Remember David
Seeing our weaknesses and limitations, we may well wonder how much we can reasonably expect from God. This psalm models the godly response of clinging to his promises, however weak we feel.
A song of ascents.
1 Remember David, YHWH—
how, after enduring so many hardships
2 he swore to YHWH
vowing to Jacob’s mighty God:
3 “I won’t go home or lie down on my bed
4 I won’t go to sleep or even shut my eyes
5 till I’ve found a place for YHWH
a home for Jacob’s mighty God.”
6 We heard about it in Ephrata
and we found it in the field of Ja’ar.
7 “Let’s go to his residence!
Let’s worship at his footstool!”
8 “Rise up, YHWH!
Move into your permanent home
you and the ark of your power!
9 May your priests be arrayed in victory
and everyone trusting you shout for joy.”
10 For your servant David’s sake
don’t turn your anointed one away unheard.
11 YHWH swore an oath to David
one he promised never to turn back on:
“A son of yours
I’ll seat on your throne.
12 If your sons are true to my covenant
and live as I teach them to
then their sons in turn
will sit on your throne forever.”
13 Because YHWH has chosen Zion
having desired it for the seat of his authority:
14 “This place will be my residence forever—
the place where I’ll sit enthroned
as I’ve longed to do.
15 I’ll provide for Zion generously
and give its poor their fill of food.
16 Its priests I’ll clothe in triumph
and make everyone devoted to YHWH
shout for joy.
17 I’ll make the horn of David sprout there
and set a lamp burning for my anointed.
18 His foes I’ll clothe in shame
but the crown on his head will be resplendent.
David was far from perfect, but he did get some things right. Having been anointed king by Samuel, he was determined to wait for God’s timing, refusing to take matters into his own hands and wrest power from Saul, his narcissistic nemesis. David endured many hardships while holding God to his promise that David would be not just Israel’s next king, but also the founder of a dynasty without end. After finally being crowned king, David made an oath, putting God’s kingdom and God’s glory first. That self-sacrificial oath reflected his desire—visible even in his youth—to lay his life down at God’s feet.
David’s fulfillment of that oath seems to have been part of what made God promise David a son and an eternal throne if his successors remained faithful. That promise kept David going to the end of his days. But by the time this psalm was compiled in Book V, everyone knew David’s successors had failed miserably, devastating the nation. However, the fact that God enabled his people to rebuild Jerusalem inspired hope that he would restore David’s dynasty too and make its end more glorious than its beginning.
God eventually revealed that glory in Bethlehem’s manger and then on a ghastly Roman cross, honoring Jesus’ faithfulness when he did. But because it wasn’t the sort of glory Jesus’ disciples were expecting, they all failed to recognize it till he had risen from the dead. Just like Jesus’ disciples and everyone else before and since, we all fall short of Jesus’ perfect standard. But thankfully, his triumph over sin and death has made all God’s promises available to us in our weakness.
Prayer:
You proved yourself David’s true heir by wearing a crown of thorns, Jesus. God then kept his oath to David by giving you authority over all. Help me cling to your promises and seek your kingdom first, however my story plays out. Let me know you and reign gloriously under you, I pray. Amen.
In your free moments today, pray this prayer:
For David your servant’s sake
don’t turn your anointed one away unheard.
