Scripture
1Lord, remember David
and all that he suffered.
2He made a solemn promise to the Lord.
He vowed to the Mighty One of Israel,[1]
3“I will not go home;
I will not let myself rest.
4I will not let my eyes sleep
nor close my eyelids in slumber
5until I find a place to build a house for the Lord,
a sanctuary for the Mighty One of Israel.”
6We heard that the Ark was in Ephrathah;
then we found it in the distant countryside of Jaar.
7Let us go to the sanctuary of the Lord;
let us worship at the footstool of his throne.
8Arise, O Lord, and enter your resting place,
along with the Ark, the symbol of your power.
9May your priests be clothed in godliness;
may your loyal servants sing for joy.
10For the sake of your servant David,
do not reject the king you have anointed.
11The Lord swore an oath to David
with a promise he will never take back:
“I will place one of your descendants
on your throne.
12If your descendants obey the terms of my covenant
and the laws that I teach them,
then your royal line
will continue forever and ever.”
13For the Lord has chosen Jerusalem[2];
he has desired it for his home.
14“This is my resting place forever,” he said.
“I will live here, for this is the home I desired.
15I will bless this city and make it prosperous;
I will satisfy its poor with food.
16I will clothe its priests with godliness;
its faithful servants will sing for joy.
17Here I will increase the power of David;
my anointed one will be a light for my people.
18I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but he will be a glorious king.”
Translation notes (2)
- 132:2 Hebrew of Jacob; also in 132:5. See note on 44:4.
- 132:13 Hebrew Zion.
Here I will increase the power of David; My Anointed One will be a light for My people. Psalm 132:17
A promise is only as strong as the promise maker. For example, when a child tells you they will eat all of their vegetables if you let them eat ice cream before dinner, you are not likely to believe them, are you? If, however, a person who has proven their trust makes a promise to you, you are more likely to believe them, right? Today we are going to be reminded that God is the ultimate Promise Maker and Promise Keeper.
We are talking about a specific name for Jesus this week: Christ. Christmas is right around the corner, so this time of year, His birth is at the forefront of our minds. The birth of Christ is truly something to celebrate. You see, Christ was the fulfillment of God's promises to the people of Israel. Throughout the Old Testament, God made promises to His people that a Savior, called Christ, was going to come to rescue them from their sin. For a long time, the promises from God were all the Israelites had until they saw the fulfillment of the promises. In the meantime, they were called to trust Him.
Can you imagine being in their shoes? Do you think you would have had the faith to trust God as you waited for the Christ to come? If I could go back to the Israelites and encourage them as they waited on Christ to come, I would have asked them this question: "How trustworthy is the Promise Maker?" You see, if He is trustworthy, then His promises of the coming Christ were as good as already given. If not, then these promises could not be trusted. Praise God, He is a completely trustworthy Promise Maker, and He had proven His trustworthiness to the Israelites. He always keeps His promises, and He would keep His promise to the Israelites. Even in the difficulty and even in the unknown, He is so trustworthy.
Maybe today, you are having trouble trusting God. Maybe you are having trouble remembering that God is the perfect Promise Maker. Let me ask you the same question I would have asked the Israelites: How trustworthy is the Promise Maker? If you believe Him to be trustworthy, you can trust Him even today to keep His promises to you.
Moving Toward Action
Take a few minutes to listen to the song "Do it Again" by Elevation Worship. As you listen to this song, take comfort in the fact that God always, always keeps His promises. Jesus Christ is your ultimate reminder that He can be trusted.
Going Deeper
Read Psalm 132:1-18 (NLT)
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