Psalm 132 does more than look back—it also points forward. And just as David is the subject of the backward look, he is also the subject their future hopes.
Sort of.
No sooner had David successfully relocated the ark of the covenant in Jerusalem, then he embarked on another project—to build a house (temple) for the Lord (2 Samuel 7:1-2).
But God had a better idea.
Instead of David building a house for Him, God said He would build a house (family) for David. This meant God would continue to rule through David’s house (2 Samuel 7; Psalm 89). This was realized first in his son Solomon, then through his descendants, and finally (ultimately) through Jesus Christ, the Son of David (Matthew 1:1; Acts 2:30). David is the subject of this part of the psalm in the sense that “one of your own descendants I will place on your throne” (v. 11).
However, that’s not the way things looked when this psalm was written. David had died and so had Solomon. David’s descendants had ruled for a few centuries but now they were also gone. Israel was controlled by a foreign power (probably the Persians) and no one was on the throne of David.
It’s not a surprise then that this part of the psalm begins with the plea, “For the sake of your servant David, do not reject your anointed one” (v. 10). This is a prayer of faith. It was made by people who knew God’s promises and held them in their hearts. They had taken God at His word and were asking Him to act on it.
And God did act on it—but in His own time. There were no more descendants of David on the throne until He gloriously answered the prayer in the person of Jesus.
If you’re keeping score, David asked, and God had a better idea. Then later Israel asked, and God had a better idea. That’s worth thinking about the next time our plea appears to have gone “unanswered.”
It might just be that God has a better idea.
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 