Anticipating Worship: The Privilege of Drawing Near
Psalms 132
July 10, 2022
Tonight we return to this group of songs which are designated as
“A Song of Ascents”
That unofficial hymn book of those who traveled to Jerusalem
Anticipating worship of God.
TONIGHT we come to perhaps the most important aspect of all of them.
Namely that these people anticipated worship
Because they were coming to enjoy the presence of God.
We’ve talked about rest and peace and encouragement and blessing and any number of benefits that occur when we attend the corporate worship service,
But in all honesty they all pale in comparison
To simply enjoying God’s presence.
This was a lesson that God sought to teach Israel repeatedly
And they have always seemingly had trouble grasping it.
The first major lesson
Came following the golden calf incident during the Exodus from Egypt.
• The children of Israel offended God with that hideous calf
• And in His offense God moved His tent outside of the camp.
TURN TO: EXODUS 33:1-16
Lesson learned.
If God isn’t with you, you have no business moving forward.
This truth was reinforced throughout The Wilderness Wanderings.
• When God would stop (the glory cloud) Israel stopped.
• When God moved Israel moved.
Perhaps the most famous incident of this occurs when Ezekiel actually saw the glory of God depart from the temple.
Ezekiel 11:22-25 “Then the cherubim lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them. The glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood over the mountain which is east of the city. And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God to the exiles in Chaldea. So the vision that I had seen left me. Then I told the exiles all the things that the LORD had shown me.”
• And when God vacated His city Babylon came in and destroyed the place.
• The entire ministry of Ezekiel then is an anticipation for that millennial city which will be called “Jehovah Shammah: The LORD Is There”
• It’s another drastic reminder of the importance of God’s presence.
But there is another incident in the Old Testament
Where this truth was taught again.
It was an incident that began with a priest who had corrupt sons.
That priest’s name was Eli and his sons were Hophni and Phinehas
• There came a day when the Philistines attacked as part of the judgment of God on Israel
• In order to try and manipulate the outcome of the battle Eli’s sons took the ark of God to the battlefield.
• Long story short, the Israelites lost and the ark of God was stolen by the Philistines.
TURN TO: 1 SAMUEL 4:10-22
• God’s ark was stolen.
• Eli’s grandson was actually named Ichabod which means “No Glory”
• It was a tragic day.
Now if you follow that story
You know how stealing God’s ark brought hardship on the Philistines.
• They started by putting it into the pagan temple of their false god Dagon
• They set God’s ark next to that pagan statue,
• But that pagan statue kept falling over in the presence of God’s ark
• And it actually decapitated and cut off the hands of their false god.
I love the Philistine response:
TURN TO: 1 SAMUEL 5:6-7:2
I know that’s a long portion of Scripture but it is quite interesting
Just reading about the power of God’s presence.
But by the end of the affair the ark of God came to settle for 20 years
In a place called “Kiriath-jearim”.
• This region by the way is referenced in our Psalm tonight under the name
“Ephrathah” and “field of Jaar” in verse 6.
So God’s ark has rested for 20 years.
In fact, it has actually been even sort of overlooked or forgotten.
• There is one incident in 1 Samuel 14 when Saul calls for the ark of God
• But other than that it disappears from the picture
• Until 2 Samuel 6 when David sets out to bring it to Jerusalem.
And you likely remember that story
• How David moved it on the cart, but the oxen stumbled
• And Uzzah touched the ark and God struck him dead.
• They then let the ark stay in the house of Obed-edom for 3 months and God blessed him while it was there.
Eventually David brought the ark of God into Jerusalem
And it wasn’t long after that that DAVID HAD A DESIRE.
David wanted to build God a house; a temple.
God told David no, but also MADE A PROMISE.
2 Samuel 7:12-17 “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’” In accordance with all these words and all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.”
• So David was certainly a man who pleased God
• And God made great promise to David
• And Israel benefited greatly from God’s favor toward David.
Now if you fast forward again,
• Solomon is king and he builds God’s temple
• And it is time to dedicate the temple to the LORD.
We don’t have the time to read the entire story but Solomon finished the temple,
They moved in the ark and God’s glory began to fill the temple.
Solomon then fell to his knees and prayed before God.
It is a prayer continually asking God to keep His eyes toward the temple
And His ears attentive to the prayers offered toward that place.
In short, Solomon knew God dwelled in heaven,
But the temple was to be a place
Where the children of Israel could meet with God.
It was a place where God would hear their prayers and respond to them.
It was the place of His presence on earth.
I want you to see the closing remarks of Solomon’s prayer.
2 Chronicles 6:40-42 “Now, O my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. “Now therefore arise, O LORD God, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your might; let Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation and let Your godly ones rejoice in what is good. “O LORD God, do not turn away the face of Your anointed; remember Your lovingkindness to Your servant David.”
