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God who swore an oath to the people
(Psalm 132)
Andy Nagahara
Today’s psalm is not like the previous 131, in which the psalmist appeals directly to God for his feelings, but rather it reminds listeners of King David’s relationship with God and makes them consider their own relationship with God. This psalm is about four times longer than the last one because it uses many references to past events to explain the story.
Let’s divide the whole text into four parts and read them in order. First, we’ll read up to verse 7.
A. David swore an oath to the Lord (1-10)
1. An oath to be the one who pleases the Lord (1-7)
0 A song of ascents.
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:
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–
Instead of directly addressing his own suffering, as in other psalms, the psalmist appeals to God to remember David’s suffering. David is the most famous king in the history of Israel. He was a man of many failures, but he was the greatest king in that he had a desire to follow God’s will. However, his life was filled with many hardships, both before and after he became king. So he entrusts his thoughts to David and turns to God, praying, “Give your blessings and peace to those who wish to follow you.”
The psalmist then presents us with the vow that David made to God. It was a vow that he would not seek comfort until he completed the plan to place the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem, which was a symbol of Israel being God’s people and of God’s grace to his people.
The word “swear” appears many times in the Bible. At one point, Jesus made a decisive criticism of the “taking oaths” that the religious leaders of his day taught. At that time Jesus even said, “Do not swear at all.” Of course, Jesus is not saying that we shouldn’t take oaths in court, make oaths with our hands on the Bible at presidential inaugurations, or make vows at weddings. So what kind of swearing did Jesus forbid? Hebrews 6:13-17 gives us a good explanation:
When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.
The origin of an oath is a promise that God makes to man that can never be broken. As the author of this letter says, when a person makes an oath by God or by a temple that represents God, it is an irrefutable promise that they will keep by God’s authority.
But Jesus knew. In that sense, even if a person makes an oath under God’s authority, they cannot keep it as God does.
However, David’s vow in this psalm is not a definitive statement by God, but rather a declaration of his determination to God.
God is pleased when we express to Him our determination that this is what we want to do for Him. And He is not the kind of person who will punish us if we fail to keep our promises.
2. Wishing for justice(8-10)
Let’s read verses 8-10.
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.”
10 For the sake of David your servant, do not reject your anointed one.
What can we learn from David’s wholehearted efforts to bring the Ark of the Covenant to the temple in Jerusalem? We are not expected to work like Indiana Jones, finding the lost ark of God, rebuilding the temple, and putting it there. We are commanded to seek the kingdom of God, but this does not mean preserving some holy relic that represents God.
For us it means that God’s righteousness will prevail in the world. God rises up and continues to move forward because His justice has not been realized in this world. Even today, the fact that the weak, the small, and the poor are being oppressed means that God has not yet reached a place of rest and is in a state of uncertainty. We are walking just as David did, carrying the Ark of Promise, toward the time when all those desiring justice will sing for joy.
B. The LORD swore an oath to David (11-18)
1. God who promises blessings (11-16)
Now let’s read verses 11-16.
11 The LORD swore an oath to David, a sure oath that he will not revoke: “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.
As mentioned earlier in the Letter to the Hebrews, God promises blessings to his creatures, human beings. Here we see that just as he had sworn to Abraham, he also swore to David.
God’s covenant with Abraham is a promise of blessing that is inherited not by blood, but by the descendants of faith who live by believing God, as shown by God’s command to change his name from Abram (the great father) to Abraham (the father of the people of many nations). No longer does God dwell in a temple in a specific place somewhere on earth.
Religion is often associated with nationalism, but from the beginning, God, as revealed in the Bible, refused to live in a temple made with human hands.
In his first letter to the Corinthians (3:16), Paul says,
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”
I believe he is correctly conveying God’s will here. God is not trying to put us on an actual throne. This means that no matter who we are or what our status is, in our relationship with God we are forever guaranteed a direct connection with Him, without being controlled by others.
You yourself are the true temple in which God wants to live. He even says that it is a place of eternal rest for God Himself. That is why Jesus says we do not need to worry about food, clothing, and shelter. I sometimes say “a life with Jesus,” but it is also “a life with Jesus living in it.” What greater blessing could there be? Is there any other salvation as great as this? What else can we do but sing for joy?
2. Putting hope in the Lord (3)
Finally, let’s read verses 17 and 18.
“Here I will make a horn grow for David and set up a lamp for my anointed one.
I will clothe his enemies with shame, but the crown on his head will be resplendent.”
“Growing a horn” and “setting up a lamp” are metaphors for the Messiah, the Savior, whom God will send to realize His will. The prophet Ezekiel also prophesied as follows:
EZEK 29:21 “On that day I will make a horn grow for the house of Israel, and I will open your mouth among them. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”
Therefore, the Israelites of Jesus’ time also believed and expected the appearance of a Messiah and an outstanding national leader who would be born into the house of David through the psalms and prophecies. As Jesus himself spoke in the parable, God chose to appear in history as a person to those who would not listen no matter how many times he sent prophets to them, and he appeared to this world as Jesus. In this way, God fulfilled his promise, responding to David’s prayer, the psalmist’s prayer, and the prayers of the people of that time.
Even if someone promises you, “I will make you happy,” you probably won’t easily believe them. None of us are so infallible that we can guarantee someone else’s happiness, no matter what we swear by. But only Jesus, who is God, can guarantee your happiness. That is why He knocks on the door of our hearts, asking us to let Him in. We can say, “Yes, please come in and live in me as your temple forever.”
And once you have opened your heart to Jesus and welcomed Him into your life, He will never leave unless you cast Him out.
(Prayer) Dear God, thank you for the oath of grace you have promised to us who walk according to you.
We believe and confess that you are our eternal Lord, King and God.
We hoped that You would dwell in us as David poured out his heart for the resting place of the Ark of the Promise.
Thank you that you have answered that desire and are now living among us.
Guide us to follow the voice that you are speaking to us within our hearts.
We put our hope in you and pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Summary
People make oaths to God or promise someone something in God’s name, but an “oath” is originally something that God made to us humans. Jesus taught that we are not qualified to swear on God or His authority. God has fulfilled His promise through Jesus. If we want to receive God’s blessings, we simply need to welcome Jesus into our hearts as our Lord and God.
For Discussion
- Why did Jesus say, “Do not swear at all”?
- Why can we say that this verse prophesies the coming of Jesus?