The Blessing of The Lord is Found in The Hearts of Men

Psalms 132:1–9
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This psalm begins with David’s desire to build the temple. When he became king he built a beautiful palace, but he was troubled that the ark of the covenant, the symbol of God’s presence among his people remained in a tent. Centuries after David’s day there appear good members of the Covenant people who are deeply concerned that their new building should be the abode of the Lord, just as truly as Solomon’s Temple had been so long before. On a public occasion held in the new Temple buildings someone asks God to remember what David had done half a millennium before. In 2 Sam. 6 it tells about what happened when David brought the Ark of the Covenant up to Jerusalem once it had been recovered from the Philistines, Israel’s long-standing enemy. Having read these passages, we may remind ourselves that in the time of this psalm the line of David was extinct, and that the place that God had chosen had been obliterated by Nebuchadnezzar.

The beginning verses of this psalm tell of David’s intention to build a dwelling place for the Ark of the Covenant. In fact he could not sleep well until he had done his best to provide a place for the ark.  Then he had to find the ark and bring it to its proper place of worship. Remember that it had been lost in the battle with the Philistines when Eli’s sons had taken it there. The thought then shifts to how the kingdom of Judah might have stood to this day had its kings been faithful to the Lord. History shows how it fell by its own sin and by nothing else. Just as the continued blessing of the Lord was not found in the building or an altar but in the hearts of men the same is true today. Many think that God is only found in the church building when He desires to dwell in every man’s heart.

Application

Today would be a good time to review I Corinthians 6:19, 20. Then make a list of things that cannot glorify God in my body.