And after reading that we look down at verses 8-10 and we read:
(8-10) “Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength. Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, And let Your godly ones sing for joy. For the sake of David Your servant, Do not turn away the face of Your anointed.”
Solomon quoted Psalms 132 in his prayer for God to be attentive to Israel.
• This may have even been a Psalm written by Solomon as he contemplated that great day of God’s presence.
• Or perhaps Asaph wrote it, we remember his great statement.
Psalms 73:25-28 “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”
Whoever wrote it, it is a reminder that
It is a blessing to be able to draw near to God.
It then became a Psalm that was added to these songs of ascents
For Israel to sing as they traveled to Jerusalem to remind them yet again
Of the importance of God’s presence in their lives.
This Psalm commemorates the blessing of God’s presence.
• It is a blessing to be able to commune with Him.
• This journey to Jerusalem is not a burden, it is a blessing.
And the song itself became a commemorative appeal to God
To meet with us as we come to You.
3 points tonight
#1 THE REMINDER
Psalms 132:1-5
The reminder is clearly stated at the beginning of the song.
“Remember, O LORD, on David’s behalf, All his affliction;”
Very simply the call is to remember DAVID’S RESOLVE.
When you read the next 4 verses David’s “affliction” becomes clear.
(2-5) “How he swore to the LORD And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, “Surely I will not enter my house, Nor lie on my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes Or slumber to my eyelids, Until I find a place for the LORD, A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
It’s NOT so much “affliction” like we immediately assume
As some form of personal suffering.
Rather, the Psalmist is talking about David’s lack of rest in his spirit.
• He was burdened of soul…
• He was afflicted of heart…
It bothered him that God had built him a house
While he had allowed God to continue dwelling in a tent.
2 Samuel 7:1-2 “Now it came about when the king lived in his house, and the LORD had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within tent curtains.”
You see an obvious respect and devotion and love for God from David.
And even though God did not allow David to build it,
It is clear that God was pleased with David’s intention.
Remember later, after the exile, when the Jews returned to Jerusalem and out of fear of their neighbors they quit building God’s temple.
To those refugees God said:
Haggai 1:4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?”
In fact, because they had neglected God’s house God had withheld the rain and was causing extreme economic hardship on them.
So even though David wouldn’t actually build the house,
His heart and his affliction were certainly in the right place.
Nathan the prophet even initially endorsed the idea as a good one.
It wasn’t until God approached Nathan that David was called to change plans.
And even Solomon noted that God was pleased and David’s heart was right in this.
2 Chronicles 6:8 “But the LORD said to my father David, ‘Because it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was in your heart.”
DAVID’S HEART WAS RIGHT TO BE AFFLICTED
And certainly we pick up on the DEGREE OF HIS AFFLICTION.
• Words like “I will not enter my house, Nor lie on my bead”
• Or “I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to by eyelids”
Which is just poetic language to suggest that nothing matters more to me
Than to see God rightly honored with a house.
But THE SIMPLE POINT to begin the song is that
David greatly pleased God by being so afflicted
Over the honor that God deserved and was not receiving.
And in response to David’s desire God made a promise to David.
You won’t build My house, but…
2 Samuel 7:12-13 “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”
And this is the promise that the Psalmist is banking on.
• As they approach Jerusalem…
• As they anticipate standing in the presence of God…
• Their desire is that God will meet with them at His holy temple.
• Their hope rests on the fact that God will do it out of favor for David.
So the song begins with a reminder to God that David was so pleasing; and that God should meet with us on his account.
So there’s the reminder.
#2 THE REQUEST
Psalms 132:6-12
There are several aspects here of this request, let me break them down a little further to help you see them.
1) OUR REGRET (6)
“Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah, We found it in the field of Jaar.”
What is “it” that the Psalmist refers to?
• “it” here is nothing less than the Ark of the Covenant.
• “Ephrathah” and “the field of Jaar” is a reference to Kiriath-Jearim where the ark came to rest for 20 years after the Philistines sent it back.
So why use the phrase “Ephrathah” and “the field of Jaar”?
• “Jaar” literally speaks of “the woods”
• “Ephrathah” was a surrounding area to Bethlehem
THE POINT in using the word “it”
And in speaking of these rural places out in the woods
Is to reveal that for 20 years we didn’t give the ark much thought.
• For 20 years we weren’t really concerned about Your presence
• Or appearing before You,
• Or whether or not You were rightly honored.
Sure Saul sought to benefit from God’s ark in his battle at Gibeah in 1 Samuel 14, but as far as honoring God was concerned…we weren’t.
It wasn’t until David showed up
That we were reminded that Your presence
Was to be sought and honored and enjoyed.
