his people
once again.
It would make sense
then that this
is the pinnacle
of the Psalms of Ascent.
Again,
the Psalms of Ascent
were and are
these collection
of psalms
that the Israelites
as they went
on their pilgrim
pilgrimages
to Jerusalem
three times a year
they would sing
as they ascended
the roads
up to Jerusalem.
The high point
would be
worshipping in the temple
and this is
what it envisions
that God
dwelling amongst
his people
and they
worshipping him
in righteousness
and with joy.
It seems that
David's efforts
to keep the covenant
even though he
did not
keep his promise
would be enough
for the Lord
to show favor
to the Davidic line
especially his
anointed son Solomon.
I mean we see
this in verse 10
for the sake
of your servant
David
this is Solomon
really praying
to the Lord
for himself
and his offspring
for the sake
of your servant
David
do not turn away
the face
of your anointed
one.
So David
far from being
perfect
having a heart
that was soft
towards the Lord
the Lord
is honoring
Solomon
as a result.
David did not
get to enjoy
the fruit
of his labor
with the building
of the temple
the sacrifice
and the effort
and the hardships
that he made
for the Lord
it turns out
that they were
not in vain
after all.
David had gathered
money and resources
and spent a great
deal of time
preparing for
a temple
that he would
not build
and this is
like a bit
of an aside
point
it doesn't
really
connect
much
with the
text
but I'll
just say
this
this is
something
we can
take heart
in
that the
sacrifices
and the
efforts
that we
make
for the
Lord
are always
worth it
even though
we don't
see the
fruit
immediately.
There have
been people
in the
history
of the
church
that began
making
cathedrals
and churches
that would
take
decades
maybe even
centuries
to build.
They would
start it
knowing
that they
would never
complete it.
we're not
building that
I mean
it would
be great
if we
did
but
nevertheless
we
are called
to obey
the Lord
in all
sorts of
different
arenas and
areas in
our lives
and often
times
we do not
see the
fruit
of our
obedience.
We don't
see the
fruit of
our prayers.
We don't
feel that
we are being
honored by
God or
get the
benefits of
keeping
pure
or
spending
our
time
and our
money
on things
that benefit
the Lord
and bring
glory to
his name
not increase
our comfort.
We don't
get to taste
the fruits
but we can
be sure
that God
sees it
and he
honors it
and it
brings him
gladness.
So it's a bit
of an aside
but I'll say
do not grow
weary of
obeying the
Lord even
if you
don't see
the fruit
of it
because he
does.
He sees
what you
are doing
and it
pleases him.
Let's get
back to
the text.
David lays
the groundwork
and Solomon
builds the
temple.
The prayer
that Solomon
is praying
here is
offered and
immediately
afterwards like
I mentioned
in chapter
7 of
2nd Chronicles
chapter 7
the presence
of God
fills the
temple.
the Lord's
promises
remain firm.
The Lord
is among
his people.
He has
not turned
his face
away from
his anointed.
But such
a reality
was short
lived.
By the
end of
Solomon's
reign this
righteous
wise
king of
Israel
he was
overtaken
by infidelity
and passion.
He erected
shrines to
false gods
and he
polluted
the very
city
the very
city that
the Lord
loved.
And by
the time
Solomon died
and his
son Rehoboam
became king
the kingdom
was divided.
The northern
ten tribes
eventually falling
to the Assyrians
in the 8th
century BC
and the southern
two tribes
falling in the
6th century.
Israel was
shattered.
The tribes
scattered.
It seems like
the promise of
God
were nullified.
It appears
that the
Lord turned
his face
away from
David's
line.
David's
anointed
line.
And especially
if we consider
verse 12
and I know
we're skipping
and we'll
touch on it
in the next
point.
But this is
what verse 12
says.
If your sons
keep my
commandment
this is the
Lord speaking
if your sons
keep my
covenant
and my
testimonies
that I
shall teach
them their
sons also
forever
shall sit
on your
throne.
The
Davidic
line
failed to
uphold the
covenant
so the
Lord
withdrew
his
favor
from
not
just
the
Davidic
line
but the
entire
nation.
And what
did it
lead to?
It did
not lead
to a
greater
life but
rather
calamity
and exile.
And like
David's
promise
Solomon's
prayer and
posture had
weak
foundations
and it
ultimately
failed.
