If God’s covenant is kept, God and his people will dwell together forever

We don’t make covenants much anymore in our day. We’re more likely to make contracts. The major difference between a covenant and a contract is that contracts are essentially an exchange of goods. You give me the things I want, and I’ll give you the things you want. But a covenant is a relationship. I will be with you and you will be with me.

The only common covenant that still exists is marriage where people promise to stay together forever. And while that covenant can be broken, it still has such binding power as a promise. But even marriage covenants in our day have often been degraded to contracts, where people sign pre-nuptial agreements. “If this, then this.”

Contracts end the moment the terms are broken or fulfilled. Covenants persist because they’re based on two people being together. Psalm 132, our text for this morning, is about a covenant. It’s about two people being together. And we’ll see that it’s possible for the covenant to persist even when one side breaks it.

Main Point – If God’s covenant is kept, God and his people will dwell together forever

Prayer

This psalm is clearly bigger than all of the psalms we’ve done previously, more than twice as big as all the others actually. So it might help to step back and give it a little bit of a structure so we can see what’s happening in it. It has two halves. Vs. 1-10 are the first half and verses 11-18 are the second. In the first half the people are calling to God and in the second half God is responding to the people. And in each half we see the same two parts - first a promise is made then secondly a call for God to go to dwell with his people.

So in the first half the people call to God, vs 1-2 remember what David vowed! He promised that he would find a place for God to rest at. Then the people call to God, vs 8, go to your resting place O Lord! That’s him dwelling with his people. In our second half we switch to God and what he is says. Again, we start with a promise, vs 11, The Lord swore to David, I will set one of your sons on the throne. Then again we have a call to dwell with his people, vs 14, here is my resting place.

So both sides, God and his people. They make a promise and they desire a resting place for God.

They’re both calling out for a way to have God and his people together.

Point #1 – God and his people desire one another’s presence (vs. 1-7)

This is what is plainly evident in the majority of this psalm. David has vowed to find a place for God to rest at. He wants God to be with them.

We’ve talked a lot about David in these psalms and that’s because David is a key feature throughout so much of the book of psalms. He wrote about half of them and then even in psalms that he didn’t write, like this one, he still plays a prominent role. So like previous psalms, it’s important to know some context of his life that this psalms was built around. We’ve talked about some of this before.

Many years before this psalm was written, way back in the book of Exodus, God saves his people from being slaves in Egypt. God uses Moses to call down 10 plagues, then they escape through the Red Sea, and they go to Mt. Sinai to receive God’s laws. While they are there, Moses says, I’m not going up to the Promised Land unless you go with me God. So God agrees that he will go with Moses. And to demonstrate his presence with them,  he has them construct a holy item, a box, called the ark of the covenant. It had special poles along the sides of it that the priests were to carry it with. And everywhere the ark went, God went with his people. When they weren’t marching the ark would rest inside the holy tent called the tabernacle and no one was allowed to see it or touch it.

The ark travels with the Israelites through the wilderness for 40 years, then it crosses the Jordan River with them. They carry it as they defeat Jericho and all of the Canaanites. Then when they finish taking the land, the ark is placed in a town called Shiloh. Where it’s left for many years, potentially hundreds. The people forget about it. That is until they’re having trouble with the Philistine armies. They are being attacked and defeated by their Philistine neighbors and someone comes up with this brilliant idea to bring the ark out like a lucky charm that will give them the favor of God in battle. Unfortunately for them, God doesn’t work that way. He won’t let himself be used as a lucky charm. They still lose their battle with the Philistines and the ark of the Covenant is captured. This causes all kinds of trouble for the Philistines actually and long story short, they end up sending the ark back to Israel. And it ends up in a little town called Kiriath Jearim inside a man’s home where it is again largely forgotten and left for about 20 years. This is the context in which this psalm is written.

READ VS 1-5

David is fully intent on bringing the Ark of the Covenant to a resting place. He wants God’s presence to be with him. He has made a vow to God - I will certainly see that this ark makes its way to Jerusalem.

Now, at the same time that David is swearing an oath to God, God is swearing an oath to David in return.

