Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Psalms 6 (6)
Pray Psalm 132.13-18.
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 provision;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
I will also clothe her priests with salvation,
And her saints shall shout aloud for joy.
There I will make the horn of David grow;
I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed.
His enemies I will clothe with shame,
But upon Himself His crown shall flourish.”
Sing Psalm 132.13-18.
(Finlandia: Be Still, My Soul)
God dwells among us, and He will forever,
to meet our needs and clothe us with His grace.
He has to us sent Jesus Christ, our Savior—
Beloved, eternal light and resting place.
His foes are banished from His Presence ever,
but we shall reign with Him before His face.
Read Psalm 132.1-18; meditate on verses 13-18.
Preparation
1. What did David seek?
2. What did God promise His dwelling place?
Meditation
In Psalm 132 we hear the voice of Jesus in the words of David, who swore to the LORD to build Him a dwelling place amid His people (vv. 1-5). But whereas David was not permitted to build God’s house, Jesus has been building it since Acts 2. He promised to build His house so firm and strong that not even the counsels and schemes and assaults of hell could prevail against it (Matt. 16.18).
The Church is the equivalent of Zion and Jerusalem in the Old Testament, as we see in Hebrews 12.22-24: “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.” The Church is both the Body of Christ and the temple of the Lord (Eph. 2.19-22). Jesus is building His Body by distributing gifts of service to every member (1 Cor. 12.7-11) and installing pastors and teachers for the equipping of all the saints unto the building-up of the Body of Christ (Eph. 4.11-16).
Jesus dwells in His Church, in each member of His Body. His goal is to clothe us with Himself and fill us all with joy (Ps. 132.9, 16). God has enthroned His Son in Zion, His Church (vv. 13, 14; cf. Ps. 2) so that He might bestow on us the fullness of His salvation (v. 16) and give us the Lamp of His Word to shine throughout the earth (v. 17). No enemy can stand against the Church when it flourishes as the dwelling place of the Lord (v. 18).
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
God sent the prophet Samuel to Jesse’s home to anoint a new king. After seven of the brothers had been paraded before Samuel, and none had been found pleasing to God, the question arose: “Are all the young men here?” As it turned out, the youngest, David, was out keeping the sheep; so Samuel requested, “Send and bring him.”
“So he sent and brought him in…And the LORD said, ‘Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!’” (see 1 Sam. 16.1-13).
“The LORD has sworn in truth to David; He will not turn from it:
‘I will set upon your throne the fruit of your body’” (Ps. 132.11).
“Now this is the genealogy of Perez: Perez begot Hezron; Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadab; Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon; Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed; Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David” (Ruth 4.18-22).
“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David…Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king…and Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus Who is called Christ” (see Matt. 1.1-16).
The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is His new creation, by water and the Word;
From heav’n He came and sought her to be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.
(Samuel J. Stone, 1868)
“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 provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread” (Ps. 132.13-15).
“I AM the Bread of Life” (Jn. 6.48).
“…upon Himself His crown shall flourish” (Ps. 132.18).
“Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom,
and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” (Rev. 5.12)
“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One Who is and Who was and Who is to come,
because You have taken Your great power and reigned” (Rev. 11.17).
And now, wonder of wonders, He dwells with us:
“For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
‘I will dwell in them and walk among them.
I will be their God, and they shall be My people’” (2 Cor. 6.16).
“Jesus dwells in His Church, in each member of His Body…so that He might bestow on us the fullness of His salvation and give us the Lamp of His Word to shine throughout the earth. No enemy can stand against the Church when it flourishes as the dwelling place of the Lord.”
Reflection
1. How is it evident to you that Jesus has come to dwell in you by His Spirit?
2. What more do you long for from being a temple of the Lord Jesus? What do you most want Him to do in your life?
3. Whom will you encourage today by reminding them that they are a dwelling place of the Lord Jesus?
How vast is the love of God to man, that he should speak thus concerning his church! It is his desire to dwell with us; yet how little do we desire to dwell with him! Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Psalm 132
Pray Psalm 132.1-12.
Pray that God will reveal to you the gifts He has given you for building His Church. Call on Him to make you more earnest and consistent in using those gifts.
Sing Psalm 132.1-12.
(Finlandia: Be Still, My Soul)
Remember, LORD, we pray, in David’s favor
the hardships he endured, the oath he swore,
the vow he made to Jacob’s mighty Savior:
“I shall not enter through my palace door;
I shall not sleep, nor slumber my eyes favor,
until I make a dwelling for the Lord!”
The word throughout the chosen nation spread,
in Ephrata, and in the fields of Jaar:
“Now let us go,” the faithful people said,
“and worship where our Savior’s dwellings are!
Around His footstool let our worship spread;
come, gather to Him, all from near and far!”
Arise, O LORD, come to Your resting place;
Your holy Presence meet with us in might.
Clothe us with righteousness in Jesus’ grace,
and we will shout to Your divine delight!
For David’s sake, turn not away Your face,
but look upon us in Your holy light.
Remember, LORD, the oath You swore to David;
do not turn back, do not deny Your Word:
“One of your sons, with your throne I will favor,
if he shall keep My cov’nant evermore,
and walk within My testimonies ever,
Thus he shall ever rule by Israel’s LORD.”
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Psalm 65 reminds us of what a joy it is to know the Lord. Our book, Enjoying God, can help you know more of that joy more of the time. It’s available as a free PDF by clicking here.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
