1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:02,200 Today, we’re dealing with the whole area 2 00:00:02,200 –> 00:00:07,040 of what it means to move from trying to trusting. 3 00:00:07,040 –> 00:00:09,240 And as we read this Psalm, in a moment, 4 00:00:09,240 –> 00:00:12,620 you will see immediately that it is about David, 5 00:00:12,620 –> 00:00:14,940 the great king of Israel. 6 00:00:14,940 –> 00:00:17,420 And since it mentions him by name in the third person, 7 00:00:17,420 –> 00:00:18,719 it obviously wasn’t written by him, 8 00:00:18,719 –> 00:00:20,600 but it was written about him, 9 00:00:20,600 –> 00:00:23,920 it seems clear that it was written by his son Solomon 10 00:00:23,920 –> 00:00:26,740 and that it was written early in the reign of Solomon, 11 00:00:27,080 –> 00:00:30,160 and we deduce that from the fact that this Psalm 12 00:00:30,160 –> 00:00:33,720 is quoted on the occasion of the dedication 13 00:00:33,720 –> 00:00:35,320 of Solomon’s temple. 14 00:00:35,320 –> 00:00:38,520 You can find verses eight to 10 are quoted 15 00:00:38,520 –> 00:00:41,919 in Second Chronicles, chapter six and verse 41. 16 00:00:41,919 –> 00:00:44,400 So the Psalm written early in the reign of Solomon, 17 00:00:44,400 –> 00:00:48,119 looking back on the experience of his father David. 18 00:00:48,119 –> 00:00:49,900 And you’ll notice as we read it now 19 00:00:49,900 –> 00:00:53,200 that the Psalm really centers around two oaths, 20 00:00:53,200 –> 00:00:54,759 or promises. 21 00:00:54,980 –> 00:00:57,380 Again, in verse two, we are told about a promise 22 00:00:57,380 –> 00:01:00,480 or an oath that David made to God 23 00:01:00,480 –> 00:01:03,099 and then in verse 11, we’re told about an oath 24 00:01:03,099 –> 00:01:06,339 or promise that God made to David. 25 00:01:06,339 –> 00:01:08,440 You’ll notice again that this is entitled 26 00:01:08,440 –> 00:01:11,480 a Psalm of Ascents or Song of Ascents 27 00:01:11,480 –> 00:01:15,239 and we’re coming towards the end of the series, 28 00:01:15,239 –> 00:01:19,360 the Songs of Ascents ending at Psalm 134. 29 00:01:20,220 –> 00:01:24,019 So Psalm 132, let us hear the word of God. 30 00:01:25,660 –> 00:01:29,440 O LORD remember David 31 00:01:29,440 –> 00:01:31,879 and all the hardships he endured. 32 00:01:32,860 –> 00:01:36,339 He swore an oath to the Lord 33 00:01:36,339 –> 00:01:39,120 and made a vow to the mighty one of Jacob. 34 00:01:40,180 –> 00:01:43,000 I will not enter my house or go to my bed. 35 00:01:43,000 –> 00:01:45,660 I will allow no sleep to my eyes, 36 00:01:45,660 –> 00:01:49,699 no slumber to my eyelids till I find a place 37 00:01:49,699 –> 00:01:53,379 for the Lord, a dwelling for the mighty one of Jacob. 38 00:01:55,379 –> 00:01:57,139 We heard it in Ephrathah. 39 00:01:58,279 –> 00:02:01,779 We came upon it in the fields of Jar. 40 00:02:03,080 –> 00:02:04,879 Let us go to his dwelling place. 41 00:02:04,879 –> 00:02:07,379 Let us worship at his footstool. 42 00:02:07,379 –> 00:02:10,600 Arise O Lord and come to your resting place, 43 00:02:10,600 –> 00:02:14,500 you and the ark of your might.” 44 00:02:14,500 –> 00:02:16,899 May your priests be clothed with righteousness, 45 00:02:16,899 –> 00:02:20,380 may your saints sing for joy. 46 00:02:20,380 –> 00:02:22,940 For the sake of David, your servant, 47 00:02:22,940 –> 00:02:25,460 do not reject your anointed one. 48 00:02:27,000 –> 00:02:29,800 The Lord swore an oath to David, 49 00:02:30,800 –> 00:02:34,300 a sure oath that he will not revoke. 50 00:02:35,339 –> 00:02:39,000 One of your own descendants, I will place on your throne, 51 00:02:39,000 –> 00:02:43,179 if your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, 52 00:02:43,179 –> 00:02:47,619 then their sons will sit on your throne forever and ever. 53 00:02:47,619 –> 00:02:49,580 For the Lord has chosen Zion 54 00:02:49,580 –> 00:02:52,380 and has desired it for his dwelling. 55 00:02:53,220 –> 00:02:56,220 This is my resting place forever and ever, 56 00:02:56,220 –> 00:02:59,559 here I will sit enthroned. 57 00:02:59,559 –> 00:03:02,220 For I have desired it. 58 00:03:02,220 –> 00:03:04,839 I will bless her with abundant provisions, 59 00:03:04,839 –> 00:03:07,820 her poor will I satisfy with food. 60 00:03:07,820 –> 00:03:10,500 I will clothe her priest with salvation 61 00:03:10,500 –> 00:03:13,600 and her saints will ever sing for joy. 62 00:03:13,600 –> 00:03:16,600 Here I will make a horn grow for David 63 00:03:16,600 –> 00:03:19,419 and set up a lamp for my anointed one, 64 00:03:19,419 –> 00:03:23,259 I will clothe his enemies with shame, 65 00:03:23,259 –> 00:03:28,059 but the crown of his head will be resplendent. 66 00:03:28,559 –> 00:03:31,039 This is the Word of God. 67 00:03:32,960 –> 00:03:35,320 I want you to imagine the scene. 68 00:03:35,320 –> 00:03:39,699 Saul has been the king among God’s people for 20 years 69 00:03:39,699 –> 00:03:43,979 and the whole thing has been an absolute disaster. 70 00:03:43,979 –> 00:03:46,979 Saul was the kind of man who promised much 71 00:03:46,979 –> 00:03:50,339 but delivered little, looked magnificent 72 00:03:50,339 –> 00:03:52,740 but lacked substance. 73 00:03:52,740 –> 00:03:53,899 At the end of his life, 74 00:03:53,899 –> 00:03:55,699 you find him defeated in battles, 75 00:03:55,699 –> 00:03:58,600 surrounded by his enemies, the Philistines, 76 00:03:58,600 –> 00:04:01,179 he gives up hope, falls on his sword, 77 00:04:01,179 –> 00:04:02,919 takes his own life. 78 00:04:02,919 –> 00:04:05,360 It is a low point for God’s people, 79 00:04:05,360 –> 00:04:08,399 but as so often, it is really the beginning 80 00:04:08,399 –> 00:04:10,779 of better things. 81 00:04:10,779 –> 00:04:15,100 A new king came to the throne and his name was David. 82 00:04:15,119 –> 00:04:20,119 Augustine says that the name David means strong hand, 83 00:04:20,260 –> 00:04:22,940 and David sure was a strong leader. 84 00:04:22,940 –> 00:04:26,119 He also had a heart after God. 85 00:04:26,119 –> 00:04:28,500 The Bible tells us that. 86 00:04:28,500 –> 00:04:30,220 And when David comes on the scene, 87 00:04:30,220 –> 00:04:33,720 he is determined to make a difference. 88 00:04:33,720 –> 00:04:37,059 Spiritual life in the nation is in a desperate state, 89 00:04:37,059 –> 00:04:40,179 and he wants to change the spiritual climate. 