I mean
what he
prayed was
excellent
but his
posture
was weak
surely
God's
promise
of
eternal
dwelling
with his
people
it must
be rendered
void
at least
according to
verse 12
we've had
David's
efforts
excellent
in many
ways
but failing
Solomon's
prayer of
dedication
and posture
excellent
in many
ways
but failing
how about
the Lord's
promise
we've read
verse 12
the conditional
promise of
God's
favor upon
David's
line
if covenant
faithful
covenant
faithlessness
continues
but what
about
verse 11
I'll read
verse 11
and 12
the 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
and then
verse 12
here's the
conditional
the condition
that God
puts on the
Davidic line
if your
sons keep
my covenant
and my
testimonies
that I
shall teach
them
their sons
also
forever
shall sit
on your
throne
God is
unchanging
in theological
terms we
call this
the mutability
of God
God is
unchanging
very important
doctrine of
God
to remember
what does it
mean it
means that
he is
what he
is which
is what
he has
always been
and what
he will
always be
he has
always existed
he has
never changed
he is perfect
in every
aspect
and it
means that
the promises
he makes
are not
contingent
on factors
outside of
his control
why
because
nothing
is outside
of his
control
if he
promises
something
it will
come to
pass
he is
also
all
knowing
we
call this
God's
omniscience
nothing
surprises
him or
escapes
his
notice
nothing
we can
do
feel
or
think
will
elude
him
he
knows
all
what
you
are
thinking
right
now
he
knows
he
knows
it
crystal
clear
so we
see a bit
of a
tension
here
okay
because
on one
hand
we have
this
unchanging
God
who knows
everything
which means
that his
promises
are always
true
and sure
and that
there are
no factors
that he
has
failed to
consider
and yet
at the
same
time
it
would
seem
that
God's
covenant
promises
are
contingent
upon
David's
faithfulness
both
of these
things
can't
really
be
true
there's
a
tension
here
verse
11
states
the
Lord
which
is
in the
original
language
is his
covenant
name
there's
such
an
emphasis
on
God's
nature
of
covenant
making
covenant
keeping
God
the
Lord
swore
to
David
a
true
truth
it's
as if
he is
super
charging
his
oath
not that
he needs
to
but this
is what
he is
doing
he is
swearing
a
true
truth
and yet
David's
line has
utterly
and
spectacularly
failed
presents
us with a
very troubling
challenge to
our
faith
in God
it suggests
that God
has either
lied to
us
and is
untrustworthy
or he is
not powerful
enough
to keep
his
promises
as if
he could
not
anticipate
the
consequences
arising
from
fallible
humans
who are
just
unable
to
obey
his
commands
due
to
our
propensity
to
sin
it's
a bit
of a
conundrum
and if
that is
the case
isn't it
just wiser
to simply
live
eat
and drink
for tomorrow
we die
if God
can't come
through on
his promises
then let us
just live
it up
or maybe
we should
just seek
out a
greater
God
who can
offer a
better
promise
or actually
uphold the
promises
that he
makes
see
there's a
tension here
in verse 11
and 12
and we have
to resolve it
or else
our faith
really is starting
to crumble
or at least
the object of
our faith
is starting
to crumble
the stakes
are high
much depends
on whether
God will
keep his
promises
is God
God
or is he
like us
any person
can make a
promise
or a covenant
even God
but can he
keep it
I think we'll
find the answer
in verses 13
and following
let's read
starting verse 13
all the way
down to 18
for the Lord
has chosen
Zion
he has
desired it
for his
dwelling place
this is my
resting place
forever
here I will
dwell for I
have desired it
I will abundantly
bless her
provisions
I will satisfy
her poor
with bread
her priests
I will clothe
with salvation
and her saints
will shout for joy
there I will
make a horn
to sprout
for David
I have prepared
a lamp
for my
anointed
his enemies
I will clothe
with shame
but on him
his crown
will shine
if there's
any question
about whether
God will keep
his promises
even though
David and his
offspring are
constantly breaking
the promises
so much so
that they are
they are exiled
and even in our
gospel text that we
read
Jesus makes it
very clear that
Jerusalem will be
raised to the
ground
why?
because the
people of God
did not recognize
their hour
of visitation
okay?
