Caleb Walker

"to equip the saints" -Ephesians 4:12a

Psalm 132: 1-14, 17-18, “God’s promise,” from Lifeway Explore the Bible

Resources: Lesson Manuscript, PowerPoint, and Devotional

PowerPoint Link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/e203z6ttr5yb4wtfdx58c/God-s-Promise.pptx?rlkey=wr011you3dl6qds759tru3264&st=ku9d8szd&dl=0

Franklin Heights Church Connect Groups: https://franklinheights.org/connect/groups/

Review: Last week we looked at how human beings have this misplaced tendency to elevate and venerate people, celebrities, spiritual “giants,” yet there is One Who faithfully reigns-undaunted and unphased by earthly instabilities—there is One Who is majestic deserving of all the glories and praises that we can ascribe to Him, and One who will judge in righteousness someday. The One Who hung on that bloody cross for us—taking our judgement for sin on Himself—will someday come as The Judge.

Title: God’s Promise

Text: Psalm 132:1-14, 17-18

Key Verse: Psalm 132:11-12, “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. 12 If your sons keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them, their sons also forever shall sit on your throne.’”

Theme: God faithfully fulfilled His promise to send a Messiah, the Lord’s anointed Deliverer.

  1. God’s Dwelling Place (vv. 1-10)

Psalm 132:1-14, 17-18

Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor, [Asking God to remember is asking God to act. He requests that the faithfulness of David’s devotion to God be blessed by God, not forgotten.]
    all the hardships he endured,
2 how he swore to the Lord [A vow such as this was often made in public with a priest as a solemn ceremony to be witnessed.]
    and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3 “I will not enter my house
    or get into my bed,
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes
    or slumber to my eyelids, [David’s earnestness, the greatness of his desire to provide a place for the ark of the covenant to reside]
5 until I find a place for the Lord,
    a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” [a more permanent and appropriate place]

6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah; [Micah 5:2, “a] But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
    one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
    from ancient days.” Ephrathah was near Bethlehem. Here was a watchtower there where the shepherds would watch their sheep. It is not coincidence that the Psalmist highlights this place where the angels would lift up their hallowed worship on the night of the birth of the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.]
    we found it in the fields of Jaar. [This is Kiriath-jearim in I Samuel 6:21-7:2 where the Philistines brought it back to and where it remained after they had captured it and heaped many plagues and diseases on their people. They thought they had captured the ark of the covenant of God, wherein reality God had captured them.]
7 “Let us go to his dwelling place;
    let us worship at his footstool!”

8 Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place, [When God’s presence rests in our midst, we are then truly at rest, as well.]
    you and the ark of your might.
9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
    and let your saints shout for joy.
10 For the sake of your servant David,
    do not turn away the face of your anointed one.” [In the immediate context this pointed to king David, but in the redemptive plan of God’s context it points to King Jesus, the coming Messiah.]

Application: Disciples of Jesus Christ need to long for greater longings that Jesus would be worshiped and adored and revered in our heart of hearts.

Gospel: Does Jesus have a resting place of worship in your heart, viewer? He can. He created this world as a hallowed sanctuary of the sweetest fellowship and unity and friendship between God and man, yet sin entered and death with it, a cancerous dying infused with the first ever rebellion against God and His good plan. Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men[a] because all sinned—” That’s why God sent His perfect Son to live a holy life unlivable by humans, die a death we deserved in payment for sin, and rise in glorious power over sin, death, and the grave, that we might repent and believe the gospel. Romans 5: 15 says, “15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.” How do you access this free gift? Romans 10:9, “9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Once saved we can then recover and pursue this original resting in God, having friendship with God, and live SENT back into the brokenness to reach others with this good news. Here’s a sample prayer to receive Jesus:

“Dear God, I admit to you that I have sinned. I have done things that displease you. Thank You for sending Jesus to die on the cross. I believe on Him and put all my trust in Him to save me. He paid for my sin. And He rose the third day. Please save me from my sin. I want to begin my personal relationship with You now. Thank You that You will always be with me.”

11 The Lord swore to David a sure oath
    from which he will not turn back: [God will not relent in His promises here or in any of His promises in His word. Our God keeps His word. Amen.]
“One of the sons of your body[a]
    I will set on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
    and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their sons also forever
    shall sit on your throne.”

13 For the Lord has chosen Zion; [an original stronghold in Jerusalem, another name for the city as a whole over time.]
    he has desired it for his dwelling place:
14 “This is my resting place forever;
    here I will dwell, for I have desired it.”

  • God promised here that a descendant would faithfully rule and reign on His throne.
  • In addition Zion would be His dwelling place.

III. The Coming Messiah (vv. 17-18)

    17 There I will make a horn to sprout for David; [This terminology refers to the Messiah and other synonymous terms used to point to Jesus were “branch” or “sprout.”]
        I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
    18 His enemies I will clothe with shame,
        but on him his crown will shine.”

    Discussion Questions:

    Big Takeaway(s):

    • We need to take the personal worship of our inner lives and our heart of hearts seriously.
    • God is faithful in keeping His promises, and this is a huge encouragement to us as believers.
    • Jesus is the Messiah, our deliverer.

    Resources:

    Devotional:

    Title: “Psalm 132 and a Heart of Worship”

    The Psalmist had an intense desire for God to worshiped properly in his own heart fo hearts and in the lives of His followers.

    Worship is not a guaranteed automatic, but is something to passionately pursue in our lives.

    Do you desire for Jesus to receive the praise and honor and glory He is due just on Sundays or in every day and in every aspect of your life.

    Ask God to show you any area where He has not been given the place of preeminent worship and glorification that He is due. Surrender that completely to Him, and unlike lot’s wife, don’t look back and don’t long for it; stay focused on Him. Replace that with His reign.

    How to pray:

    • Lord, I will surrender to You any area of my life that is not wholly surrendered to You and help me to replace that with worship.
    • Help me to pursue You and worship You with my entire being and every moment of every day, not just on Sundays.

    Practical Tip: To make Jesus first, you need to prioritize cultivating your relationship with Him based on His promise of salvation. You’re now his temple of worship. So give Him the preeminence (first place) He deserves. This means setting aside a quiet time with Him in His word and in prayer every day. For further coaching on this please email me at cwalker@franklinheights.org or drcalebwalker@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to pray for you and send any encouragement your way. For Bible study tips and tools check out some of the videos under “Discipleship” and “Bible Reviews” playlists on my YouTube channel.

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