90 00:04:40,179 –> 00:04:41,980 He wants the world to look different 91 00:04:41,980 –> 00:04:42,899 when he goes out 92 00:04:42,899 –> 00:04:44,940 from the way that it looked when he came in. 93 00:04:45,059 –> 00:04:46,399 He’s saying, as it were, to God 94 00:04:46,399 –> 00:04:47,540 at the beginning of his reign, 95 00:04:47,540 –> 00:04:52,220 Lord, I’m your man, for this time, for this generation. 96 00:04:52,220 –> 00:04:56,059 David was a man with a big vision. 97 00:04:57,420 –> 00:04:58,859 Now that’s a marvelous thing, 98 00:05:00,160 –> 00:05:02,559 because nothing happens in this life 99 00:05:02,559 –> 00:05:06,700 without vision, without energy, 100 00:05:06,700 –> 00:05:11,380 without drive, without direction, without passion. 101 00:05:11,380 –> 00:05:14,679 And David had all of that in abundance. 102 00:05:16,119 –> 00:05:19,540 And in Psalm 132, now we have his son, Solomon, 103 00:05:19,540 –> 00:05:22,059 looking back on his father’s life, 104 00:05:22,059 –> 00:05:24,679 and of all of the things that he could write 105 00:05:24,679 –> 00:05:26,920 from David’s life, he picks out just two. 106 00:05:27,880 –> 00:05:29,579 You want to know about my father, David? 107 00:05:29,579 –> 00:05:30,519 I’ll tell you two things. 108 00:05:30,519 –> 00:05:34,559 Number one, he made a promise to God. 109 00:05:35,820 –> 00:05:40,320 Number two, God made a promise to him. 110 00:05:41,100 –> 00:05:43,940 And that’s really what Psalm 132 is all about. 111 00:05:43,940 –> 00:05:46,079 David’s promise to God, verse two. 112 00:05:46,079 –> 00:05:48,920 God’s promise to David, verse 11. 113 00:05:48,920 –> 00:05:50,440 Now let’s look at these two together, 114 00:05:50,440 –> 00:05:51,720 and then I think we’re going to see 115 00:05:51,720 –> 00:05:53,720 that they speak very, very powerfully 116 00:05:53,720 –> 00:05:55,339 to our lives today. 117 00:05:55,339 –> 00:05:57,140 First then, David’s promise to God. 118 00:05:57,140 –> 00:05:59,480 Please follow in your Bible as you have it open. 119 00:05:59,480 –> 00:06:02,359 Notice what his promise was, verse three. 120 00:06:02,359 –> 00:06:05,559 I will not enter my house or go to my bed. 121 00:06:05,559 –> 00:06:09,359 I will allow no sleep to my eyes nor slumber to my eyelids 122 00:06:09,420 –> 00:06:11,839 till I find a place for the Lord, 123 00:06:11,839 –> 00:06:15,679 a dwelling for the mighty one of Jacob. 124 00:06:16,779 –> 00:06:19,160 Now this is referring to the great story 125 00:06:19,160 –> 00:06:23,399 in the Old Testament of the Ark of the Covenant. 126 00:06:23,399 –> 00:06:25,440 I think this is one of the most fascinating stories 127 00:06:25,440 –> 00:06:26,959 in the Old Testament. 128 00:06:26,959 –> 00:06:27,799 If you don’t know it, 129 00:06:27,799 –> 00:06:30,160 it’s a great Bible story to know. 130 00:06:30,160 –> 00:06:31,000 If you do know it, 131 00:06:31,000 –> 00:06:34,579 I think you’ll probably enjoy hearing it again. 132 00:06:34,579 –> 00:06:37,820 The Ark of the Covenant was a wooden box. 133 00:06:37,820 –> 00:06:39,279 It was about four feet long, 134 00:06:39,279 –> 00:06:41,940 two feet wide, two feet high. 135 00:06:41,940 –> 00:06:44,700 It was carried on poles by the Levites 136 00:06:44,700 –> 00:06:48,000 when God’s people were traveling through the desert. 137 00:06:48,000 –> 00:06:50,200 Inside the box, you know what was inside the Ark? 138 00:06:50,200 –> 00:06:52,220 Three things inside the Ark. 139 00:06:52,220 –> 00:06:54,899 There was a golden pot that contained Manna 140 00:06:54,899 –> 00:06:56,820 that spoke of God’s provision for his people. 141 00:06:56,820 –> 00:06:58,820 God provides for us. 142 00:06:58,820 –> 00:07:01,220 There was Aaron’s Rod that budded, 143 00:07:01,220 –> 00:07:04,399 which reminds us of the miracle 144 00:07:04,399 –> 00:07:07,140 by which our life is sustained. 145 00:07:07,140 –> 00:07:09,260 And then beyond that, there were the copies 146 00:07:09,260 –> 00:07:14,079 of the Ten Commandments engraved on the tablets of stone. 147 00:07:14,079 –> 00:07:19,079 Now, on top of the box, there was a lid, or a cover, 148 00:07:19,220 –> 00:07:21,179 and on this lid or cover, 149 00:07:21,179 –> 00:07:24,600 there were two statues of cherubim. 150 00:07:24,600 –> 00:07:26,700 The cherubim were angelic figures 151 00:07:26,700 –> 00:07:28,459 who first come across them in the Bible 152 00:07:28,459 –> 00:07:31,160 guarding the entrance to the Garden of Eden. 153 00:07:31,160 –> 00:07:33,600 Remember after Adam and Eve were sent out, 154 00:07:33,600 –> 00:07:36,160 expelled on account of their sin, 155 00:07:36,239 –> 00:07:39,040 there was no way back, and it was cherubim 156 00:07:39,040 –> 00:07:42,320 that made sure that they didn’t attempt to come back. 157 00:07:42,320 –> 00:07:43,540 So cherubim in the Bible 158 00:07:43,540 –> 00:07:45,959 always speak of the judgment of God. 159 00:07:45,959 –> 00:07:47,399 That is what they represent. 160 00:07:47,399 –> 00:07:50,160 And there were these two statues of cherubim 161 00:07:50,160 –> 00:07:54,359 on top of the lid, or cover, of the ark. 162 00:07:54,359 –> 00:07:57,579 Now the most important thing about the ark was this, 163 00:07:57,579 –> 00:08:02,579 that God said specifically, I will meet you there. 164 00:08:02,760 –> 00:08:05,480 Exodus 25 and verse 22, 165 00:08:05,480 –> 00:08:07,559 in fact God’s very specific, he says, 166 00:08:07,559 –> 00:08:11,040 there, above the cover, 167 00:08:11,040 –> 00:08:13,200 between the two cherubim 168 00:08:13,200 –> 00:08:15,980 that are over the ark of the testimony, 169 00:08:15,980 –> 00:08:18,640 I will meet with you. 170 00:08:18,640 –> 00:08:22,600 In fact, that area between these two carved statues 171 00:08:22,600 –> 00:08:26,600 was sometimes referred to as God’s footstool. 172 00:08:26,600 –> 00:08:28,119 The picture you see was of God 173 00:08:28,119 –> 00:08:29,880 in all his glory and majesty 174 00:08:29,880 –> 00:08:33,640 and his feet resting on this area. 175 00:08:33,640 –> 00:08:35,159 This was the meeting point 176 00:08:35,159 –> 00:08:37,119 in which God would come down 177 00:08:37,119 –> 00:08:39,200 and draw near in his presence 178 00:08:39,200 –> 00:08:43,159 to these Old Testament believers. 179 00:08:43,159 –> 00:08:45,900 And here is what happened 180 00:08:45,900 –> 00:08:48,840 on one special day in the year 181 00:08:48,840 –> 00:08:51,140 that was called the day of atonement. 