so God's
people constantly
failing
and yet
verse 13
and following
it's a resounding
declaration
that God says
my promises
are bigger
than your failure
they're bigger
they're so
so much bigger
as
your capacity
to mess things
up is huge
okay?
my capacity
to fulfill
my promises
is infinite
this is what
it's saying
in verses
13
and 18
do you notice
how as we
move into
this final
section
God's words
are expanded
far beyond
David's immediate
line
and the blessing
is far greater
than David
could imagine
and this whole
section is riddled
with God saying
I will
not hey
let's do this
together
he's saying
I will
he's not saying
I'm going to do
90% of it
you're going to do
some heavy lifting
but I'm going to do
the majority of it
it's just
I will
and it's blessing
upon blessing
he's the one
who will bring
righteousness
to the nation
he's the one
who will
feed the poor
which is to say
that even the least
among us
will have everything
they need
for life and holiness
bread is so much
more than just
bread in the Bible
those that trust
in false gods
will be clothed
with shame
but on him
his crown
will shine
how will God
fulfill this promise
well he has
in part
and in a
huge kind of way
Jesus fulfills
everything this
psalm promises
he is ultimately
the Davidic king
he is the
the
the true
and
and greatest
child of David
who guides his people
in righteousness
and proper worship
like the ark
Jesus
he embodies
the very presence
of God
dwelling among us
if you remember
in John chapter 1
verse 14
it says that
that the word
tabernacled
or dwelt
or visited
I think
Eugene Pearson
in the message
calls it
moved into the neighborhood
it's that God
literally
the word
made flesh
dwelt amongst us
if the ark
embodies God's
presence
then Jesus
has come
in flesh
something far
greater than
the ark
he is the
great high priest
robed in
righteousness
leading us
in praising
the father
with shouts
of joy
he is the
perfect sacrifice
the blemish free
lamb
sacrifice
for all of us
once and for all
an offering
given
to us
because of
love and grace
and then
here's the
beautiful thing
here
because
again
David's
line
is all
but
destroyed
okay
it's
all
but
destroyed
it's
like
David's
line
is this
beautiful
gorgeous
tree
that has
been toppled
over by a
windstorm
or cut
down
because it's
disease
and you
see
this
giant
ugly
stump
that used
to be
this
beautiful
grand
tree
and it
says
here
in verse
17
there I
will make
a horn
to sprout
for David
it's
as if
God
is making
a new
tree
sprout
up
from
this
stump
and it
is a
horn
which is
this
picture
in the
Bible
of
victory
and
strength
and this
is who
Jesus
is
and he
fulfills
it
and he
does
this
by perfectly
obeying
and glorifying
God
not by
charging
in
with a
sword
drawn
by being
hung
upon
the
cross
defeating
death
by
death
upon
him
was
laid
all
of
our
iniquities
and he
rises
again
to
new
life
so that
all
who put
our
faith
and
trust
in
him
we
get
to
be
with
him
forever
I
mean
that
is
this
is
the
thing
it's
not
about
just
going
to
heaven
or
avoiding
hell
it's
about
being
in
God's
presence
forever
it's
all
throughout
scriptures
it's
in
psalm
132
and it
is
the
hope
of
all
those
who
call
upon
the
name
of
the
Lord
after
centuries
of
exile
longing
wandering
and fear
that God
would not
keep
his
covenant
the
Lord
fulfilled
his
promise
centuries
later
but he
still
fulfilled
it
and in
a
greater
way
than
David
or
Solomon
or
Israel
or
even
us
could
have
ever
hoped
how
can
we
be
sure
that
God's
promises
will
come
to
pass
even
though
we
do
not
see
them
is
because
what
he
promised
to
Solomon
it
came
true
in
Jesus
which
means
the
promise
that
he
will
come
again
to
wipe
away
every
tear
to
do
away
with
all
disease
to
do
away
with
all
evil
that
will
come
to
pass
as
well
he
has
never
not
kept
!
a
promise
!
friends
trust
in
the
Lord
rely
on
God's
power
to
uphold
his
promise
more
than
your
ability
to
keep
yours
don't
promise
the
Lord
that
you
will
do
good
so
that
he
will
bring
you
into
his
presence
cast
all
of
your
faith
upon
his
promise
that
says
that
he
has
made
a
way
through
Christ
to
bring
you
into
his
he
has
established
his
dwelling
place
amongst
us
praise
be
to
God
amen