Psalm 132
Lord, remember David and all his self-denial.
He swore an oath to the Lord, he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob: “I will not enter my house or go to my bed, I will allow no sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
We heard it in Ephrathah, we came upon it in the fields of Jaar: “Let us go to his dwelling place, let us worship at his footstool, saying, ‘Arise, Lord, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. May your priests be clothed with your righteousness; may your faithful people sing for joy.’”
For the sake of your servant David, do not reject your anointed one.
The Lord swore an oath to David, a sure oath he will not revoke: “One of your own descendants I will place on your throne. If your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever.”
For the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling, saying, “This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it. I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor I will satisfy with food. I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her faithful people will ever sing for joy.
“Here I will make a horn grow for David and set up a lamp for my anointed one. I will clothe his enemies with shame, but his head will be adorned with a radiant crown.”
There are different genres of Psalms: Psalms of thanksgiving, Psalms of lament, Wisdom Psalms, Petitionary Psalms, Psalms of Confession... Each type of Psalm served a different purpose in the religious life of the Israelites. Some of them were meant for the community to chant together during festivals. Others were meant as private prayers for people visiting the Temple.
Psalm 132 is one of the Royal Psalms. These Royal Psalms are so called because they praised the King of Israel as much as they praised God. Many Bible scholars believe the Royal Psalms may have been used during coronation ceremonies or festivals of national commemoration. Whatever their original purpose, it is undeniable that they seem more at home in the palace than the temple.
Psalm 2 is a classic example of a Royal Psalm. It was likely used as part of a coronation ceremony. It begins with the famous opening lines: "Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain?" It talks about how the other nations are trying to band against the Lord's anointed. This is a traditional title for the King (in Hebrew, 'anointed one' is Messiah; in Greek, it's 'Christ'). But God just laughs at their attempts because he has just installed a King on Mt. Zion and now it's too late. God says to the King: "You are my son; today (coronation day) I have become your father..." Then the Psalm tells the nations to fall in line because there's a new King in town who has God on his side.
Like those triumph-over-my-enemy Psalms, the Royal Psalms can be difficult to decide what to do with. Especially us American who are decidedly anti-monarchy (at least we're supposed to be... my wife, who follows royal weddings and baby announcements with great interest, hasn't got the memo). What do we do with Psalms that praise the King as God's chosen representative on Earth?
One option is to make them all about Jesus. Jesus is after all THE Messiah. And so all these Psalms point to him as the fulfillment of Israel's hopes and aspirations. I think it's hard for a Christian to read some of these Psalms and NOT see Jesus.
While I think we should get there eventually, there is value in considering what these Psalms meant to the people who first read them, hundreds of years before Jesus walked the earth. These were the Psalms that reminded them of God's promises to a nation.
Think of our own hymnal. Most of the songs in it are about God and God alone. But there are a few, like "My Country Tis of Thee" or "America the Beautiful" that we sing on special occasions when we want to remember the ways God has blessed us uniquely as Americans.
The Royal Psalms were Israel's patriotic hymns. Psalm 132 recounts the founding of the monarchy and God's promise to continue to bless the monarchy for all time. Can you imagine an Israelite's heart swelling with pride as they sing it?
Maybe these Psalms can remind us that there are times when we need to remember the ways God has blessed us as a nation. There are times when we need to remember that we are in this together. Surely this is one of those times. Maybe we need to be reminded that at the end of the day we are not Republican and Democrats or rural folk and city folk, black or white or latino... we are Americans.
What if we are being called during this time to set aside the things that divide us and take up once more the greater things which unite us? To remember that we are, as Dr. Martin Luther King put it, "woven together into a single garment of destiny." Maybe, like the Israelites of old, we need to stand together and reclaim the simple truth that we are one nation under God.
Lord, We are often quick to argue with one another and divide ourselves along man-made lines. Help us to begin to see ourselves as one people again. Help us to reclaim what it means to be one nation under God. Amen.
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