182 00:08:51,140 –> 00:08:53,799 The high priest would go into a tent area 183 00:08:53,799 –> 00:08:56,919 that surrounded this ark of the covenant 184 00:08:56,919 –> 00:08:59,640 and he would take blood of a sacrificed animal 185 00:08:59,640 –> 00:09:02,640 and he would sprinkle that blood 186 00:09:02,640 –> 00:09:04,440 on the area of the lid 187 00:09:04,460 –> 00:09:06,679 between the two cherubim. 188 00:09:06,679 –> 00:09:09,359 It was also known as the mercy seat. 189 00:09:09,359 –> 00:09:11,700 And this is full of symbolism in the Bible, you see, 190 00:09:11,700 –> 00:09:15,359 because God’s grace, God’s mercy, 191 00:09:15,359 –> 00:09:17,940 God’s forgiveness, was released 192 00:09:17,940 –> 00:09:20,359 in the place of judgment 193 00:09:20,359 –> 00:09:24,840 by the application of the blood of a sacrifice, 194 00:09:24,840 –> 00:09:26,919 all of which is teaching us 195 00:09:26,919 –> 00:09:28,760 what Jesus would do 196 00:09:28,760 –> 00:09:32,119 and why we needed that to be done. 197 00:09:32,159 –> 00:09:35,760 So the ark was obviously of immense importance. 198 00:09:35,760 –> 00:09:37,919 The meeting place of God and His people 199 00:09:37,919 –> 00:09:39,400 in the Old Testament. 200 00:09:39,400 –> 00:09:43,020 It was the heart of the spiritual life of the nation. 201 00:09:43,020 –> 00:09:45,039 Now, it was with God’s people throughout the time 202 00:09:45,039 –> 00:09:47,039 when they traveled in the desert. 203 00:09:47,039 –> 00:09:49,599 But when they got into the land of Canaan, 204 00:09:49,599 –> 00:09:52,260 they began to neglect spiritual things. 205 00:09:52,260 –> 00:09:53,679 And that was true pretty much 206 00:09:53,679 –> 00:09:57,000 throughout the years of King Saul. 207 00:09:57,000 –> 00:09:58,479 On one occasion 208 00:09:58,479 –> 00:10:00,760 when they were defeated in battle, 209 00:10:00,760 –> 00:10:02,280 someone came up with a suggestion, 210 00:10:02,280 –> 00:10:06,219 maybe we should take the ark into our next fight with us. 211 00:10:06,219 –> 00:10:09,000 And so they took it into their next battle. 212 00:10:09,000 –> 00:10:10,380 And, of course, you could predict, 213 00:10:10,380 –> 00:10:11,479 that’s never going to work. 214 00:10:11,479 –> 00:10:13,760 You can’t be resisting God 215 00:10:13,760 –> 00:10:15,159 and then try and use Him 216 00:10:15,159 –> 00:10:17,900 to make things work out right for you. 217 00:10:17,900 –> 00:10:18,820 And so what happened 218 00:10:18,820 –> 00:10:21,119 was that Israel was defeated. 219 00:10:21,119 –> 00:10:22,179 And not only defeated 220 00:10:22,179 –> 00:10:25,200 but the ark was captured by the Philistines 221 00:10:25,200 –> 00:10:26,520 who took it off 222 00:10:26,520 –> 00:10:29,640 and placed it in the temple of their god, 223 00:10:29,679 –> 00:10:31,539 an idol called Dagon. 224 00:10:32,400 –> 00:10:34,219 So the ark was in Dagon’s temple. 225 00:10:34,219 –> 00:10:35,940 They locked the temple up for the night. 226 00:10:35,940 –> 00:10:38,919 And when the priests of Dagon came back the next morning, 227 00:10:38,919 –> 00:10:41,099 you know what had happened? 228 00:10:41,099 –> 00:10:43,679 In the night, Dagon the idol 229 00:10:43,679 –> 00:10:46,919 had fallen off his stand 230 00:10:46,919 –> 00:10:49,520 and was lying smashed on the floor 231 00:10:49,520 –> 00:10:52,440 in front of the Ark of the Covenant. 232 00:10:52,440 –> 00:10:53,559 Well, the Philistines, of course, 233 00:10:53,559 –> 00:10:55,419 didn’t like this one bit. 234 00:10:55,419 –> 00:10:57,179 They decided that they didn’t want things 235 00:10:57,239 –> 00:10:59,679 that go bump in the night in their temple of Dagon. 236 00:10:59,679 –> 00:11:01,640 And so they decided the very best thing they could do 237 00:11:01,640 –> 00:11:03,140 is get rid of the ark. 238 00:11:03,140 –> 00:11:04,640 And what followed after that 239 00:11:04,640 –> 00:11:07,599 was a long, long story of the ark 240 00:11:07,599 –> 00:11:10,080 being moved from one town to another, 241 00:11:10,080 –> 00:11:11,599 one place to another. 242 00:11:11,599 –> 00:11:15,479 And whatever the ark came, trouble seemed to follow. 243 00:11:15,479 –> 00:11:17,419 And so, in the end, the Philistines said, 244 00:11:17,419 –> 00:11:19,039 hey, we’ve had enough of this. 245 00:11:19,039 –> 00:11:21,619 We’ll give the ark back to the Israelites 246 00:11:21,619 –> 00:11:24,239 and maybe it’ll do trouble for them instead of us. 247 00:11:24,239 –> 00:11:26,840 And so it comes back into Israel 248 00:11:27,239 –> 00:11:28,280 and to cut a long story short, 249 00:11:28,280 –> 00:11:32,479 it ends up in a little known town called Kiriath Jeram, 250 00:11:34,619 –> 00:11:39,179 where it was put into storage in a barn 251 00:11:39,179 –> 00:11:43,719 on a farm owned by a man by the name of Abinardab. 252 00:11:43,719 –> 00:11:46,500 And there it was forgotten 253 00:11:46,500 –> 00:11:50,179 throughout the entire period of the reign of Saul 254 00:11:50,179 –> 00:11:51,320 for 20 years. 255 00:11:52,299 –> 00:11:55,700 Imagine it, the central point of the spiritual life 256 00:11:55,700 –> 00:11:58,880 of a nation wrapped up and lost somewhere 257 00:11:58,880 –> 00:12:02,320 in a rural farmyard for 20 years 258 00:12:04,400 –> 00:12:06,780 until David came to the throne. 259 00:12:08,679 –> 00:12:10,200 And when David came to the throne, 260 00:12:10,200 –> 00:12:12,280 he was determined that things were gonna change 261 00:12:12,280 –> 00:12:13,700 big time in the nation. 262 00:12:13,700 –> 00:12:16,520 He wanted first, then, to bring the symbol 263 00:12:16,520 –> 00:12:19,320 of the presence of God, the Ark of the Covenant, 264 00:12:19,320 –> 00:12:21,640 to the very center of national life, 265 00:12:21,640 –> 00:12:23,880 which was of course the city of Jerusalem. 266 00:12:23,880 –> 00:12:25,159 And so he says here, 267 00:12:25,159 –> 00:12:26,520 this is what his vow is about, 268 00:12:26,520 –> 00:12:29,760 he’s not going to rest until he brings 269 00:12:29,760 –> 00:12:32,299 the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, 270 00:12:32,299 –> 00:12:34,799 until he makes a dwelling place 271 00:12:34,799 –> 00:12:36,859 for the mighty one of Jacob. 