August 14, 2017

FAITHFULNESS THROUGH ALL GENERATIONS

Psalm 132

Callie Nixon
Monday's Devo

August 14, 2017

Monday's Devo

August 14, 2017

Central Truth

The faithfulness of God through all generations is shown in so many ways—from an ark, to a temple, to a Son on a cross at Calvary.

Key Verse | Psalm 132:17–18

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.
(Psalm 132:17-18)

Psalm 132

The LORD Has Chosen Zion

A Song of Ascents.

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.
10  For the sake of your servant David,
    do not turn away the face of your anointed one.

11  The LORD swore to David a sure oath
    from which he will not turn back:
“One of the sons of your body 1 132:11 Hebrew of your fruit of the womb
    I will set on your throne.
12  If your sons keep my covenant
    and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their sons also forever
    shall sit on your throne.”

13  For the LORD has chosen Zion;
    he has desired it for his dwelling place:
14  “This is my resting place forever;
    here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15  I will abundantly bless her provisions;
    I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16  Her priests I will clothe with salvation,
    and her saints will shout for joy.
17  There I will make a horn to sprout for David;
    I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
18  His enemies I will clothe with shame,
    but on him his crown will shine.”

Footnotes

[1] 132:11 Hebrew of your fruit of the womb

Dive Deeper | Psalm 132

I would do almost anything for my kids. Snot, diapers, and all, I love the three little sheep God has given me to shepherd. We had an especially rough fall last year. Every person in the Nixon family seemed to have something going on! To give you an idea of how rough it was, we went to 23 doctors' appointments in 45 days! Going through that time made me see that if I have to advocate for myself, I can be pretty timid. However, if one of my babies needs something, I will try to move mountains to get them what they need. My parents were the same way with me. It would be an answer to one of the great prayers of my heart to see my children one day walking faithfully in love with the Lord over anything else.

I sense a lot of this same desire in this psalm. David was faithful to commit to the Lord that he would find the Ark, the token of the Lord's presence, and find a place for it to rest (what would in Solomon's day be the temple). Solomon was faithful to continue the work of his father's promise. God was faithful to bless his chosen children and to raise up the "sprout of David" whose "crown would shine" (verses 17-18). Jesus! He cares so much for His glory and His children that His great plan of redemption was made evident in His presence in the Ark, portrayed through the beautiful symbolic imagery of the temple and displayed through the selfless death of His Son Jesus on the cross at Calvary. Oh, how He loves us!

It would give me no greater joy than to one day "hear that my children are walking in the truth" (3 John 1:4), but the calling for me now is to faithfully live out the truth of the gospel in every way that I can. Will you join with me in doing the same?

Discussion Questions

1. What legacy of faithfulness would you like to leave to your children (whether spiritual or biological) who run this race after you?

2. What is a promise in your life that you have committed and stayed faithful to fulfill even though it was hard?

3. Faithfulness on a grand scale can seem overwhelming. What can you commit to today to cultivate a heart of faithfulness to God?