⁷Let us go into His dwelling place; let us worship at His footstool.

This psalm expresses a desire and commitment for God’s presence which is symbolized by a temple (also called “God’s house,’ see Psalm 134:1) in Jerusalem. While the OT portrays God’s presence in a physical place with tangible imagery like a cloud or pillar of fire, the NT presents Him as internal to each believer. Christ is now in each of us who have received Christ. Since we all form the house of God, then the love of God’s house is not for a building but for our spiritual brothers and sisters, and we worship together with them.

The thread that runs through this psalm speaks of King David’s love of God and his desire to provide Him a “dwelling place” (vs. 5) among His people, Israel. The psalm writer asks God to remember David’s devotion (see also vs. 10). His desire to construct the temple was commendable, but God determined that David would not be the one to build it, but that Solomon, his son, would accomplish that task. David, instead, threw himself into the enormous effort (as portrayed in verses 1-5) to amass the enormous amount of material resources needed for Solomon’s task. He vowed, with a certain hyperbole, that he would not sleep until a suitable place was discovered for the “dwelling place” of God (vs. 5).

Why such passion about building a temple for God? David was the one whom God chose to unite the tribes of Israel and lead them successfully in battles against the surrounding nations. He brought peace to the land and empowered the people of God (descended from the twelve sons of Jacob) to fully settle in the land God had promised them. David wanted Israel never to forget that it was “the Mighty One of Jacob” who brought them out of four hundred years of slavery in Egypt, through forty years in the desert, and over three hundred years of scattered tribal existence under the judges. Additionally, David had witnessed the spiritually compromised leadership of Israel’s first king, Saul. Now, a temple dedicated to the Lord (“Yahweh”) would emphasize the centrality of Yahweh-worship in national Israel “forever” (vs. 14). Thus, as this psalm was written later in history, it sets David’s heart and desire as the standard for succeeding generations of devotion to the Lord.

Verses 6-7 refer to the present time of the psalm writer and the invitation to worship God at His temple. The place called Ephrathah is identified with the town of Bethlehem. We can hardly miss the allusion the apostle John made in the preamble to his gospel account: “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory” (John 1:14).

Verses 8-10 refer to King Solomon’s dedication prayer for the temple, as the ark of the covenant was brought into the holy place. These three verses are virtually identical to the end of Solomon’s prayer recorded in 2 Chronicles 6:41-42). Whether Solomon was quoting Psalm 132 or the other way around is not significant to the thrust of the psalm. The desire of both kings was the same—like father, like son! Solomon had a strong sense before God of fulfilling the wishes of “David Your servant” (vs. 10). So, he asked the Lord to “not turn away the face of Your anointed,” a reference to himself as he followed in David’s footsteps. This request is a classic Jewish self-effacing understatement, in effect, asking for God’s blessings on his effort to build the temple.

God’s answer to Solomon is to ensure a dynasty of rulers in Israel who would descend from David (vs. 11b-12), with Solomon being the first. However, while the dynasty was assured, any one individual’s participation in God’s blessing on the throne would depend on their fidelity to the Lord’s covenant (vs. 12).

Concerning the location for God’s “habitation” (vs. 13), there is no ambiguity that Zion was the Lord’s choice. Yet, the hearts and desires of David and Solomon were so knit with God’s that the choices of the human and the divine merge: God endorsed the desire of David and Solomon as His own choice (verses 13-18).

The joy of this psalm is found in God’s promises related to the temple: He will bless the temple and all it means for Israel. He desires to be present with His people and to meet their tangible needs. He will provide spiritual leaders who will teach them and provide a means for getting and staying right with God (i.e., “salvation”). God will bless “the horn of David” (vs. 17) that will “spring forth,” meaning He will bless the genealogical downline of David, beginning with Solomon. God desires that His descendants will carry forward the light of God’s truth and glory, just as seen in the life of David and in the presence of the temple, the house of God.

Lord, increase my passion for discovering and experiencing Your presence in the community of believers—for it is there where You desire to meet me.