272 00:12:38,099 –> 00:12:39,960 Well of course the first problem was 273 00:12:39,960 –> 00:12:42,260 that nobody knew where the Ark was. 274 00:12:43,320 –> 00:12:44,840 I mean what do you do when you’re going searching 275 00:12:44,840 –> 00:12:46,880 for a lost Ark after 20 years? 276 00:12:47,760 –> 00:12:50,059 You can’t search the internet. 277 00:12:50,059 –> 00:12:52,219 Or you can’t put an advert on television. 278 00:12:52,979 –> 00:12:55,359 So what David did evidently was he 279 00:12:55,359 –> 00:12:57,299 went back to his own home town, 280 00:12:57,299 –> 00:13:01,299 David came from Bethlehem and 281 00:13:01,299 –> 00:13:02,820 the thing to do if you’re trying to find out 282 00:13:02,820 –> 00:13:04,500 something that went missing 20 years ago 283 00:13:04,500 –> 00:13:06,739 is look up some old guys. 284 00:13:06,739 –> 00:13:08,659 And I guess he found some older people there 285 00:13:08,659 –> 00:13:10,460 and in Bethlehem he got a tip-off 286 00:13:10,460 –> 00:13:12,020 as to where it might be. 287 00:13:12,020 –> 00:13:13,020 Someone remembered a story, 288 00:13:13,020 –> 00:13:15,580 a rumor that it had ended up in the 289 00:13:15,580 –> 00:13:18,340 little known rural town of Kiriat Jerusalem. 290 00:13:19,320 –> 00:13:20,619 Now if you look at verse six, 291 00:13:20,619 –> 00:13:22,020 that is what it’s all about. 292 00:13:22,020 –> 00:13:26,359 You see it says that we heard about it in Ephrata. 293 00:13:27,320 –> 00:13:31,059 Now Ephrata of course was the ancient name for Bethlehem. 294 00:13:31,059 –> 00:13:32,299 Remember Micah the prophet, 295 00:13:32,299 –> 00:13:34,000 it gets read every year at Christmas time, 296 00:13:34,000 –> 00:13:37,340 out of you Bethlehem Ephrata. 297 00:13:37,340 –> 00:13:39,020 You see, that was the old name for Bethlehem. 298 00:13:39,020 –> 00:13:41,320 Will come, a ruler who will shepherd 299 00:13:41,320 –> 00:13:44,119 his people, Israel. 300 00:13:44,119 –> 00:13:46,559 So David comes to Bethlehem 301 00:13:46,559 –> 00:13:50,340 and he hears the story that 302 00:13:50,340 –> 00:13:52,340 it’s evidently in Koreath-jerim. 303 00:13:53,380 –> 00:13:56,500 And so he says we heard of it in Ephrata. 304 00:13:57,640 –> 00:14:02,640 We came upon it, verse six, in the fields of Jar. 305 00:14:02,979 –> 00:14:05,059 Now if you have a new international version 306 00:14:05,059 –> 00:14:08,799 and extremely good eyesight, 307 00:14:08,799 –> 00:14:10,479 you will see that there is a footnote 308 00:14:10,479 –> 00:14:11,719 there in the page on your Bible, 309 00:14:11,719 –> 00:14:13,080 if you look right down the bottom, 310 00:14:13,080 –> 00:14:14,239 and it will tell you there that 311 00:14:14,239 –> 00:14:16,280 the fields of Jar are of course 312 00:14:16,280 –> 00:14:19,340 a reference to none other than Koreath-jerim, 313 00:14:19,380 –> 00:14:21,580 where the Ark had been lying, 314 00:14:21,580 –> 00:14:25,739 forgotten, in the house of Abinadab for 20 years. 315 00:14:25,739 –> 00:14:29,659 So, David and his mighty men go to Koreath-jerim, 316 00:14:29,659 –> 00:14:32,479 they bring the Ark back to Jerusalem, 317 00:14:32,479 –> 00:14:36,359 where David had already pitched a tent to house it. 318 00:14:36,359 –> 00:14:38,619 But of course that was only a temporary measure. 319 00:14:38,619 –> 00:14:41,900 His long-term plan was for something far grander. 320 00:14:41,900 –> 00:14:44,479 It was that he should build the Temple, 321 00:14:44,479 –> 00:14:47,419 which would be the magnificent housing 322 00:14:47,419 –> 00:14:51,099 for the centerpiece of the spiritual life of the nation, 323 00:14:51,099 –> 00:14:54,059 the Ark, of the covenant. 324 00:14:54,059 –> 00:14:55,719 So, I think of this, you know, 325 00:14:55,719 –> 00:14:57,500 it really must be rather like finding 326 00:14:57,500 –> 00:14:59,700 a magnificent piece of American history 327 00:14:59,700 –> 00:15:01,460 on a farm in Idaho and bringing it 328 00:15:01,460 –> 00:15:03,219 to the Senate in Washington. 329 00:15:03,219 –> 00:15:06,340 You see, it has that kind of significance in national life. 330 00:15:07,380 –> 00:15:09,880 Now that brings us to the main point of the Psalm. 331 00:15:11,299 –> 00:15:14,299 David brought the Ark to Jerusalem. 332 00:15:15,119 –> 00:15:19,500 But he was not able to complete his dream 333 00:15:19,500 –> 00:15:21,359 of building the temple. 334 00:15:22,739 –> 00:15:26,119 His big dream was to create this place 335 00:15:26,119 –> 00:15:29,140 for the presence of God, this housing for the Ark, 336 00:15:29,140 –> 00:15:31,280 this temple of God. 337 00:15:32,659 –> 00:15:35,460 But he couldn’t complete what he had planned. 338 00:15:36,820 –> 00:15:40,380 He couldn’t deliver what he’d promised. 339 00:15:41,239 –> 00:15:44,659 Now David was, of course, one of the three great heroes 340 00:15:44,659 –> 00:15:45,700 of the Old Testament. 341 00:15:45,700 –> 00:15:47,979 If you’re to pick any three from the Old Testament 342 00:15:47,979 –> 00:15:49,820 as the greats, may be surely gonna go with 343 00:15:49,820 –> 00:15:54,119 Abraham, Moses, and David. 344 00:15:54,119 –> 00:15:56,580 Magnificent achievements. 345 00:15:56,580 –> 00:16:01,580 But you see, even David was not able to do everything 346 00:16:03,359 –> 00:16:04,760 that was in his heart. 347 00:16:05,799 –> 00:16:08,799 And you see, that is the pattern of all of our lives, 348 00:16:08,799 –> 00:16:09,640 isn’t it? 349 00:16:10,719 –> 00:16:14,099 If David wasn’t able to do everything in his heart 350 00:16:14,099 –> 00:16:17,059 with all his resources and all his opportunities, 351 00:16:17,059 –> 00:16:19,020 you’re not gonna be able to do everything 352 00:16:19,020 –> 00:16:21,280 that’s in your heart and I’m not gonna be able 353 00:16:21,280 –> 00:16:24,039 to do everything that’s in my heart. 354 00:16:25,580 –> 00:16:28,340 Most of us set out on life with a dream 355 00:16:28,340 –> 00:16:29,979 of what we want to accomplish. 356 00:16:30,820 –> 00:16:31,979 That’s a good thing. 357 00:16:33,559 –> 00:16:36,299 You have a dream about marriage. 358 00:16:36,299 –> 00:16:37,780 You have a dream about family. 359 00:16:37,780 –> 00:16:40,159 You have a dream about how it will be with your children. 360 00:16:40,159 –> 00:16:42,419 You have a dream of your career, of travel, 361 00:16:42,419 –> 00:16:44,080 of financial independence. 362 00:16:44,080 –> 00:16:46,159 You have a dream of creating something. 