2 How he sware unto the LORD, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob;
3 Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed;
4 I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids,
5 Until I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.
6 Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood.
7 We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool.
8 Arise, O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength.
9 Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.
10 For thy servant David's sake turn not away the face of thine anointed.
11 The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
12 If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.
13 For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.
14 This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.
17 There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed.
18 His enemies will I clothe with shame: but upon himself shall his crown flourish.
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David did not immediately find a place for the Lord’s house on earth. But when the place where the Ark of the Covenant would remain had been determined, the Lord accepted and blessed it. Here the twofold character of our relationship with the Creator was revealed once again: we open ourselves to His will, which we follow, and receive His gifts and protection. In turn, we offer Him our gifts, and He accepts them. The very possibility of such a two-way relationship shows how highly the Lord has exalted the human being.
But a gift also entails responsibility. The promise given to David and his descendants is connected with David’s spiritual aspirations and depends on whether David’s children remain equal to their calling. We should not reassure ourselves that these words are addressed only to David, whose family was chosen to play an utterly special and unique role in the history of salvation. God has a special plan for each of us...
Other notes
For Psa 132:1-3
1 LORD, remember David, and all his afflictions:
2 How he sware unto the LORD, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob;
3 Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed;
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Is it always good for brothers to dwell together? Cain was a brother too, and it was none other than his own brothers who sold Joseph into slavery...
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Is it always good for brothers to dwell together? Cain was a brother too, and it was none other than his own brothers who sold Joseph into slavery.
All this is true, and one could multiply such examples. Fortunately, however, this is not the whole truth: in every age one can find many examples of genuine brotherhood, and it does not depend on blood kinship. Such brotherhood is rightly compared to the gifts of those places where the Lord has commanded blessing and life forever; the possibility of full and genuine relationships between people is one of His gifts.
At the very creation of man, the Lord said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” The powers of darkness know this too, which is why they seek to destroy us by separating us and plunging each person alone into his inner darkness, into slavery to his own self. But “let us join hands, friends, so that we do not perish one by one!” On the path toward the light, it is very important to move beyond isolation and obsessive concern with our own problems alone, and to become able to see those who will become our brothers and sisters.