Psalm 132
A song of ascents.
1 Lord, remember David
and all his self-denial.2 He swore an oath to the Lord,
he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 “I will not enter my house
or go to my bed,
4 I will allow no sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5 till I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”6 We heard it in Ephrathah,
we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:
7 “Let us go to his dwelling place,
let us worship at his footstool, saying,
8 ‘Arise, Lord, and come to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
9 May your priests be clothed with your righteousness;
may your faithful people sing for joy.’”10 For the sake of your servant David,
do not reject your anointed one.11 The Lord swore an oath to David,
a sure oath he will not revoke:
“One of your own descendants
I will place on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons will sit
on your throne for ever and ever.”13 For the Lord has chosen Zion,
he has desired it for his dwelling, saying,
14 “This is my resting place for ever and ever;
here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.
15 I will bless her with abundant provisions;
her poor I will satisfy with food.
16 I will clothe her priests with salvation,
and her faithful people will ever sing for joy.17 “Here I will make a horn grow for David
and set up a lamp for my anointed one.
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but his head will be adorned with a radiant crown.”
"You promised!"
Those are the words of a little boy who had begged his parents if they could stop for ice cream on the way home. The "promise" in question was really, "We'll see, maybe." But what he heard was, "We shall do everything in our power to grant you your wish—no, your birthright: you shall feast on ice cream tonight!" And because of an unmet (perceived) promise, trust in his parents was broken.
"You said you would!"
Those are the words of a worn out stay at home mom who had asked her husband to pick up a few groceries on his way home. His answer had been more of a shrug than an oath, but what he saw as an optional side quest was really the determining factor in whether the kids would have lunches tomorrow. And because of his misplaced priorities, trust in her husband was broken.
"This wasn't supposed to happen again."
Those are the words you say into the mirror after falling short of yet another goal. You had made a promise to yourself that things would be different, that you would be better this time. But old habits die hard, and before you knew it, you'd slipped right back into the routine. You crumble at the thought of anyone else finding out. And because of a persistent losing streak, trust in yourself was broken.
There's a reason people say, "Don't make promises you can't keep." Even when we fully intend to follow through in the moment, sometimes we just fail. And the results can be devastating.
Because broken promises often lead to broken relationships. Breaking promises in the workplace can cost you your job. Breaking promises at home can cost you your marriage or contact with your child. Breaking promises to yourself can cost you your remaining scraps of self-respect.
What about broken spiritual promises? Even if you haven't made a vow to God, have you ever worried that you might somehow cross a line with him that costs you your relationship? That if you let him down one too many times, he might decide to give up on you for good?
What about the other way around—has God kept every promise to you? Or have you ever felt like he was pulling the rug out from under you when you thought you could count on him?
Sometimes we doubt how much God meant what he said. If God promised he would provide my daily bread, my every need, why am I still struggling to pay the bills? If God promised to keep me from all harm, how do you explain the backpain and heartache that worsens each year? If God promised to make me part of a family of believers, why do I still find it easier to connect with people who don’t go to my church at all?
Can we trust God to keep his promises? Or is he only as faithful to us as we are to him?
The psalm for tonight helps us understand what we can expect from God and his promises. Psalm 132 describes a time when King David made an oath to God—he wouldn't even sleep until he built a proper house of worship, a temple, for the Lord. And he meant it! David had the devotion and the resources to pull it off.
But God had other plans. He wasn't interested in promises that David could make to him—promises he knew David couldn't keep perfectly. God wasn't looking for someone to finally be as faithful to him as God was to them. Instead, independent of what David did, God promised he would build a house for David—one that would last forever.
The Lord swore an oath to David, a sure oath he will not revoke: "One of your own descendants I will place on your throne. If your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever."[1]
That's a big promise! The Lord swore an oath, and a sure oath. If you think about it, why would God feel the need to swear an oath at all? He's God—what he says, goes. What he declares, is. If he said we're getting ice cream later, that's good enough.
But instead he says, "Listen up, David. I want you to trust without a shadow of a doubt that I will keep this promise."
And did he keep it? David's son Solomon built that temple and reigned on that throne—but not forever. His descendants sat on that throne for a few hundred years, but you can visit Jerusalem and see for yourself that only ruins remain from the days of David's dynasty. For centuries, it sure seemed like God had made a promise he either couldn't or wouldn't keep.
But God hadn't promised an eternal earthly king. He promised that one of David's descendants would reign forever. Just like he promised Adam and Eve that one of their descendants would defeat the devil once and for all. Just like he promised Mary that her son would save God's people from their sins. And in Jesus, David's greater Son, every single one of God's promises is kept.
God didn’t have to promise anything. He could have kept it all a secret, letting us wrestle with the uncertainty of our future and the status of our relationship with him. He could have left his options open in case he changed his mind about saving us.
But instead he says, “Listen. I want you to trust without a shadow of a doubt that I will keep my promises to you—from now until eternity.”
God wants you to know that you can count on him. He wants you to have the peace and the certainty that come from entrusting your whole life and eternity to him. He wants you to take his promises and throw them back at him, holding him to his word, so that he can show you just how much he meant it.
Yes, God actually wants you to tell him, “You promised!” He loves for his children to latch onto his words and fully expect them to happen just as he said. That’s why we dedicate whole seasons of the church year, like Advent and Lent, to asking God to keep his promises. Not because we’re afraid he won’t—but because we know he will.
And when it seems like there’s a promise he hasn’t kept, take it up with him. Find where God promises it in his Word, and take it boldly to him in prayer. Remind him of his commitments. Challenge him to do what he says he’ll do. But then leave it to him. Ask him for the wisdom to see where he has kept his promises in your life, and the humility to recognize what he has not guaranteed. Trust that God doesn’t make promises he doesn’t plan to keep.
In our songs on the way up so far, we’ve already meditated on God’s promises of mercy, and help. Over the next two weeks, we’ll consider his promises of restoration and rescue. But all of it centres on this: God’s faithfulness. Brothers and sisters, never forget that you have a God who keeps his promises. Amen.
[1] Psalm 132:11,12