- Read Psalm 132 from the ESV.
- Read my Psalm 132 poem from A New Song.
How do you explain to those who have experienced pain and suffering for generations that their struggles are about to come to an end? Words, in the midst of pain, are often only words. I think James understood this problem when he wrote, “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:15-16) Words of encouragement without actions to back them up are just words, vanity, wind. There must be some tangible form of relief given before words become meaningful.
This problem causes me to think about Jeremiah and the false prophets he lambasted in Jeremiah 29 and 30. These prophets told the Israelites in Babylonian captivity that God would not let them stay there — that God was sending someone to take them home. But Jeremiah tells the prophets and the people that God’s intentions are to leave them in captivity for a long time before he takes them home. I’m sure that was a real kick in the gut for the Israelites when they were told they were to stay in exile and plant vineyards, build houses, and offer their children in marriage. Sure, these were all things they wanted to do, but not in Babylon. They wanted to live their lives on their ancestral homeland, not as exiles in a foreign country. But that is exactly what God had planned for them. God’s words perfectly matched the reality in which the people lived, but the false prophet’s words did not. And isn’t that the test of a prophet? If what they say comes true then they are from God and you should listen to them. That is how it has always been and how it will always be.
We should realize that prophecy is always about the future. I realize that seems so obvious that it probably does not need to be said, but sometimes the obvious does need to be stated. Prophecy often takes the form of “If you will do X, then God will do Y,” or “Because you have done X, God will do, or bring about, Y.” This form of prophecy is probably the major form that prophecy takes in the entire Bible. And this sort of prophecy is most often moral in nature and fairly easy to see if it is true or not. Just wait and see. It’s a pretty simple test.
But sometimes prophecy takes another form which relates to future events and is something like “Regardless of what you will do, God will do X.” This form of prophecy — found less frequently in Scripture — is the form of prophecy of which we usually think. It is always the stuff of exciting and speculative preaching and teaching, most of which often falls into the category of nonsense. This is the sort of prophecy God uses to reveal his plans for the future — plans which are often very difficult to comprehend. This sort of prophecy also requires an immense amount of faith because these prophesies rarely if ever come to fruition in our lifetimes. And when we are left without a tangible measure for a prophecy, we often wonder if it is a real prophecy from God.
I mention prophecy because I think Psalm 132 is really about prophecy. Psalm 132 speaks of a time when God will fulfill his oath to David and put his son on the throne in Zion. These are easy words to write in a poem, but for the one who is suffering and waiting there will be a question as to whether these words will ever actually come true. For a long time, the Israelites thought this meant that their nation would have a ruler who would rule the nations with a rod of iron in their time (see Psalm 2). They looked for a king to reign who would blast their oppressors back to hell. But as we know, if you have at all paid attention to the Old Testament, you will know that all their hopes which rested on a human kingdom fell flat. And when you read the New Testament you will find the same thing. It seems impossible to not sense some of the Israelite’s disappointment when, after entering Jerusalem on a donkey and being welcomed as a king, Jesus went to the temple and not the palace to start his reign. For them at that moment, the words of God did not match the reality before their eyes.
But this is exactly what Psalm 132 is about: God’s son finally taking his place on the throne in Zion. It is about how the son of David, who is the Son of God, will finally fulfill all prophecy. It is about how all wrongs will be made right. It is about how all enemies will be covered in shame. Psalm 132 is the pinnacle of the Songs of Ascent because it reveals the future when God returns to earth to make his dwelling with