Verse 6 is a statement of dishonor and regret.
It’s AN ADMISSION that we’ve not always sought You as we should have.
But as you can see, THANKS TO DAVID,
Our mindset has completely changed on the issue.
2) OUR RESOLVE (7-9)
“Let us go into His dwelling place; Let us worship at His footstool. Arise, O LORD, to You resting place, You and the ark of Your strength. Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, And let Your godly ones sing for joy.”
That is quite an attitude change.
• Previously we were content to let “it” dwell in the woods.
• Now “it” is “the ark of Your strength” and we are traveling to get there.
• It is now our objective to “worship at [Your] footstool”
There has been quite a reformation take place among the people of Israel.
David has changed the mindset of the entire nation.
David has led them from apathy to intense devotion.
And now the chief concern is that
When we travel to Jerusalem that God would meet us there.
(8) “Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place, You and the ark of the Your strength.”
The ark is referred to as a “resting place”, because the horns of the altar pictured arm rests even as a place where God sat in His temple to dwell with us.
The Psalmist knows, as Solomon had stated, that “heaven and the highest heavens cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built”
God didn’t dwell in the temple, but God would meet us there.
AND THAT IS THE REQUEST.
And notice the new heart attitude of the people.
Indifference is totally eradicated.
(9) “Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness”
• We will no longer apathetically approach You.
• We will come to You in holiness.
Psalms 96:9 “Worship the LORD in holy attire; Tremble before Him, all the earth.”
Psalms 15 “O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart. He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend; In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honors those who fear the LORD; He swears to his own hurt and does not change; He does not put out his money at interest, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.”
• We aren’t going to come like Uzzah with disrespect for the ark.
• We aren’t going to be like the men of Beth-shemesh who looked in the ark and of whom You killed 50,070.
We’re coming in true honor and reverence before Your presence.
“And let Your godly ones sing for joy.”
We will remove all hypocrisy from our worship.
Later in the days of Jeremiah
• The people would come to “the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD” as a safe haven from God’s wrath.
• They treated it like a den of robbers.
• They could sin it up for 6 days and then come to the temple and say they were delivered.
In Jesus day
• They had turned the temple into a flea market
• And Jesus declared war; turning over tables and driving men out with a whip.
The Psalmist can conceive of nothing so vain or vulgar.
God we are traveling to meet with You
And we are coming in righteousness and in sincerity.
We are coming to commune and to worship and to sing.
And certainly you understand the accuracy in their request.
When Jesus talked with that Samaritan woman by the well,
Her concern was all about the location of worship.
John 4:20-24 “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
The Psalmist here seems to understand that.
Certainly we are approaching Jerusalem for You have promised David to meet with us there.
But we would not dare assume
That just because we stand in Jerusalem
That we have any right to expect Your presence.
• We are coming to worship.
• We are coming to worship in righteousness or truth.
• We are coming to worship in spirit with songs of joy.
You can see there has been quite a HEART CHANGE among the people.
Our regret, Our resolve
3) OUR RELIANCE (10-12)
“For the sake of David Your servant, Do not turn away the face of Your anointed. The LORD has sworn to David A truth from which He will not turn back: “Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne. If your sons will keep My covenant And My testimony which I will teach them, Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever.”
It is the Davidic covenant.
It is that SAME TRUST that is issued at the beginning of the Psalm.
• We are coming to you sure enough…
• We are coming in spirit and truth sure enough…
• But again, the only reason why we would expect that You will accept us is because of David.
WE TRADE ON HIS DEVOTION.
WE TRADE ON HIS FAVOR.
The only reason we would expect that You would meet with us
Is because You made promises to him that we know You will keep.
THIS IS SUCH A PICTURE OF THE GOSPEL
• Is not Jesus the true Son of David?
• Was it not Jesus of whom God announced “In Him I am well pleased”?
• And do we not approach God based on His favor?
Certainly we approach in sincerity…
Certainly we approach in spirit and in truth…
But we still approach only on the merit which Jesus earned.
We “draw near to God through Him”
• It was His obedience that pleased God.
• It was His blood which satisfied His wrath.
• And based upon the favor which He earned, we come before God.
Hebrews 10:19-22 “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
I realize that
• Our worship is no longer bound up in a specific earthly location as Israel’s was.
• Jesus made that clear to the woman at the well.
But even so do you not see that
We never draw near to God based upon our own merit?
• We also come through Jesus.
• We always pray in His name.
• Our acceptance is only because He is accepted and we are in Him.
Listen to Jesus speak to the disciples:
John 16:26-27 “In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.”
• You can go to the Father…how? “in My name”
• The Father loves you…why? “because you have loved Me”
And then read Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17 and listen to Him intercede before the Father asking that the Father accept us on His behalf.
This is certainly the basis for our access to God.
