Psalm 132, a song of ascents. Remember, O Lord, in David's favor, all the hardships he endured, how he swore to the Lord and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, I will not enter my house or get into my bed, I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob. Behold, we heard of it in Ephratah, we found it in the fields of Jair, Let us go to his dwelling place. Let us worship at his footstool. Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. Let your priests be clothed with righteousness. Let your saints shout for joy. For the sake of your servant David, do not turn away from the face of your anointed one. The Lord swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back. One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne. If your sons keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them, their sons also forever shall sit on your throne. For the Lord has chosen Zion. He has desired it for His dwelling place. This is my resting place forever. Here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provisions. I will satisfy her poor with bread. Her priests I will clothe with salvation. And her saints will shout for joy. There I will make a horn to sprout for David. I prepared a lamp for my anointed. his enemies I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine. This is the word of the living God. Let's pray. Father we pray that you would bless both the reading and the hearing of your word. Holy Spirit that you would illuminate this word to our hearts, plant it as seeds in our hearts to bear fruit in our living. And now Lord we come to the preaching of your word. Grant strength and unction to your servant in the proclamation of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I confess, apart from that strength, I cannot fulfill this responsibility. But you grant it, that you may be glorified even through jars of clay. grant this strength and edify your people, we pray in Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated. I want to begin by expressing my appreciation to Dr. Piper and the faculty for the opportunity to come and to preach in this chapel service. We have many men who are graduates of this seminary that are serving within our Presbytery. So I do bring greetings to you from the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and from the Presbytery of the Southeast. And who knows? And God's providence, maybe some of you who are now students will serve alongside of us as others who have gone before. So it's with great joy that I'm here with you. I also know that here at Greenville there's been some concentrated study done on the Psalms. So I thought I would put in my two cents worth this morning in the chapel service. Last summer, I discovered Dr. O. Palmer Robertson's book, The Flow of the Psalms. Purchased it, read it, and it immediately transformed my whole understanding of the Psalter. And when I heard about the Summer Institute and he was going to be here, I looked quickly at my calendar. Is there any way? There was no way for me to be here. I thought, well, I'll just wait until they put them on sermon audio and then listen to them. Well, I kept looking at Sermon Audio, and looking at Sermon Audio, and looking at Sermon Audio, and they were not posted there. I ran into three of my fellow ministers who attended the Institute, and they said, Dr. Robertson was great, but wait till you hear Dr. Morales. Three different ones. And my brothers were right. Wait till you hear Dr. Morales. on this subject matter of the Psalms. One of the things that he taught me, and Dr. Robertson says the same thing, that the Psalter is, from beginning to end, Davidic. It is rooted and grounded in the covenant that God made with David. And those of you who were here at the Institute will remember how Dr. Morales breaks down the five books of the Psalter. Book 1, the rise of the Davidic Kingdom. Book 2, the glory of the Davidic Kingdom. Book 3, the collapse of the Davidic Kingdom. Book 4, the absence of the Davidic Kingdom. And then Book 5, the return of the Davidic Kingdom. So those of you who have studied that, you know exactly where I'm coming from. So I come to Psalm 132 because I believe of all the Psalms in the Psalter, save maybe one and two combined, Psalm 132 embodies the message of the entirety of the Psalter. Especially when you recognize how it's rooted and grounded in the covenant that God made with David. But where do we find it in the Psalter? We find it in Book 5. the return of the Davidic kingdom. In Book 5, look at how much of it is devoted to the worship of God at Jerusalem in the temple rebuilt. Psalms 113-118. These are the halal of Egypt that were sung even to this day in a Jewish Seder service. If you go to one, they sing the Hallel of Egypt in their Seder services at Passover. Those were the Psalms that were chanted by the Levitical choir as the Paschal Lambs were being sacrificed at the Second Temple. Tens of thousands of them. You see how it's centered in that worship? And then 120 to 134, the songs of ascents, those songs that were sung by the pilgrims in particular, is