Psalm 132 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Psalm 132 Short Summary:

In Psalm 132, the author appeals to God to bless Israel for the sake of David, God’s faithful servant. He “reminds” God of His promises to David to keep one of his descendants on the throne forever and to bless the city of Jerusalem (Zion).

Psalm 132 Summary

AUTHOR:

• We don’t know the author of Psalm 132.

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:

• Acts 2:30; Acts 7:46

THEMES:

• A blessing on Israel for the sake of King David.

• God’s anointed one comes as the strength and light of Israel.

DEFINITIONS:

• Song of Ascents (132:1) – The exact meaning of this term is debated, but many believe it was a label applied to psalms the people of Israel sang as they were travelling to Jerusalem for the holy days. Jerusalem was on the top of a hill, so the people would have physically ascended as they walked up to the Temple.

• Horn (132:17) – A bull’s horns are a symbol of his strength. The Bible occasionally uses the term “horn” in a similar way but regarding men. A person’s horn is their strength.

• Zion (132:13) – In Psalm 132, Zion is used as another name for Jerusalem.

OUTLINE:

• DAVID’S AMBITION TO BUILD A HOUSE FOR THE LORD (132:1-9):

  • Psalm 132 opens with the writer asking God not to forget His servant David (King David of Israel and Judah).

  • Specifically, the author brings to mind David’s resolve to build a “house” for the Lord.

  • David wanted to make a permanent home for God’s presence and the Ark of the Covenant in his kingdom. He accomplished this in a couple ways. First, he brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and built a tent for it (1 Chron 15-16). Second, he planned with his son, Solomon, to build a magnificent Temple in Jerusalem to house the Ark and the holy items associated with the worship of God.

  • This pursuit was an honorable one, and the psalmist was reminding God of David’s good heart so the Lord would bless the nation for his sake.

• THE ANOINTED ONE (132:10-18):

  • In light of David’s pure heart, the psalmist asks God to bless David’s descendants and to honor the promises made to David that affected the whole nation.

  • One of those promises was that a descendant of David’s, an anointed one, would remain on the throne of Israel.

  • In the immediate context, this title of “anointed one” could be applied to any of the kings that came after David. The author of Psalm 132 was asking God to bless the current king for David’s sake.

  • But in the larger Biblical context, the “anointed one” is more significant than any human king of Israel or Judah, it refers to the Christ (which means “anointed one”).

  • The Christ would come to reign on David’s throne as one of his descendants, to be a king with a shining eternal crown (132:18), He would be a powerful figure (the horn of 132:17), He would be a light to the world (the lamp of 132:17), and through Him the power of God would defeat all enemies, both physical and spiritual (Psalm 132:18).

APPLICATION:

• Looking back at the prophecies about the Christ in the Psalms, we are able to see with hindsight how the details fit the identity and work of Jesus.

• But that wasn’t as clear to the Jews who met Jesus during His lifetime. They had read the Psalms, read all the same details, and then created a framework around how to interpret them and what the Christ would look like… But they were totally wrong.

• They didn’t even recognize Jesus when He showed up in Jerusalem.

• I think there is an application here for us about being humble when interpreting passages in the Scriptures that deal with the future.

• There are some statements and prophecies in the New Testament about what will happen in the future and how the end of time will play out, but much like the Psalms prophesying about the Christ, we are only given limited information.

• We don’t know everything about how God will wind down time, all the factors that will be involved, and how every fine detail of every prophetic statement will be fulfilled. Therefore, I think it is wise to have a level of humility when it comes to building a framework for future events.

• We should respect and stand for the things the Scriptures are clear about, but we should also be humble when interpreting those things that are less clear, because like the Jews we may be surprised by how God works out His plan.