Romans 5:1-2 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”
It is all through Him and only through Him.
The Psalmist understood that ages ago, we still see it today.
• They desired to come to God.
• They certainly desired to come the right way.
• And they only expected to be accepted because of God’s favor toward David.
The Reminder, The Request
#3 THE RESPONSE
Psalms 132:13-18
Here is God’s answer to their request.
And I do want you to notice how specific His answer is.
In verse 7 the Psalmist said “Let us go into His dwelling place” and “worship at His footstool”
(13) “For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation.”
God said, “Indeed, Zion is the place I chose for you to come.”
You are correct in coming here.
In verse 9 the Psalmist asked God to meet them there also saying, “Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place.”
(14) “This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.”
God said, “Yes, I will meet you there.”
God even added to His answer what was not asked by the Psalmist, but which must have surely been on his mind.
God said, (15) “I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her needy with bread.”
In addition to meeting you there, I will care for her forever.
In verse 10 the Psalmist said, “Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, And let your godly ones sing for joy.”
And God answered (16) “Her priests also I will clothe with salvation, And her godly ones will sing aloud for joy.”
God will grant the righteousness He requires.
Do you see justification there?
The only place we get the righteousness God requires is from God.
It was Augustine who prayed: “Give me the grace to do as you command, and command me to do what you will!”
That is the request of the Psalmist and God granted it.
In verses 10-12 the Psalmist asked that God would accept them on behalf of David and that God would honor His promise to David’s descendants.
And we read God’s answer (17-18) “There I will cause the horn of David to spring forth; I have prepared a lamp for Mine anointed. “His enemies I will clothe with shame, But upon himself his crown shall shine.”
God will certainly honor David forever
And will certainly always accept us on David’s behalf.
AND OF COURSE NOW YOU REALIZE THAT
This Psalm was never really about David,
Just as the Davidic covenant was never fully about David.
It was always about David’s descendant; the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
• He was the One who pleased the Father.
• He was the One who elevated worship to those who had forgotten it.
• He was the One who called the people back to God.
• He was the One who earned God’s favor.
• He was the mediator…
• He brought propitiation…
• He is the intercessor…
• He purchased peace between God and man…
And now through Him we are once again invited to commune with God.
• Through Him we pray…
• Through Him we draw near…
• Through Him we hear from God…
He is Prophet, Priest, and King to us.
And He is the one whose work & favor we rest upon.
And this speaks volumes to us about our anticipation for worship.
What we do here is nothing short of worship of the transcendent God.
We are NOT a club…
This is NOT an entertainment venue…
THIS IS A TIME FOR WORSHIP.
• We seek to draw near to God and we gather to do it in one accord.
• We congregate that we might all worship together as God commanded.
• And we understand that this is to be done in righteousness & reverence & truth.
• And we understand that this is to be done in spirit with joy and singing.
We have learned repeatedly the attitude and manner
In which we are to approach Him in worship.
But we also know that our right to even attend and draw near
Is not earned by who we are.
• We have no right to draw near…
• We have no right to this place…
• We have no right to prayer or worship or supplication…
• We have no right to hear from Him…
• We are sinful and fallen.
• We neglected His presence and we rebelled against His rule.
• We offended and draw away His presence.
We were forced out of the garden away from God’s presence
And the flaming cherubim stationed themselves to see to it
That we didn’t try to return in our fallen nakedness.
BUT JESUS ARRIVED.
• He came in human flesh and satisfied God.
• He fulfilled His righteous standard and satisfied His wrath.
• And now we come to God through Him.
We pray, “Remember, O LORD, on Jesus’ behalf…”
Let us come to You because of Him.
And God’s answer to us is the same as the Psalmist.
• You are welcome to Me in Him.
• I will never forsake Him.
• I will remember My promise to Him forever.
• And when you come to Me in His name, you are welcome to come.
Do you see now the total privilege of worship?
Do you see now that this is no burden, but it is indeed an honor?
We live in a day when corporate worship has become a burden to many.
• It takes too much time, it’s too long, it’s boring.
• Sunday night congregations prove that even to those who value worship, there seems to be better things to do than return on a Sunday night.
Corporate worship has lost it’s sense of privilege before God.
Perhaps God should move outside the camp for a time until His children again learn what a blessing His presence is.
Perhaps God should depart from His temple for a season and let the Babylonians come in.
Perhaps God should allow His presence to be kidnapped to a foreign people and lost in the woods for a time.
Until we again learn that being able to congregate and worship God is a blessing.
Until we again learn that there is no greater privilege than being able to draw near to God.
Until we again learn of the infinite value of Jesus whose life and death allow us that privilege.
That is actually the very point of the writer of Hebrews
In that famous passage about gathering together.
Hebrews 10:19-25 “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