363 00:16:47,719 –> 00:16:49,219 You have a dream of building a business. 364 00:16:49,219 –> 00:16:51,159 You have a dream of having an impact for Christ. 365 00:16:51,159 –> 00:16:54,159 You have a dream of touching the life of some person 366 00:16:54,159 –> 00:16:56,919 who is in desperate need and pouring yourself 367 00:16:56,919 –> 00:16:59,080 into changing their experience. 368 00:17:02,359 –> 00:17:06,839 But in every life, there comes a moment 369 00:17:06,839 –> 00:17:08,239 where we realize 370 00:17:10,619 –> 00:17:13,500 that you will not achieve everything 371 00:17:13,500 –> 00:17:15,459 that you want to accomplish. 372 00:17:17,300 –> 00:17:18,699 And we have a name for this. 373 00:17:19,719 –> 00:17:24,719 We call it the midlife crisis, right? 374 00:17:27,900 –> 00:17:30,439 Actually, all the midlife crisis is 375 00:17:31,640 –> 00:17:35,160 the first intimation of our mortality. 376 00:17:36,719 –> 00:17:39,140 It’s the first sneaking suspicion 377 00:17:39,260 –> 00:17:42,459 that I may not fulfill all of my dreams after all. 378 00:17:43,939 –> 00:17:47,099 I may not become everything that I’d hoped after all, 379 00:17:48,540 –> 00:17:50,020 that I may run out of time, 380 00:17:50,020 –> 00:17:51,939 that I may run out of opportunity, 381 00:17:51,939 –> 00:17:54,479 that I may run out of resource, 382 00:17:56,280 –> 00:17:57,859 and that for all that I may achieve 383 00:17:57,859 –> 00:17:59,560 and become and accomplish, 384 00:18:00,699 –> 00:18:03,420 it’s not going to be everything 385 00:18:03,420 –> 00:18:06,040 that’s there in the dream. 386 00:18:06,920 –> 00:18:11,459 The projects that you were not able to accomplish, 387 00:18:11,459 –> 00:18:14,680 the relationship that did not work out as you had hoped, 388 00:18:14,680 –> 00:18:17,239 the children who are not following in the path 389 00:18:17,239 –> 00:18:18,680 you had led them in, 390 00:18:18,680 –> 00:18:22,839 the ministry that did not fulfill it’s early purpose, 391 00:18:22,839 –> 00:18:25,719 the work into which you poured yourself 392 00:18:25,719 –> 00:18:28,939 and then it turned and moved in a different direction. 393 00:18:32,040 –> 00:18:34,780 And however much you may have been able to achieve 394 00:18:34,800 –> 00:18:36,680 of your initial vision, 395 00:18:38,339 –> 00:18:40,099 there will always be that part of you 396 00:18:40,099 –> 00:18:44,180 that will say, I would have liked to have. 397 00:18:45,579 –> 00:18:46,959 And then you’ll complete that sentence. 398 00:18:46,959 –> 00:18:48,780 For David it would have been you know, 399 00:18:48,780 –> 00:18:51,699 for all that God enabled me to do, 400 00:18:51,699 –> 00:18:53,619 I really would have liked to have built the temple, 401 00:18:53,619 –> 00:18:55,520 I really would, I really would. 402 00:18:58,739 –> 00:19:00,739 Thinking about David’s vow, 403 00:19:00,800 –> 00:19:05,400 ah it’s made me think about my vows again. 404 00:19:08,180 –> 00:19:10,060 Vows are a wonderful thing, 405 00:19:10,060 –> 00:19:11,939 when you make them you identify 406 00:19:11,939 –> 00:19:14,540 the central navigating points of your life. 407 00:19:15,900 –> 00:19:17,500 You should only ever have a few, 408 00:19:18,780 –> 00:19:21,020 you should and need to remember what they are. 409 00:19:22,900 –> 00:19:24,260 I’ve only made four vows, 410 00:19:24,260 –> 00:19:26,000 I don’t expect to make any others. 411 00:19:26,979 –> 00:19:29,420 I’ll give you them in the chronological order 412 00:19:29,859 –> 00:19:31,579 in which they were made in my life. 413 00:19:33,319 –> 00:19:35,900 The first was a vow to follow Christ, 414 00:19:36,959 –> 00:19:39,400 I made that on the day that I was baptized. 415 00:19:41,719 –> 00:19:46,099 The second was a vow of love and of loyalty to Carin 416 00:19:47,640 –> 00:19:49,500 made on the day that we were married. 417 00:19:51,560 –> 00:19:55,160 The third was a vow to be faithful to the scriptures 418 00:19:55,160 –> 00:19:59,180 made on the day that I was ordained as a pastor. 419 00:20:00,400 –> 00:20:03,420 And the fourth was made on two occasions 420 00:20:03,420 –> 00:20:05,859 and that was a vow to raise our children, 421 00:20:05,859 –> 00:20:09,020 Andrew and David, in the ways of Christ 422 00:20:09,020 –> 00:20:11,020 made of course on the occasions 423 00:20:11,020 –> 00:20:13,459 when our two boys were dedicated. 424 00:20:14,660 –> 00:20:17,319 Now, these four vows are very simply 425 00:20:17,319 –> 00:20:20,500 the sacred navigating points of my life. 426 00:20:23,540 –> 00:20:25,359 They define who I am! 427 00:20:25,420 –> 00:20:27,920 I’m a Christian, I’m a husband, 428 00:20:31,339 –> 00:20:33,839 I’m a father and I’m a pastor. 429 00:20:35,939 –> 00:20:36,780 Four vows. 430 00:20:39,660 –> 00:20:42,780 I’ve got to tell you I am still working 431 00:20:42,780 –> 00:20:44,520 on every one of them. 432 00:20:46,439 –> 00:20:51,119 I’m still working on being a better Christian. 433 00:20:51,160 –> 00:20:53,839 I’m still working on being a better husband. 434 00:20:55,339 –> 00:20:57,880 I’m still working on being a better father, 435 00:20:59,219 –> 00:21:02,400 and I’m still working on being a better pastor. 436 00:21:04,540 –> 00:21:09,540 And the truth is that these things will never be complete. 437 00:21:11,599 –> 00:21:16,140 I will never come to a point where I have done everything 438 00:21:16,140 –> 00:21:17,459 that I wanted to do, 439 00:21:17,459 –> 00:21:20,760 I will never come to a point where I have become 440 00:21:20,760 –> 00:21:22,939 everything that I wanted to be. 441 00:21:25,760 –> 00:21:27,479 And so the question is, 442 00:21:28,699 –> 00:21:30,660 how can I find rest? 443 00:21:33,119 –> 00:21:35,000 See, that’s the problem for David, isn’t it? 444 00:21:35,000 –> 00:21:37,119 Look back at verses three and four again, 445 00:21:37,119 –> 00:21:38,760 look at his vow. 446 00:21:38,760 –> 00:21:41,939 I will not enter my house or go to my bed 447 00:21:41,939 –> 00:21:44,020 I will not allow sleep to my eyes, 448 00:21:44,020 –> 00:21:45,680 nor slumber to my eyelids, 449 00:21:45,680 –> 00:21:49,099 till I find a place for the Lord, 450 00:21:49,119 –> 00:21:51,880 a dwelling for the mighty one of Jacob. 