Psalms 132:11

GOD'S ANSWER TO THE PRAYER OF DEDICATION

"Jehovah hath sworn unto David in truth;

He will not turn from it:

Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.

If thy children will keep my covenant

And my testimony that I shall teach them,

Their children also shall sit upon thy throne forevermore.

For Jehovah hath chosen Zion;

He hath desired it for his habitation.

This is my resting-place forever:

Here will I dwell; for I have desired it.

I will abundantly bless her provision:

I will satisfy her poor with bread.

Her priests also will I clothe with salvation;

And her saints shall shout aloud for joy.

There will I make the horn of David to bud:

I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed.

His enemies shall I clothe with shame;

But upon himself shall his crown flourish."

This paragraph is the inspired psalmist's announcement of God's answer to the dedicatory prayer; and, as inspired men often did, he used material already in the Bible (2 Samuel 7:11-16), supplementing it with inspired revelations of his own.

"Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne" (Psalms 132:11). "If thy children shall keep my covenant ... their children also shall sit upon thy throne" (Psalms 132:12). These are the inspired words of the psalmist; and they make a distinction between the Messiah, spoken of in Psalms 132:11, which is an unconditional promise; and the earthly Davidic dynasty mentioned in Psalms 132:12, whom God promised to perpetuate upon the throne of David, if they kept his covenant and the Lord's testimonies. This promise was terminated, due to the wickedness of David's successors, in the person of Jeconiah (Jeremiah 22:30).

Miller pointed out that, "The unconditional nature of the Davidic covenant applied to only one of David's descendants (Psalms 132:11),"[18] and not to, "The continuation of the political dynasty (Psalms 132:12)."[19]

That only one was none other than Jesus Christ the Holy Messiah. He was the one who would enter the world through the posterity of David, an everlasting successor, a king, "of whose government and peace there shall be no end." "The apostle Peter applied this to Christ, telling us that David himself so understood it (Acts 2:30)."[20]

God's covenant with David was indeed fulfilled, and is operative at this very moment, and eternally. God did exactly what he promised. When the holy angel of God made the announcement of Jesus' birth to the Virgin Mary, he said:

"Thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of his father David; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:31-33).

"Their children also shall sit upon thy throne forevermore" (Psalms 132:12). Although this promise was made to David's earthly successors provided that, "they should do God's will," the promise also was made good for Christ himself. We are indebted to Matthew Henry for pointing this out.

Although David's political successors did not keep the covenant, Jesus Christ did keep it. "He did the Father's will, and in all things pleased Him; and therefore to Christ and his spiritual seed, God made the promise good."[21]

Jesus' children who are they? They are all true and obedient believers, and, behold, what Christ himself has promised them, "He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his throne" (Revelation 3:21).

This is positively the greatest promise in all the Bible, that Christians (along with the true believers of the Old Testament) will actually be "with Christ" in the midst of the throne of Almighty God himself. Where is there anything else, even in the Word of God, that can be compared with this?

"This is my resting-place forever" (Psalms 132:14). This answers to Psalms 132:8 in the dedicatory prayer, indicating that this portion of the psalm is God's answer to that prayer.

"Her priests will I clothe with salvation" (Psalms 132:16). This is God's answer to the petition in Psalms 132:9, "Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness.

"And her saints shall shout for joy" (Psalms 132:16). This is God's answer to the petition in Psalms 132:9, "And let thy saints shout for joy."

"The horn of David ... a lamp for the anointed ... his crown shall flourish" (Psalms 132:17-18). "These three terms, horn, lamp and crown scarcely need comment with their evident implications of strength, clarity and royal dignity."[22] However, there is a very significant variation in the word "crown." "The word used here (in the Hebrew) is exactly the same word used for the mitre of the high priest."[23] This, of course, makes the passage a reference to Him who is forever a priest after the order of Melchizedek (Psalms 110), being both High Priest and King. This double meaning of "crown" in this passage cannot be applied to David, for it belongs to the Greater Son of David, Jesus Christ the Lord.

"Upon himself shall his crown flourish" (Psalms 132:18). The true and final Davidic King is Christ, who `remaineth a king forever' (Psalms 29:10). Upon Him will the crown ever flourish."[24]