At the beginning of this study, I offered Psalm 84:5 as a guiding image for our journey together: Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. My premise is this, if we wish to travel more intentionally into God’s presence and power, we must set a highway toward spiritual maturity in our hearts. This can be symbolized by a journey to Jerusalem, the place of His dwelling and presence.
We seek ancient wisdom on walking with the living God from this purposeful grouping of Psalms 120-134; spiritual lessons about growing up in our holy faith. In a word, we desire to become more Christ-like.
We just finished reading Psalm 131, the shortest of the collection, which has one of the most challenging lessons: humility. When we pass that threshold of learning to humble ourselves, God reorganizes our thinking by drawing us into His inner chamber and revealing to us His priorities and, conversely, what are to be our preoccupations.
Now we come to Psalm 132, the longest of the Psalms of Ascent, strategically placed near the climactic end of our pilgrimage. I want to explore it from the perspective of David’s passion, the fire burning in his heart for his God. Before diving into some useful applications, let’s place this psalm in its wonderfully rich historical context so that we can more fully appreciate what is going on.
Structurally, this psalm consists of two movements: first, David’s pledge, followed by Yahweh’s promise. Said another way, first comes the psalmist’s petition, followed by the priest’s prophetic response.
Verses 1-5 focus on David’s passion for God’s presence among His people embodied in the Ark of the Covenant (Ark of YHWH-Josh 4:5). The Ark is a chest made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, with cherubim on each side. It was designed according to the LORD’s specifications and constructed under the anointing of the Holy Spirit by Bezalel. The Ark was the place (the point) of contact between the infinite God and His finite people.
The word dwelling—used twice in Psalm 132—is crucial for understanding the Hebrew Scriptures.
Dwelling is used as a verb to translate the Hebrew word shakhan. God’s manifest presence, shekhinah, comes from shakhan. By divine design, the Tabernacle (Mishkan), which holds the Ark, is the medium of exchange between the holy God and His earthly people. It represents the goal of our salvation: Let them make me a sanctuary so that I may dwell in their midst (Ex 25:8).
Shekhinah is the dwelling presence of the Holy God; it is the tangible effulgence of the ineffable that comes down and hovers over the Holy Ark between the cherubim. The tent of meeting (the tabernacle) holding the Ark was where the Shekinah most vividly manifested itself, where God’s presence was tangible, clear, and powerful.
This Ark, the holiest and most sacred of all objects, was captured by the Philistines in a battle with Israel. In 1 Samuel 4-5, the story is told of how, under the guidance of the priest Eli, the Israelites went out against the Philistines at Ebenezer and were routed. The elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the Ark of the covenant of the LORD here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.”
Again, the Israelites go out to battle, and again, they are defeated, but this time, the Ark is captured by the Philistines. A messenger returns to the priest with this report:
“Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great defeat among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the Ark of God has been captured.” As soon as he mentioned the Ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.
After the Philistines suffered a series of unexplainable negative events for about seven months, they devised a plan to see if the God of Israel was doing these things to them. They placed the Ark upon a cart pulled by two cows with nursing calves. Typically, such cows would not want to leave their calves, but under God’s influence, they went directly to Bethshemesh and returned the Ark to Israel.
Saul became king, and the Ark dwelled at Kiryat Je’arim for some twenty years—referred to in Psalm 132 as Ja’ar. David, under God’s anointing and appointment, succeeded Saul as king. One of his top priorities was to bring the Ark of the Covenant from Kiryat Je’arim to the holy city of Jerusalem. Why? Because he grasped what we have been talking about. He desired the Ark to rest in its proper place, the place of God’s choosing.
David wanted what God wanted, to dwell in the midst of His people.
As the Ark enters the city, David leads the celebration. Showing no concern for his position or prestige, he humbles himself in the sight of the people by dancing before the LORD with all his might. David’s heart for the divine will pleases God. I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will (Acts 13:22).
David’s passion is further expressed in 2 Samuel 7 as he reflects, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the Ark of God dwells in a tent. Psalm 132 expounds upon this: 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.
The prophet Nathan then relates God’s striking response to David: The LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house (2 Sam 7:11). The LORD God covenants Himself with David: Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me (2 Sam 7:16). 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” (Ps 132:11).
This divine promise would inspire Israel’s prophetic imagination for centuries giving rise to messianic expectations. Its glorious fullness is hinted at in the opening lines of Matthew’s inspired Gospel, The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David […].