READ VS 11a

God says, “I’m going to make sure that you and your family are always here in Jerusalem where I’m going to be”. This almost sounds like a marriage ceremony where David says, “I vow to be with you forever” and God responds with “I vow to be with you forever.” God and David want to be together and they’ve sealed their desire to be together with an oath called a covenant. And it’s not just David. The whole nation is brought in with him.

READ VS 6-7

Ephrathah and Jaar are just places near or associated with Kiriath Jearim where the ark is sitting in a guy’s house. All the people singing are saying, we want to be with God too. We want to go worship him too. We want to be with this God who is not only willing to be with us, but desires to be with us and even promises to be with us.

This is unique among gods in this world. Do you recognize that? There are many different religions with their own gods. It’s not unusual for people to desire to be with their god. But it is unheard of to have a God that desires to be with the people. Most of the time the gods view people as disgusting. Mortals are a bit gross, but we tolerate them because they give us stuff. That’s not our God. He doesn’t need any stuff from us, yet he desires to be with us.

WHY?! What does God possibly have to gain from marrying himself to a people forever? Look around at us. We’re not an impressive bunch. God’s people aren’t chosen because they have any desirable character traits. It’s certainly not because we’re more righteous than other people. Look at what God says in Deuteronomy 9:6

Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people. -Deuteronomy 9:6

God flat out tells them, “Look. You guys are quite a sinful problem. It would be laughable to assume that I’m blessing you and bringing you to be with me because you’re so holy. And again look at Deuteronomy 7:7-8 -

“It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers” - Deuteronomy 7:7-8

You weren’t very big or important. That’s not why I chose you. Rather, you are extremely insignificant. Yet, I chose you. Why does God do this? He says it’s because he loves them and he keeps his promises. He had made a promise to Abraham that he would be with him. And he’s keeping it.

But again! Why make a promise at all? Why bind yourself to these wicked sinful people God? They’re useless to you. You don’t get anything out of it. They have nothing and no way to benefit you at all. It seems like you only lose by doing this. But God doesn’t vow himself to his people because he selfishly gains something. He vows himself to his people because he’s loving. That’s it. That’s the absolute bottom of his reasoning for choosing anyone, for saving anyone.

I hope you recognize the glory in that. If you have been saved by him, you haven’t been chosen because you’re good. You’re not impressive. God doesn’t benefit from you. There’s absolutely no use in comparing yourself to others thinking, “Well I’m not as good as that person over there. They have more to offer God than me” or on the other hand “I’m way better than all those other people outside the church walls. They’re wicked fools, unlike me.” None of us has anything to offer God. That’s not why he saves people. He saves because he is loving. He saves because he wants to be with his people.

But how is this going to work? How will a holy and righteous God find a way to be with a wicked people?

Point #2 – Dwelling together hinges on keeping the covenant (vs. 8-16)

Let’s return to the story of David, because what God does throughout his life really is crucial to understanding this psalm. David goes to the man’s home where the ark is being kept. And he brings the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem, his capital city. This is where its resting place will be. And remember it’s not just a resting place for a box. It represents the resting place for God himself. This all takes place in 2 Samuel 6. Then in 2 Samuel 7, God makes one of the most important promises in the Bible.

David tells his prophet Nathan, “I’m going to build a temple for God to live in.” Initially, Nathan says, “Sure. Go do it.” But that night God sends a vision to Nathan that he shares with David. God says to David, “You’re not going to build me a house. I never asked for a house. Instead, I am going to build a house for you.” He doesn’t mean a house like a palace. He means a royal household, a family line. We might even say a dynasty. Here’s what God says to David.

“Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” - 2 Samuel 7:11-13

This is God’s covenant. It’s often called the Davidic covenant because it is made to David. And this is precisely the covenant that is being referred to in our psalm. Look back at verses 11 and 12 with me.

READ VS 11-12

So here is God’s promise to be with his people. You want to be with me and I want to be with you. I promise that this is going to happen! And here’s how it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen by you keeping the covenant. It’s going to be experienced by everyone who keeps my laws and commands.