451 00:21:51,880 –> 00:21:54,680 That’s until I’ve built the temple to house the ark. 452 00:21:54,680 –> 00:21:56,160 That’s what he’s referring to. 453 00:21:56,160 –> 00:21:59,180 Well, that’s not a lot of sleep, is it? 454 00:21:59,180 –> 00:22:00,939 Considered he never got it done? 455 00:22:03,280 –> 00:22:07,540 See, you can’t get much stronger commitment than David’s. 456 00:22:08,479 –> 00:22:10,859 Obviously, he’s not saying to us 457 00:22:10,859 –> 00:22:13,420 that he never slept for the rest of his life. 458 00:22:13,420 –> 00:22:14,599 What he’s saying is 459 00:22:14,599 –> 00:22:18,520 that he poured himself into his life’s work. 460 00:22:18,520 –> 00:22:22,339 He is a man who is driving relentlessly 461 00:22:22,339 –> 00:22:24,500 after the pursuit of his vision. 462 00:22:25,599 –> 00:22:27,560 He’s made a marvelous promise, 463 00:22:27,560 –> 00:22:30,000 and he says, I can’t ever give up on it. 464 00:22:30,000 –> 00:22:32,900 I’m pursuing it with everything that is within me. 465 00:22:36,640 –> 00:22:37,959 The question, of course, 466 00:22:37,959 –> 00:22:42,160 is how, then, do we avoid destroying ourselves 467 00:22:43,199 –> 00:22:44,719 in the relentless pursuit 468 00:22:44,719 –> 00:22:46,900 of what we can never ultimately achieve? 469 00:22:49,280 –> 00:22:53,000 And isn’t that the story of so many lives, 470 00:22:53,000 –> 00:22:58,000 the drivenness of trying to achieve 471 00:22:58,400 –> 00:23:00,760 something you can never quite complete, 472 00:23:01,920 –> 00:23:06,239 the relentlessness of trying to become something 473 00:23:06,239 –> 00:23:08,699 that is just beyond your grasp? 474 00:23:10,920 –> 00:23:12,160 You experience that? 475 00:23:12,939 –> 00:23:13,760 They did? 476 00:23:15,420 –> 00:23:16,619 David did. 477 00:23:21,959 –> 00:23:24,920 so now let’s look at the second half of the psalm 478 00:23:24,920 –> 00:23:27,439 because if the first half raises the question 479 00:23:27,439 –> 00:23:28,619 as surely as it does, 480 00:23:28,619 –> 00:23:31,599 the second half brings us to the answer. 481 00:23:32,599 –> 00:23:36,260 We’ve looked at David’s wonderful promise to God, 482 00:23:36,260 –> 00:23:38,760 though he was never quite able to fulfill all of it. 483 00:23:39,780 –> 00:23:41,839 Let’s look now at God’s promise to David. 484 00:23:42,500 –> 00:23:43,359 Notice the parallel. 485 00:23:43,359 –> 00:23:47,359 Verse two, David swore an oath to the Lord. 486 00:23:47,359 –> 00:23:50,000 Verse 11, the Lord swore an oath to David. 487 00:23:50,000 –> 00:23:51,900 You can see that that’s quite clearly 488 00:23:51,900 –> 00:23:55,199 the central thrust of the psalm, 489 00:23:55,199 –> 00:23:57,079 verse two and verse 11. 490 00:23:57,079 –> 00:23:59,099 Now you see what’s happening here. 491 00:23:59,099 –> 00:24:02,680 God turned the tables on David. 492 00:24:04,180 –> 00:24:09,180 David, you are living on what you are trying to do for me. 493 00:24:09,199 –> 00:24:11,420 What you are trying to do for me. 494 00:24:11,420 –> 00:24:12,640 That’s your whole life. 495 00:24:14,680 –> 00:24:17,719 Let me now shift the focus and talk to you, 496 00:24:17,719 –> 00:24:22,219 David, about what I will do for you. 497 00:24:24,319 –> 00:24:27,199 Now, Solomon is referring here, 498 00:24:27,199 –> 00:24:31,060 of course, to the marbles promise that God gave to David, 499 00:24:31,060 –> 00:24:34,459 which is recorded in 2 Samuel in chapter seven. 500 00:24:34,459 –> 00:24:36,459 If you were to pick out one promise that God made to David, 501 00:24:36,520 –> 00:24:39,760 this is it, the Davidic promise. 502 00:24:39,760 –> 00:24:44,020 And it’s worth knowing, 2 Samuel 7 verses 13 and 14, 503 00:24:44,020 –> 00:24:46,939 when David’s talking about what he’s going to do for God, 504 00:24:46,939 –> 00:24:50,160 God then comes back and speaks about a descendant of David, 505 00:24:50,160 –> 00:24:51,400 and he says this. 506 00:24:51,400 –> 00:24:53,560 He is the one 507 00:24:53,560 –> 00:24:56,880 who will build a house for my name. 508 00:24:56,880 –> 00:25:00,439 And I will establish his kingdom forever. 509 00:25:00,439 –> 00:25:02,719 I will be his father. 510 00:25:02,719 –> 00:25:04,920 And he will be my son. 511 00:25:04,959 –> 00:25:06,839 This is God’s promise to David 512 00:25:06,839 –> 00:25:10,199 that is being referred to here in Psalm 132. 513 00:25:11,979 –> 00:25:13,339 Now, it’s an amazing promise. 514 00:25:13,339 –> 00:25:14,739 I think it must have left David 515 00:25:14,739 –> 00:25:16,680 scratching his head in confusion. 516 00:25:18,560 –> 00:25:20,479 Lord, what did you say? 517 00:25:22,439 –> 00:25:26,160 How can any king reign forever? 518 00:25:26,160 –> 00:25:28,979 Every man has his life and then he dies. 519 00:25:29,619 –> 00:25:34,819 How can any son of mine reign forever? 520 00:25:37,339 –> 00:25:38,780 And more than that, Lord, 521 00:25:38,780 –> 00:25:42,219 what can you possibly mean when you say of my son 522 00:25:42,219 –> 00:25:43,959 that you will be his father, 523 00:25:44,719 –> 00:25:46,140 and he will be your son? 524 00:25:46,140 –> 00:25:49,040 How can any son of mine be a son of God? 525 00:25:51,819 –> 00:25:53,300 I suppose for a moment that David 526 00:25:53,300 –> 00:25:55,819 had a clue as to how to answer these questions. 527 00:25:55,819 –> 00:26:00,839 But the one thing that must have been clear to him 528 00:26:00,839 –> 00:26:02,939 was that the hope for the future 529 00:26:02,939 –> 00:26:05,920 lay not in what he hoped to do for God 530 00:26:07,339 –> 00:26:11,739 but in what God was promising he would one day do for David. 531 00:26:13,540 –> 00:26:15,540 Looking back, of course, 532 00:26:15,540 –> 00:26:17,420 we can see how all of this 533 00:26:17,420 –> 00:26:19,819 immediately points us to the Lord Jesus Christ, 534 00:26:19,819 –> 00:26:22,859 who was born into the line of David, 535 00:26:22,900 –> 00:26:24,880 born of the Virgin Mary. 536 00:26:27,020 –> 00:26:30,020 And he is the King who reigns forever and ever. 537 00:26:30,020 –> 00:26:33,260 And he is not only the son of David, the Son of Man, 538 00:26:33,260 –> 00:26:36,300 but he is the Son of God. 539 00:26:39,020 –> 00:26:41,239 Now, I want you to notice then the contrast 540 00:26:41,239 –> 00:26:43,280 that there is between David’s promise to God 541 00:26:43,280 –> 00:26:44,780 and God’s promise to David. 542 00:26:45,959 –> 00:26:50,140 David’s promise to God leaves you exhausted. 