Offer Him the Dwelling Place of My Heart
Scripture Passage: Psalm 132:1-18 (NASB)
1 Remember, Lord, in David’s behalf,
All his affliction;
2 How he swore to the Lord
And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3 “I certainly will not enter my house,
Nor lie on my bed;
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes
Or slumber to my eyelids,
5 Until I find a place for the Lord,
A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 Behold, we heard about it in Ephrathah,
We found it in the field of Jaar.
7 Let’s go into His dwelling place;
Let’s worship at His footstool.
8 Arise, Lord, to Your resting place,
You and the ark of Your strength.
9 May Your priests be clothed with righteousness,
And may Your godly ones sing for joy.
10 For the sake of Your servant David,
Do not turn away the face of Your anointed.
11 The Lord has sworn to David
A truth from which He will not turn back:
“I will set upon your throne one from the fruit of your body.
12 If your sons will keep My covenant
And My testimony which I will teach them,
Their sons also will sit upon your throne forever.”
13 For the Lord has chosen Zion;
He has desired it as 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 food;
I will satisfy her needy with bread.
16 I will also clothe her priests with salvation,
And her godly ones will sing aloud for joy.
17 I will make the horn of David spring forth there;
I have prepared a lamp for My anointed.
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,
But upon himself his crown will gleam.”
SUMMARY
Psalmist opens the prayer to God asking Him to remember David’s affliction. David longed for God’s presence so much that he vowed that he would not enter his house nor lie on his bed until he found a place for the Lord, His dwelling place. In response to this, God promised to David that David’s sons will sit upon the throne forever. They are to keep God’s covenants and testimony, and God would choose Zion as His eternal dwelling place.
REFLECTION
David made a sacred vow to God to dedicate his life to find a resting place or a dwelling place for Him. It was to the extent of giving up his personal comfort along with dedicating all his resources as expressed in verses 3 and 4. “I certainly will not enter my house, nor lie on my bed: I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids.” He desperately longed for the presence of the Lord, and he was so determined to find a place of worship to Him. A place where God’s presence would manifest on earth for people of Israel.
Oftentimes we talk about our desire to dwell in the house of the Lord. We recite Psalms 23:6, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” It expresses our longing for “us” to dwell in His house where we can be at complete peace and rest. But in today's passage, the psalmist is talking about a different perspective of the dwelling place, David’s desire to provide “God’s” resting place here on earth. Although David’s vow may have been to find the physical place, a temple for God to dwell, I think that a resting place for God was already made in David’s heart. Too often we are consumed with “us” seeking the presence of the Lord out of our afflictions, but David offered to find a restful dwelling place for God. David wasn’t seeking His blessing for him, but he wanted to find the blessing to God. The very pure and sincere heart of David was the very resting place of God that He would dwell.
APPLICATION
As I meditated on this passage, I was reminded of the encounter of Jesus with the woman in Samaria in John chapter 4. John 4:7-8 reads “When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”” I remembered that I was so deeply moved when I read Jesus saying “Will you give me a drink?” It challenged me to build deeper intimacy with the Lord as the verse taught me that I can also bless the Lord. It shouldn’t always be me asking the Lord to fill my cup, but rather I should also be the one to fill His cup, to be a blessing to Him. Today’s passage gave me a similar understanding. I am called to build and offer His resting place in my heart where He reigns over as the king of my world. I should let go of pride, self reliance, stubbornness, religiosity, basically anything and everything that crowds my heart which hinders my Lord to rest. My heart should sing for the joy of salvation and remember His
goodness at all times. Especially as it is Passion week, I will try my best to keep myself pure hearted and blameless. I pray He can come into my heart and find peace and rest to dwell.
PRAYER
Lord, today’s word reminded me that I am made to worship you.
Although undeserving, you have chosen me and made your dwelling place in my heart through the Holy Spirit. Just as David vowed, your dwelling place over my heart should be my utmost priority in life. Thank you for letting me discover the wisdom and truth through your precious words. Lord, I ask in humility that I can be a blessing to you through obedience. In Jesus’ name I prayed. Amen.
Please share your personal meditations on this Scripture passage with the HolyWave community in the comments section below. (We reserve the right to moderate comments.)