Imagine you get a phone call from Elon Musk one day, because you know he just has your number saved for some reason. And he decides that he’s going to die one day and he doesn’t have anyone he’d like to pass his businesses on to. He’d like to give it to you. You’re going to get all the power, all the authority, and all the fortunes that currently belong to him. Congratulations, you’re going to be the second person in history to become a trillionaire.

However, it hinges on you upholding a deal. The deal is that you have to want this fortune, want this responsibility, and you have to express that desire through your actions. You’re going to move to his headquarters. And from early morning until late at night, you’re going to follow a rigorous schedule that has been set for you for the whole day. If you do this for 5 straight years. You get the company.

You have absolutely nothing to offer in this arrangement. My guess is that you have no experience running multiple businesses simultaneously and employing around 160,000 people. You weren’t chosen for your credentials. It was an inexplicable gracious gift. But there are expectations of you that are required to meet. The gift is conditioned on you keeping your side of the bargain.

What I hope you recognize is that David thought he had something to offer God. I will build you a house. But God turns around and says, “You have absolutely nothing to offer me. I’m the one who gives the gifts around here. You don’t promise things to me. I’m the one who promises things to you.” Look at all of the things the people ask for in vs. 8-10

READ VS 8-10

Then look at how God gives them precisely what they ask for in 13-16.

READ VS 13-16

He answers their requests, nearly verbatim and then gives more than that. He loves to give good gifts. He loves to bless. And it’s not based on deserving it. I can’t stress this enough. If you don’t think you’re worthy of God’s blessing or that you’re worthy of his favor, if you think you’re too sinful, too weak, or too foolish for him to show you mercy, you’re wrong. God doesn’t choose people because they’re worthy. He chooses because he loves to give.

But what about this covenant? We were chosen for no reason other than grace, but now we have to keep his covenant and keep his testimonies or his laws if we want to continue to have his favor. Honestly, that sounds like really bad news. If we want to inherit the trillionaire fortune we have to follow all the rules.

This is the part that so many Christians get hung up on. Because so many of us recognized the gift at one point in our lives. Yes, God is giving salvation to me that I don’t deserve. I accept that. And you repented of your sin and believed in Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. You’re completely sold out for Jesus, your new Savior. But then life starts to happen. You start to slip back into old patterns. Sin finds its way back into your life. You’re ashamed because you once were excited to read the Bible and gather with the church, but now both of those feel a little bit like a chore.

You look at what God expects of us then you look at what your life looks like and it’s very easy to see that they don’t match up. You profess to know Christ, but your life isn’t matching your words. And if you don’t see that in your life this morning, then you simply need to look a bit harder. At this point in the conversation, many Christians start asking, “Have I broken the covenant? Have I lost the gift? God blessed me and he was good to me, but I didn’t respond in kind and now I’ve probably lost the gift.” It’s not a crazy thought, because there are lots of places in the Bible that point to that conclusion.

In a parallel psalm to this one, Psalm 89 deals with the same exact themes and uses a lot of similar language and in that psalm we read that the people sin and this is God’s response:

“But now you have cast off and rejected;

you are full of wrath against your anointed.

You have renounced the covenant with your servant;

you have defiled his crown in the dust.” - Psalm 89:38-39

When God made his promises to David it was the highest point of David’s life. He had done everything right and conquered his enemies and loved God the whole time. After God makes this promise to him, there’s a few more chapters of his victories, but then in 2 Samuel 11, he sins with Bathsheba and it’s all downhill from there. He commits adultery. He has a man murdered. His children are at war with one another and eventually with him. He directly disobeys God’s commands and causes a horrible plague to break out on the people. And this downward trend continues, his son introduces pagan worship, his grandson splits the kingdom in half and loses most of it. After him, his descendants are wicked over and over again, so much so that they get kicked out of the land that God had promised them. Even the temple, where God promised he’d stay with them gets destroyed.

Has God renounced his covenant? Did he kick David out because he wasn’t good enough? This is a very important question because it directly impacts you and your relationship with God. Will God kick you out because you’re not good enough? When you fail over and over, and for the one millionth time you try to tell God that you’re sorry. Will he remove his promises from you?