they would go up to worship God at the temple that had been rebuilt, especially those of the diaspora, those who had been scattered. Well, Psalm 132 is one of the songs of ascents. But where is it in the Songs of Ascents? If 133 and 134 bring us to a fitting conclusion of the Songs of Ascents, which I believe they do. 133, the Song of Unity, in contrast to 120, a Song of Lament, before the worshipper leaves Kedar or leaves Meshach. when he is living among a people who speak lies and who make war and all he wants is peace, then he makes his pilgrimage, he gathers with the people of God, those who worship Yahweh. And there he tastes the sweetness of fellowship, how good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity. And then 134, an antiphonal benediction, before departing, raising your hands and pronouncing a benediction upon those who serve in the house of the Lord by night, only to receive a benediction. As one of those lifts his hands and sends you forth with a benediction out of Zion as you go back to Kedar or Meshach or wherever you may live under the Old Covenant. These two Psalms form the conclusion of the Songs of Ascents. then 132 is like the penultimate moment in the songs of ascents. It is a climactic moment in those Psalms. And it can be summarized with two words. Remember David. Remember David. Remember David's godly desire. Remember David's godly act. Remember the covenant God made with David and then God's purpose in his election of Zion as his dwelling place for the manifestation of David's son, David's greater son, the Messiah. That's how this psalm breaks down as we look at it. The other thing that I would say, and there are others who agree with me, so I think I'm on pretty solid footing. I'm pretty convinced Solomon wrote this psalm. I think I may even know the occasion. At the dedication of the temple or maybe even more precisely upon the procession of the Ark of the Covenant into that temple built by Solomon. And here Solomon is, David's son, saying, Remember David, O Lord. Because in remembering David, he's saying, Remember me. Remember the covenant you made with David. Remember me. Remember David's godly desire. Let's look at how this opens up. Remember, O Lord, in David's favor, how all the hardships he endured, how he swore to the Lord, He vowed to God to do something. How he swore to the Lord and vowed to the mighty one of Jacob, I will not enter my house or get into my bed. I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the mighty one of Jacob. I'm not going to go to sleep until I build you a house. That's a godly desire. You see, David lived in a palace. He had already rebuilt Jerusalem, constituted it as his capital. All the people lived in the land settled. They lived in their paneled houses. And God still lived in a tent? This is not as it should be. There was a time when it was proper for God's dwelling place to be a tent. It was when the people lived in tents. I want you to imagine for a moment that you lived during the Old Covenant. You're standing on Mount Nebo. It's nighttime. The children of Israel are encamped upon the plains of Moab. You can see them, as far as the eye can see, campfires, tens of thousands of them, before Joshua led them across the Jordan River. And then in the midst you see a pillar of fire coming down from heaven and residing over a tent of meeting. God, in the midst of His people, even in the wilderness, wanderings. The Emmanuel principle there. God there. Yes, God's dwelling place was a tent. The people lived in tents. The people packed up their tents to move from place to place. They packed up the tabernacle and the Kohathites, bore it upon their shoulders and carried it from place to place. But they don't live in the wilderness anymore. They've taken the land. They've settled the land. God has prospered them in the land. David has risen to the throne. Saul didn't have any intention of doing any such thing, but David did. God, I'll not sleep until I build you a house. A godly desire to which God said, no, you're not. He said, you have blood on your hands. But beyond that, We need to focus that the covenant is made with David and with David's seed. The covenant is ultimately made with David's seed, the Lord Jesus Christ, lest we become too enthralled with the man David. We need to see that dynasty. You'll not build me a house. Your son will build me a house. Solomon, the one who I believe wrote this psalm, But a godly desire to build God a house. Then a godly act. Look at verse 6. Behold we heard of it in Ephratah. Where's Ephratah? Bethlehem. Bethlehem, Ephratah. Bethlehem in the south. This is where David grew up. Here it's David reminiscing. We heard of it in Ephratah. When I was a child, I knew of it, this Ark of the Covenant. Now that he's king, he sends his men forth to find it. They find it. David says, I'm going to go get it. I'm going to bring it into my city. The Ark of the Covenant is going to be here in the heart of my city. You remember You remember all the pomp and ceremony, all of the celebration, how David did everything right but one thing? Remember, when