God’s Promise
In part 1 of “A Look at Psalm 132,” we saw David’s Promise. The second section of this Psalm tells about God’s promise. God made David a promise and God would not turn from that promise. Verses eleven and twelve tell about it. “11) The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne. 12) If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.”
The fruit of David’s body surely did sit upon his throne. David’s son Solomon began to reign shortly before David died. Israel enjoyed a time of peace and plenty under king Solomon. However, Solomon married many wives, and some of them turned his heart away from God. His son Rehoboam took the throne after him; but he turned even further away from God, and soon the kingdom was divided. Israel and Judah slowly declined throughout the years until they were taken into captivity. For many, many years after that, Israel was no longer a nation in its own land. In fact, Israel did not become a nation in its own land again until 1948. Even today, Israel does not have all the land that God promised to give them. Yet, God has not forgotten his promise to David nor turned His mercy away from him.
How is God keeping His promise today?
God kept His promise by sending John the Baptist who came before Jesus and prepared the way. When John was born, his father Zacharias remembered the covenant God made with Abraham and the promise God made to David. “67) And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 68) Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, 69) And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; 70) As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: 71) That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 72) To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; 73) The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 74) That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, 75) In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. 76) And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways.” (Luke 1:67-76)
God also kept His promise by sending Jesus Christ, who is now at the right hand of the throne of God and who will one day reign over Israel and over the world. He came the first time to bring spiritual salvation to Israel and to all people on earth.
Peter preached about this on the day of Pentecost, “29) Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30) Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31) He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32) This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33) Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.” (Acts 2:29-33) And now all who come to Christ can be saved through Jesus Christ, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Also, Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (See John 14:6)
God will keep this promise when Jesus comes back to earth again to set up His kingdom and to deliver Israel from their enemies forever. Zacharias alluded to this in Luke 1:71, “That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us.” The prophecy is further explained in Zechariah chapter fourteen. Here are some excerpts from that chapter, “4) And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5) And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee… 8) And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. 9) And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one… 14) And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance… 16) And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles…. 20) In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD's house shall be like the bowls before the altar. 21) Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.”
Why will God do all these things? Because He made a promise and He will keep that promise, “13) For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. 14) This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.” (Psalm 132:13,14)