That’s the question our final verses will answer. And it’s good news.

Point #3 – Christ keeps the covenant (vs. 17-18)

Here’s the problem we have arrived at in this psalm. God makes an absolute promise. I will be with you forever. I will bless you. I will satisfy you and I will save you. He’s stating it very plainly. This will happen. It’s very comforting and exciting. But then he throws in that condition of keeping the covenant. I guarantee you’ll get these things, but only if you keep my covenant and my testimonies. You’ll absolutely, certainly receive this, if you obey me. Let’s look at how this problem is resolved in our psalm.

READ VS 17-18

Notice the words “my anointed” at the end of verse 17. That’s the Hebrew word “meshiach” which means Messiah. That’s why we’re seeing Christ here. Christ is the Messiah. This idea of a horn sprouting and a lamp being prepared for the Messiah means that when it seems things are dark and powerless, yet power will sprout up and a light will continue to flicker. Vs 18 concludes by telling us this Messiah will put his enemies to shame and will reign in glory with a shining crown.

God has promised his blessings, but then they’re based on the condition of David’s sons being obedient. Now he says, I will send one son of David who will keep all the conditions and guarantee that the blessings arrive. There’s an important biblical principle we notice here. If God guarantees you’ll receive the promise, but the promise is based on a condition, it means he’ll find a way to fulfill the condition himself. This is how God is able to make such enormous promises and at the same time both you only receive these if you’re obedient, but also you will definitely receive these. It’s because God intends to accomplish the obedience.

We said earlier that God and his people both desired to be together, and they made vows to be together. It was like a married couple. But the only way they are able to enjoy God’s presence is if they keep the covenant. The only way marriage works is if they keep their end of the bargain. How can we be certain if this will be successful at all? It’s because God fulfills the conditions himself. God can only be with his people if their sin is paid for. His people can only be with him if they are pure. How will these conditions be met? This is how Paul describes the marriage in Ephesians 5.

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” - Ephesians 5:25-27

If you’re going to be with God, it’s going to be because Christ washed you. Christ fulfilled the conditions. The Bible promises that every sin that plagues you, every vice that has a hold of you, every despair that crushes you will be done away with. You will be holy and without blemish. But how could something so great be possible? I’m not strong enough to accomplish any of that. It’s because Christ meets the conditions on your behalf. He does the washing. He does the cleansing.

Do you see how Israel could look at all the laws and commands that they were given and say there’s no way we could ever do that, but our psalm calls them to look forward to the day when God himself would keep the covenant and guarantee that they could receive his presence and his blessings? And today, you look at all the things God expects of you and the holiness that he calls you to live and you think, there’s no way I could ever do that.  But he calls you to look forward to how Christ himself is keeping the covenant and guaranteeing that you will receive his presence and his blessings. This is what faith is. It’s placing your trust in Christ to be the one who accomplishes his purposes in you, to trust him against the glaring deficiencies in your own life, knowing he’s the only one who can do this thing.

"Raising kids is hard. Does the outcome of their life depend entirely on me upholding my end of the bargain by being the perfect parent?" No. Christ will carry you through that one. You don’t have to fear being faithful for 20+ years. You just have to be obedient today and Christ will sort it out and guarantee that your family is taken care of.

"But my life has been struck by tragedy and I haven’t kept God’s commands. I’m afraid he’ll leave me and I’ll be ashamed." Place your faith in Jesus and recognize it doesn’t depend on you. You can’t recover from this. But Christ can and will restore you, if you place your faith in him to do so.

Whatever the obstacle is that you’re looking at, whatever is causing your heart to sink saying, “It’s too much. I can’t do it.” Christ says, “Of course not. But I can. And I set these obstacles here so that you would not trust in your own abilities, but you’d learn to trust in mine.”

God’s relationship with you is not merely contractual. He doesn’t only provide for you because you keep your end of the bargain. His relationship is built on a covenant. God will rest with you forever. He will abundantly bless and satisfy you. He will clothe you with salvation and make you shout for joy. And it won’t be because you checked all the boxes and completed all your tasks. It will be because he keeps the covenant and he keeps you.

Prayer