children are present I always ask, what did David not do right to the children? It was not transported upon the Levite's shoulders, but on an ox cart. Remember how they're going to stop for the night? Going down to the threshing floor, the oxen stumbles, the card is tipped, the Ark of the Covenant is about to fall to the ground to be desecrated by the ground. And Uzzah reached forth his hand to steady it, lest the Ark be desecrated, not thinking, my hand will desecrate this holy artifact. And God's anger was kindled against Uzzah and he killed him dead on the spot. And David just marched himself back to Jerusalem and pouted. You can almost salt it and want the Ark of the Covenant with him. I want it with me. I go out there. I do all these things. I want to have the Ark in the midst of the city. I'm bringing it in. Yes, I forgot one thing. I just forgot one thing and this is what God does? I'm paraphrasing. We don't have that in the text. But somehow God brought David to repentance, and he goes again to retrieve the ark. This time he does it correctly. He's born upon the Levite's shoulders, and he takes off his robes, and he dances before the Lord. all the way into Jerusalem, all the way through the streets of Jerusalem, past his own palace where his wife can see. Remember? He's so full of the Spirit and so full of celebration and joy and the worship of God. And then he goes home that night. My, my, how the king showed himself before the maidens of Jerusalem today. David said, it was before the Lord I danced. I will dance before the Lord. She never saw his face again. Have you ever wondered why she was so upset? Well, she's the queen and he's the king, but he wasn't acting like a king. Where's his regal robes? Where's his crown? Where's his mighty steed? Where's his sword in hand? He's dancing in a linen ephod. He's not acting like a king because David was saying in that act of removing of his robes, I am not the king of Israel. Yahweh is king of Israel. I am but His servant." A godly act. Remember David. Remember his godly desire. Remember David. Remember his godly act. Remember the covenant that God made with David. Look at verse 11. The Lord swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back. One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne. If your sons keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them, their sons also forever shall sit on your throne. This is the covenant that God made with David. and with David's seed after him. Forever your seed will sit on this throne in Zion. But there is a condition in that covenant right there in the text. If they keep covenant. You see that? And alas, they didn't. Even Solomon who started so strong ended badly, going after the idols of his foreign wives. It's such a sad story the way it comes to an end, is it not? Because the kingdom came to its full manifestation of glory under the rule of Solomon in terms of territory, prosperity, might, power, prestige. And then the kingdoms divided. What do we read in the Kings and the Chronicles? What's the typical epitaph? And he did evil in the sight of the Lord like his father before him. And we do have a few sprinkled in, your Hezekiah's and your Josiah's. It's like God saying, I'm still faithful. I'm still faithful. Even when you're not, I'm faithful to my covenant promises. And it ends in the Babylonian captivity. Did you come into book three, the Psalter? The collapse of the Davidic kingdom, taken away into exile. Will God be faithful to His covenant? Will God restore His people? Yes, the promises are there even in the prophets who prophesy that the judgment is coming. There is also the prophecy of restoration. God will be faithful to His covenant. He has chosen Zion as His dwelling place in order to manifest His Messiah. That's the epitome of His covenant faithfulness. And we see that in the text. Look at verse 13. Listen very carefully. I've prepared a lamp for my anointed, my Mashiach, my Messiah, my anointed. His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine." Under Cyrus, the king of Persia, a decree went forth for the people to go back and to rebuild the city and to rebuild the temple in particular, which they did. A remnant did that. Where's David? Where's the king? The city's rebuilt. The land is repopulated. The temple is rebuilt. Worship is reinstituted. But where's David? Where's the king? For over 500 years, where's the king? All's in readiness for his coming. Where's the king? And He comes riding in on the foal, a colt of a donkey. His name is Jesus. He is the Messiah. He is the Anointed. He is the Horn of David. It's extraordinary though what He does when He comes riding in on the foal of a donkey. They're singing Psalm 118 to him, the last of the Hillel of Egypt as he comes in. Hosanna, save, save all thou son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. They're waving palm branches. They're taking off their robes. They're putting them in front of him. Here comes the king coming in, but he doesn't go up Mount Zion. where Herod's palace was, where Pilate would reside when he was in the