543 00:26:51,119 –> 00:26:51,959 I mean, look at it. 544 00:26:52,040 –> 00:26:54,520 I’m not gonna sleep till I’ve done all this stuff. 545 00:26:56,619 –> 00:26:59,020 Look at God’s promise to David in verse 14, 546 00:26:59,020 –> 00:27:00,540 where it ends up. 547 00:27:01,599 –> 00:27:05,959 God says, this is my resting place forever and ever. 548 00:27:05,959 –> 00:27:09,800 Here I sit enthroned, for I have desired it. 549 00:27:11,319 –> 00:27:14,339 There’s a drivenness, a relentlessness 550 00:27:16,439 –> 00:27:19,040 in David’s promise to God. 551 00:27:19,839 –> 00:27:24,660 There’s a rest that is at the very heart 552 00:27:24,660 –> 00:27:26,380 of God’s promise to David. 553 00:27:27,560 –> 00:27:30,359 The reason for this is very simple and very obvious 554 00:27:30,359 –> 00:27:34,260 that what David wants to do for God is never done. 555 00:27:35,500 –> 00:27:38,719 What God has promised to do for David 556 00:27:38,719 –> 00:27:43,719 and for you and for me is complete in Jesus Christ. 557 00:27:44,599 –> 00:27:46,560 He uniquely, in all human history, 558 00:27:46,560 –> 00:27:49,000 is the one who was able to say, from the cross, 559 00:27:49,040 –> 00:27:51,219 it is finished. 560 00:27:53,439 –> 00:27:57,359 God is not up there in heaven trying to scratch his head 561 00:27:57,359 –> 00:28:00,920 as it were to figure out a way as to how to save you. 562 00:28:02,239 –> 00:28:05,979 He’s already done it in the cross of Jesus Christ. 563 00:28:06,900 –> 00:28:10,199 That is why Christ is ascended and seated in heaven 564 00:28:10,199 –> 00:28:12,520 because nothing more needs to be added 565 00:28:12,520 –> 00:28:14,839 to what he has already done. 566 00:28:15,739 –> 00:28:20,479 No one has put this better than Jonathan Edwards. 567 00:28:20,479 –> 00:28:22,180 Great American preacher. 568 00:28:23,479 –> 00:28:26,959 He talks about the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament 569 00:28:26,959 –> 00:28:29,540 and how they didn’t really contribute anything 570 00:28:29,540 –> 00:28:31,939 to purchasing our salvation, 571 00:28:31,939 –> 00:28:34,540 but merely foreshadowed what God would do 572 00:28:34,540 –> 00:28:38,800 definitively, decisively, and finally in Jesus Christ. 573 00:28:38,800 –> 00:28:40,119 And then he says this. 574 00:28:40,979 –> 00:28:45,979 As soon as Christ was incarnate, the purchase began. 575 00:28:47,599 –> 00:28:51,160 And the whole time of Christ’s humiliation till the morning 576 00:28:51,160 –> 00:28:54,540 he rose from the dead was taken up in this purchase. 577 00:28:55,640 –> 00:28:59,979 Then the purchase was entirely and completely finished. 578 00:29:00,959 –> 00:29:03,719 As nothing was done before Christ’s incarnation, 579 00:29:03,719 –> 00:29:06,199 so nothing was after his resurrection 580 00:29:06,199 –> 00:29:08,400 to purchase redemption for men, 581 00:29:08,400 –> 00:29:13,400 nor will there ever be anything more done to all eternity. 582 00:29:15,959 –> 00:29:18,339 Boy, doesn’t your heart say amen to that? 583 00:29:20,140 –> 00:29:22,979 What God has done for you in Christ 584 00:29:22,979 –> 00:29:24,939 is not a work in process. 585 00:29:24,939 –> 00:29:27,619 It is done, it is accomplished. 586 00:29:27,619 –> 00:29:29,479 There is nothing that needs to be added 587 00:29:29,479 –> 00:29:31,739 to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ 588 00:29:31,739 –> 00:29:33,479 to bring his people fully, 589 00:29:33,479 –> 00:29:37,339 finally, completely triumphantly to glory. 590 00:29:39,380 –> 00:29:41,760 Now when you read this Psalm in the light of Jesus, 591 00:29:41,760 –> 00:29:44,819 the whole thing takes on a new depth of meaning. 592 00:29:46,079 –> 00:29:47,280 Think about the ark. 593 00:29:48,660 –> 00:29:53,339 Think about it being given into the hands of enemies 594 00:29:54,760 –> 00:29:59,760 and then placed in the darkness of Dagon’s temple. 595 00:30:01,880 –> 00:30:05,079 Now think of Jesus being given into the hands 596 00:30:05,099 –> 00:30:08,699 of His enemies and nailed to a cross. 597 00:30:10,859 –> 00:30:13,500 Think of how even in the darkness of Dagon’s temple, 598 00:30:13,500 –> 00:30:16,979 the power of God overcame the dark powers of evil forces 599 00:30:16,979 –> 00:30:19,479 and think of how the New Testament tells us 600 00:30:19,479 –> 00:30:21,400 that even on the cross, 601 00:30:21,400 –> 00:30:23,920 He defeated and broke the powers of evil. 602 00:30:25,760 –> 00:30:26,680 Think of that ark. 603 00:30:26,680 –> 00:30:29,579 The place of meeting between man and God 604 00:30:29,579 –> 00:30:31,859 in the Old Testament being trundled off 605 00:30:31,939 –> 00:30:35,199 and then left in some no place 606 00:30:35,199 –> 00:30:38,060 forgotten and lying in silence. 607 00:30:40,400 –> 00:30:41,400 And think of Jesus, 608 00:30:41,400 –> 00:30:43,500 His body being taken from the cross 609 00:30:43,500 –> 00:30:47,140 and laid in a rich man’s tomb. 610 00:30:50,060 –> 00:30:52,000 But then the day comes for Jesus 611 00:30:52,000 –> 00:30:55,160 in which the words of Psalm 132 and verse eight 612 00:30:55,160 –> 00:30:56,680 sound out from heaven. 613 00:30:57,680 –> 00:31:03,420 Arise O lord and come to your resting place 614 00:31:03,420 –> 00:31:05,739 and on the third day he arises from the dead. 615 00:31:05,739 –> 00:31:07,640 He ascends into heaven, 616 00:31:08,699 –> 00:31:11,319 but he takes his power and he reigns 617 00:31:11,319 –> 00:31:14,459 and he is able to say in the words of verse 14 here, 618 00:31:14,459 –> 00:31:18,359 this heaven is my resting place forever and forever 619 00:31:18,359 –> 00:31:19,939 here I sit in throne, 620 00:31:19,939 –> 00:31:21,780 for I have desired. 621 00:31:23,099 –> 00:31:24,780 And you see from heaven, 622 00:31:24,780 –> 00:31:27,719 this Lord Jesus Christ is able to answer 623 00:31:27,719 –> 00:31:29,300 the prayer of David. 624 00:31:29,300 –> 00:31:32,079 Look at verse nine and see what David longs for. 625 00:31:32,079 –> 00:31:35,439 May your priests be clothed with righteousness 626 00:31:35,439 –> 00:31:37,400 and your saint sing for joy. 627 00:31:37,400 –> 00:31:39,540 And the answer to that comes in verse 16 628 00:31:39,540 –> 00:31:40,599 where Christ says, 629 00:31:40,599 –> 00:31:44,079 I will cloth her priests with salvation 630 00:31:44,079 –> 00:31:46,699 and her saints with everlasting joy. 631 00:31:46,699 –> 00:31:50,560 And it is from Christ that comes the strength 632 00:31:50,560 –> 00:31:52,920 of the horn at the end of the Psalm 633 00:31:52,979 –> 00:31:56,459 and the light of hope and the crown of glory. 