WHAT ARE MY PRIORITIES EACH DAY?

A NEEDED REMINDER!

Psalm 132

Remember, O LORD, in David's favor,

all the hardships he endured,

how he swore to the LORD

and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,

“I will not enter my house

or get into 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.”

Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;

we found it in the fields of Jaar.

“Let us go to his dwelling place;

let us worship at his footstool!”

Arise, O LORD, and go to your resting place,

you and the ark of your might.

Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,

and let your saints shout for joy.

For the sake of your servant David,

do not turn away the face of your anointed one.

The LORD swore to David a sure oath

from which he will not turn back:

“One of the sons of your body

I will set on your throne.

If your sons keep my covenant

and my testimonies that I shall teach them,

their sons also forever

shall sit on your throne.”

For the LORD has chosen Zion;

he has desired it for his dwelling place:

“This is my resting place forever;

here I will dwell, for I have desired it.

I will abundantly bless her provisions;

I will satisfy her poor with bread.

Her priests I will clothe with salvation,

and her saints will shout for joy.

There I will make a horn to sprout for David;

I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.

His enemies I will clothe with shame,

but on him his crown will shine.”

We don’t know the author or when this psalm of ascent was written. The first part refers to David bringing the ark back to Jerusalem, and the second refers to David’s kingdom being blessed through One who would sit on his throne forever.

This psalm makes it very clear that God, as He had promised in Genesis, had a plan for the salvation of mankind. From the time of Israel to eternity, God’s care of man will not be thwarted by the schemes of men. David was God’s chosen king and, although sinful, was used by God to show His presence within the people of Israel.

The Ark of the Covenant was the dwelling place of the Lord. No man could even touch the Ark, or he would die. When David attempted to bring the Ark back in his own way, the death of Uzzah, who touched it, became a clear reminder that things are to be done only according to God’s laws. You can read the story in 2 Samuel, chapter 6. It was only when God’s way was obeyed that the ark was returned to Jerusalem and Israel’s joy was restored.

The writer reminds the children of Israel that God blessed the faithfulness of David and that they need to continue to hope in the promises and faithfulness of God. The holiness of God and the sinfulness of man, and therefore man’s utter inability to approach God with his own supposed merits, are concepts clearly recorded in Scripture. The only hope for man was that God would keep His promise to bless the descendants of David with a King who would rule forever.

When Christ would come, there would be no more need for an ark, and David’s kingdom would be established forever.

The coming of Christ was predicted many years before:

Isaiah 7:14

        Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

       

Matthew 1:18-23

        Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

        “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

                and they shall call his name Immanuel”

        (which means, God with us).

       

We are surrounded by people who have no idea of who Christ really is and what He has done for them. But because, by His grace, we do know Him, we have the privilege of announcing how to find peace with God through Christ, the promised King.

Do you ask God each day to give you opportunities to share the Gospel? Do you have a list of people for whom you are praying? Are you asking God to work in the lives of your loved ones?

When the pilgrims returned to Jerusalem, these songs were reminding them to dedicate their lives to the Lord and to be faithful to the message they had received, trusting completely in the promises not yet fulfilled.

As pilgrims on earth, are our lives dedicated to the Lord? Or have we allowed the cares of this world to distract us?

I need to be reminded! Is my prayer life reflecting what I say I believe and the priorities I should have? Am I committed to those things which are eternal? Do I rejoice in the fact that I know the Messiah and that I am a child of God?