The Forever Throne

Psalm 132

Some of the psalms are harder than others to follow as guides for prayer for new covenant believers. For example, consider Psalm 132. 

This song of ascents calls the worshipper to worship the dwelling place of the Lord in Zion, but it also mingles in God’s promise to David to set one of his sons on the throne forever. Songs about the Temple and the Davidic throne take some more effort to enrich our prayer life, so let’s take a closer look. 

Understanding the Psalm

The psalm asks for God to remember the oath He swore to David, the promise that one of the sons of his body would sit on the throne of Zion (11). However, as one reads the 18 verses of this prayer, the complexity of the prayer unfolds. 

The song remembers David for all the hardships he endured (1) and his passion to find a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob (5). Because of this commitment, this vow and oath (2), the psalm asks for God to keep the promise He made to David (10). The ones who are praying (the “we” of this psalm) join the worshipping throng ascending to His dwelling place to worship at His footstool (7). They beseech the Lord to go to His resting place (8), for the priests to be clothed with righteousness (9), and for the saints to shout for joy (9). 

The psalm rejoices in God’s promise for Zion to be His resting place and dwelling place forever (13) and asks God to abundantly bless the priests with salvation and saints with joy (16). In Zion, a horn will sprout for David, a lamp for His anointed (17). 

The glitch in the prayer is found in the “if” clause of verse 12. The sons of David will sit on the throne forever providing the following condition is met: if David’s sons keep God’s covenant and testimonies (12). Unfortunately, the historical books of the Old Testament make it very clear that David’s sons did not keep God’s covenant. Of the 40 kings of Judah and Israel, only 10 of them were described as righteous kings who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. The vast majority did not keep the covenant nor obey His testimonies. For this reason, God brought an end to the Davidic throne in 586 BC when Jerusalem fell to Babylon and went into exile. The Davidic throne has yet to be re-established. No son or grandson or sons of sons are sitting on that throne today. 

We should notice how the throne and dwelling place of God are intermingled in this prayer. David vowed to build a dwelling place for God (5). The people traveled to worship at the dwelling place of God (7). God promised to dwell in Zion (14). But the dwelling place is also where God will make a horn to sprout for David, to prepare a lamp for His anointed (17).  

In this song, the dwelling place of God and the throne of David are deeply interconnected.

Did God Fail?

The only way to hear this prayer and not think that God failed to honor His promise to put one of the descendants on the Davidic throne and to rest in His dwelling place in Zion is to recognize that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment and answer to this prayer.

The descendent of David who will be given the throne of David is Jesus. After all, this is what the angel said to Mary, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David” (Luke 1.32 ESV). Further, Jesus was and is the perfect son of David who perfectly kept the commandments and testimonies of the Father. Jesus earned the right to sit on the throne forever. 

Moreover, this longing for the dwelling place of God is also fulfilled in Christ. The Holy Spirit dwells in each follower of Christ. We no longer need to travel long distances to go to a place to worship at His footstool. When we put our faith in Christ as Lord and Savior, the request for God to “arise and go to Your resting place” (8) is finally and fully fulfilled. We become the living temple of God. We become His resting place forever. 

Either the Lord has forsaken the promise to David, for no descendent of David sits on the throne of Israel and the “dwelling place” of the Lord in Zion has not existed for 2000 years, or the promise to David was and is and will be fulfilled in another way, in a divine way, in a way that no human descendent of David could ever fulfill. The “son of David’s body” is Jesus, and the Lord has given Him the throne. And the “sons forever” who reign with Him are the children of God by grace through faith. Perhaps this is where the apostolic authors get the truth that we will rule with Him forever (see 2 Timothy 2.12 and Revelation 20.6). And the dwelling place of God is much more incredible than a building in Zion, for the Spirit dwells in the individual believer and also in the gathered church.  

This psalm also reminds us that we are looking for something more, something greater that can only be fulfilled when these two hopes are eternally fulfilled. We are waiting for when the eternal dwelling place of God will be with man which is envisioned in the vision given to John: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Revelation 21:3 ESV). Moreover, we are waiting for the perfect, righteous, holy, wise, and loving King of Kings sits on the throne in Zion for all of eternity.

 Praying This Psalm

Having said all that, this song guides the new covenant believer into worship in at least two ways.

First, we give thanks to the Lord for the gift of the Holy Spirit. The human hunger to worship the Lord at His dwelling place and for the Lord to arise and go His resting place is fulfilled in Christ. When we are born again, we receive the gift of the indwelling Spirit of God. We become the indwelling place!

In addition, we give thanks to the Lord for the Son of God who is and will be the King of Kings. I am very grateful that Christ is the One who fulfills this promise, for NO human king could ever give us what we are hoping for. Only a Righteous King, Holy, Wise, Loving, Pure, Just, Beautiful, Eternal, All Powerful could be that, and that can only be Jesus.

I encourage you to pray through Psalm 132 with these things in mind, and hear how the longings of those worshippers are fulfilled by grace through faith.