634 00:31:59,020 –> 00:32:01,180 Now that’s the Psalm, it’s a wonderful one. 635 00:32:02,619 –> 00:32:04,079 David’s promise to God, 636 00:32:05,339 –> 00:32:07,000 God’s promise to David. 637 00:32:08,380 –> 00:32:09,699 What does it mean for us? 638 00:32:12,420 –> 00:32:17,300 Very simply, if you’re looking to find rest 639 00:32:17,300 –> 00:32:20,300 through what you’re trying to do for God, 640 00:32:20,300 –> 00:32:22,420 you will never be finished. 641 00:32:23,880 –> 00:32:28,880 You’ll never get there and it seems to me 642 00:32:29,359 –> 00:32:31,699 that that is the root of many of our struggles. 643 00:32:34,079 –> 00:32:36,219 You want to do something great. 644 00:32:38,579 –> 00:32:41,199 You are relentless in your pursuit of it. 645 00:32:43,579 –> 00:32:44,819 But somehow it’s never done 646 00:32:47,900 –> 00:32:50,939 and God, through his word and by His Holy Spirit, 647 00:32:50,959 –> 00:32:55,160 graciously wants to turn the tables on you today, 648 00:32:56,219 –> 00:32:58,219 just like he turned the tables on David. 649 00:33:00,079 –> 00:33:01,780 And he comes to you in the gospel 650 00:33:01,839 –> 00:33:03,599 and he would say to you today, 651 00:33:04,619 –> 00:33:09,040 look, you’re so consumed with what you want to do for me. 652 00:33:10,180 –> 00:33:11,520 Let’s shift the focus. 653 00:33:13,160 –> 00:33:16,260 Take a look at what I have done for you. 654 00:33:16,280 –> 00:33:18,280 I have given birth to you. 655 00:33:20,800 –> 00:33:23,339 I have sent my son into the world for you. 656 00:33:25,380 –> 00:33:27,900 He went to a cross for you. 657 00:33:29,859 –> 00:33:31,859 He rose from the dead for you. 658 00:33:32,859 –> 00:33:35,699 He is ascended into heaven for you. 659 00:33:37,140 –> 00:33:40,739 He is the one who will clothe you 660 00:33:41,739 –> 00:33:45,760 that you cannot manufacture for yourself 661 00:33:45,760 –> 00:33:49,780 He is the one who will be the source of your joy, your song 662 00:33:49,780 –> 00:33:53,780 that will not come as a result of what you have achieved for him 663 00:33:54,239 –> 00:33:57,959 but will come as a response to what he has done for you. 664 00:34:01,739 –> 00:34:04,739 See, this is why Jesus said in the Gospels, 665 00:34:04,739 –> 00:34:06,739 come to me. 666 00:34:06,739 –> 00:34:09,739 All you who are weary, you who are burdened, 667 00:34:09,739 –> 00:34:16,239 you who are heavy laden come to me and I will give you rest. 668 00:34:18,239 –> 00:34:22,520 There is no rest in your promise to God, 669 00:34:25,159 –> 00:34:28,239 rest is found in God’s promise to you. 670 00:34:31,739 –> 00:34:34,120 Do you know the Bible has a phrase for this? 671 00:34:35,120 –> 00:34:42,120 It’s called justification by faith, 672 00:34:42,120 –> 00:34:48,939 which simply means that I find rest not in what I am trying to do for God, 673 00:34:48,939 –> 00:34:52,620 but in what He has done through Jesus Christ for me, 674 00:34:52,620 –> 00:34:58,120 and a person who is justified, that is made right with God on the basis 675 00:34:58,120 –> 00:35:01,399 of the finished work of Jesus Christ is liberated 676 00:35:01,399 –> 00:35:05,399 because it means you have nothing to prove to God, 677 00:35:05,399 –> 00:35:13,379 and therefore nothing to prove to yourself or to anyone else either. 678 00:35:13,379 –> 00:35:16,219 And when you know that you have nothing to prove to God, 679 00:35:16,219 –> 00:35:22,959 you are set free to do your work with a new spirit of gratitude 680 00:35:23,100 –> 00:35:29,879 and out of a fundamental rest. 681 00:35:29,879 –> 00:35:33,000 And you know I’ve been thinking about this. 682 00:35:33,000 –> 00:35:38,860 David’s been in the presence of Jesus for about two thousand years now, right? 683 00:35:38,860 –> 00:35:41,719 And I don’t think that David is up there saying, 684 00:35:41,719 –> 00:35:44,260 you know, I had a good life. 685 00:35:44,260 –> 00:35:47,959 I just wish I’d managed to build that temple. 686 00:35:47,959 –> 00:35:52,419 I don’t think he’s saying that, do you? 687 00:35:52,459 –> 00:35:56,560 I think he’s clothed in righteousness. 688 00:35:56,560 –> 00:36:03,239 I think he’s among the saints singing the song of everlasting joy. 689 00:36:03,239 –> 00:36:08,899 And whatever the disappointments of your life, 690 00:36:08,899 –> 00:36:12,419 if you are in Jesus Christ by faith, 691 00:36:12,419 –> 00:36:20,239 that will be the ultimate outcome for you. 692 00:36:20,239 –> 00:36:23,219 So here’s the question. 693 00:36:23,219 –> 00:36:30,840 Are you trying to find rest from what you’re doing for God? 694 00:36:30,840 –> 00:36:37,320 Or are you finding rest in what he has done for you? 695 00:36:37,320 –> 00:36:41,959 Let’s pray together, shall we? 696 00:36:41,959 –> 00:36:46,899 Father, we see that this psalm that might have seemed obscure 697 00:36:46,899 –> 00:36:48,840 at first to us goes to the very heart 698 00:36:48,840 –> 00:36:51,219 of the message of the Bible. 699 00:36:51,219 –> 00:36:56,560 For this we give you our thanks as we respond with faith 700 00:36:56,560 –> 00:37:01,100 and with prayer to the invitation of Jesus Christ 701 00:37:01,100 –> 00:37:06,560 to come to him and to find rest. 702 00:37:06,560 –> 00:37:14,899 Dear Lord and Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways, 703 00:37:15,000 –> 00:37:18,979 Re-clothe us in our rightful mind. 704 00:37:18,979 –> 00:37:27,139 In purer lives, your service find and in deeper reverence, praise. 705 00:37:28,139 –> 00:37:35,360 Drop your still dews of quietness till all our striving cease. 706 00:37:35,360 –> 00:37:42,000 Take from our soul the strain and stress and let our ordered lives confess 707 00:37:42,000 –> 00:37:44,459 the beauty of your peace. 708 00:37:45,040 –> 00:37:59,699 Lord, we bring all the unfinished business of our lives and lay it at the cross of Jesus, 709 00:37:59,699 –> 00:38:07,340 placing our hope and finding our very selves, not in what we have done or hope to do for 710 00:38:07,340 –> 00:38:14,620 you, but in what you have done for us through Jesus Christ our saviour and our Lord. 711 00:38:14,899 –> 00:38:19,739 In whose name we pray, Amen.