city. No, he went up Mount Moriah where his father's house was built, and he cleansed his father's house. What would it have been like to have been there that day to watch him as the one who really had the authority? driving out the money changers. Can you imagine his disciples? Can't wait till tomorrow. Tomorrow he's going to span that bridge. He's going to go up Mount Zion and we're going to see the back of Pilate. He's going to set himself on that throne just as God promised in Psalm 2, yet I have set my king on my holy hill of Zion. It's going to happen tomorrow. Instead, he's back at the temple teaching, rebuking, woe to you scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites. Finally, we do see him, I believe, on Mount Zion. I believe that was the location of the Praetorium. I believe that's where Pilate was. This disputed. But where's the crowd that was singing Psalm 118 to Him earlier in the week? What are they saying now? Crucify Him. Crucify Him. Give us Barabbas. Crucify Jesus. Let His blood be on us and on our children. He is crowned. but a crown of thorns, a robe but a robe of mockery. He's scourged, he's beaten, he's driven down that mountain and through the city and up another mountain, a hill called Golgotha, the place of the skull. And he's crucified. You see, there's a deeper motive in God. For Messiah to get to the top of Mount Zion, he had to climb Golgotha. What kind of king is there without subjects in his kingdom? And had he not climbed the hill of Golgotha, every single one of us in this room would still be dead in our trespasses and sins and standing under the judgment, under the wrath of God and deservedly so. But to redeem a people for Himself, He climbed Golgotha. And God vindicated His work on Golgotha by raising Him from the dead on the third day. And He ascended to heaven. And He's seated at the right hand of God. God has exalted Him to the highest place because of His humiliation and His exaltation of Him. Philippians 2, the great Christ hymn of Philippians 2, God has given Him the name which is above every name, the name of Jesus. Every knee should bow of those in heaven, on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Psalm 2 is fulfilled. God has set His King on His holy hill of Zion, and not one here upon the earth, but the one in heaven. And He rules and He reigns. And we sing, crown Him with many crowns. As your professor told you, it's a hymn that brings together His redemptive work and His kingship So does Psalm 132. So does the Word of God. This is the gospel. This is the gospel. And you men who are studying for the gospel ministry, this is the exhortation to you. Preach this. Don't preach anything else. That's what Paul said, I determine on nothing among you except Christ and Him crucified. Preach this gospel unto the salvation of sinners and unto the edification of saints. It's a glorious gospel. as God has exalted His Messiah, His King, His Son. In the book of the Revelation to John, John I think catches a symbolic glimpse of that coronation of King Jesus. Revelation 4 and 5, you remember the passage? Revelation 5 begins in a strange place. There's something wrong in heaven. There's something so wrong in heaven that John burst into tears. You see, there's not been one found who's able to take the scroll of him who sits on the throne and to break its seven seals. Who is going to execute the decrees of God? Will the decrees of God abort? Will the purposes of God come to a crashing end? Who is going to take the scroll and open the scroll? Who's going to break the seven seals? And no sooner is John weeping than he is comforted. Don't weep. One has been found who's able to take the scroll and to break his seven seals. He is the lion of the tribe of Judah. And John turns to look to see a lion. But he doesn't see a lion. He sees a lamb that has been slain. So what is Jesus? Is He a lion or is He a lamb? The answer to that question is yes. He is the Lion who is the Lamb. He is the Lamb who is the Lion. He is the King who is your Savior. Preach this gospel. Full stop. Preach this gospel. Father, we thank You for Your Word and how Jesus is all over the place, especially in the Psalter. We thank You for this supreme plan of redemption from all eternity to to glorify Your justice and Your mercy and Your grace in Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that by Your grace You have set Your affection upon us, and through this gospel You've called us out of darkness into light and made us to be ambassadors. to preach this gospel, this gospel of reconciliation. Lord, I pray for the men who are here studying in particular, in preparation, who have a sense of an inner call to gospel ministry. Lord, if you're calling them to the ministry, that you would confirm that through the church and that you would equip them with every gift necessary for this ministry That you would remind them again and again to rely upon your spirit and your power. That you would scatter them abroad. And the preaching of this gospel would go with them all over the world. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.