Psalm 132

“Let us go to the sanctuary of the Lord;
let us worship at the footstool of his throne.“
Psalm 132:7 NLT

This is a Psalm that starts with references to the desire David had to build a splendid home, the Temple, honouring God and providing a place for Him to live. In the verses come references to the Ark, “the symbol of [God’s] power”, and remembers the promise God made to David, that his “royal line will continue forever and ever”. The Psalm finishes with the significance of Jerusalem, God’s choice for His home, and a prophetic glimpse of the coming Messiah.

Anything in here of help in our pilgrim’s journey through life? There is probably quite a bit worth further examination, but I have pulled out today’s verse, verse 7. It contains the invitations, “let us go” and “let us worship”. Action required. In our pilgrimage we cannot go far without meeting our basic spiritual need of visiting God and offering Him our worship. And this need is no less important today than it was back in the days when this Psalm was written. Of course, God doesn’t need our worship. But in some incomprehensible way, we, God’s people, need to do so. Often. We need to come to God frequently, acknowledging who He is, what He has done, thanking Him, praising Him, and spending time with Him. And by so doing, we connect with our loving Heavenly Father, finding refreshment for our very souls.

The Israelites needed a physical focus for their worship. And some of our denominations have “helps” in the form of ornate and elderly buildings with their stained glass windows, effigies of saints, an altar with a cross, all helping establish that connection between man and God. I sometimes look around me to the natural world and find God there, resplendent in His creationary prowess. But the right attitude of heart is found at His footstool, where we establish how great God is and how small and insignificant we humans are. And we worship Him there. His footstool, a place we develop in our minds, a go-to place whenever we worship our amazing Creator God. So today join me in His presence – “let us” go and worship.

“The Lord swore an oath to David
    with a promise He will never take back:
“I will place one of your descendants
    on your throne.
If your descendants obey the terms of My covenant
    and the laws that I teach them,
then your royal line
    will continue forever and ever.”
For the Lord has chosen Jerusalem;
    He has desired it for His home.
“This is My resting place forever,” he said.
    “I will live here, for this is the home I desired.
I will bless this city and make it prosperous;
    I will satisfy its poor with food.
I will clothe its priests with godliness;
    its faithful servants will sing for joy.
Here I will increase the power of David;
    My Anointed One will be a light for My people.””
Psalm 132:11-17 NLT

It’s Christmas Day, Folks. And believe it or not, there were prophetic verses in the Psalms that pointed forward to the coming Messiah. Part of the prophesy in these verses has been realised. For example, David was an ancestor of Jesus and His genealogy can be seen in Mathew 1. But other verses are yet to come to fruition – puzzling until we realise that Jesus is going to come again. And in this context we see that He will make His home in Jerusalem. It will be a prosperous city, spiritually rich with Godly priests, full of joy and singing and Jesus will be the Light for all.

But today we celebrate the first coming of Jesus. That amazing event when God Himself, through the Person of His Son, came to this earth, taking on a human body, starting His life as a baby, living a life like us. All because we were a lost people, part of the human race, heading through a sin-filled life into a lost eternity. He came first to His own people, but taught that God loved everyone and wanted none to perish and come to a dark and dismal end.

Sadly, today, this day of remembrance has turned into a materialistic cacophony of tinsel and turkey, crackers and crackling, drinking and dozing, giblets and gadgets, where even the “Happy Christmas” has been replaced by “Happy Holiday”. The spirit of the world doesn’t want the challenge of having to face into the reality that Jesus, God’s Son, was born as a human being with one mission – to reconcile them to God Himself – if they would only accept His invitation. So today, as we enjoy a meal together with our loved ones, perhaps we should remember that Jesus is the Light, sent to guide us on our pilgrimage through life to a time when we can join Him. He was the first born of many brothers and sisters – He has gone before us to prepare a place where “His faithful servants will sing for joy“. Don’t forget that there will be others around us who perhaps are on their own this Christmas, and who would like the Light of the World, Jesus, to illuminate their lives too. If you are one of them, remember that you are not alone – there are three other People with you – Jesus, Father God and the Holy Spirit. Oh – thinking about Jesus being the Light of the World – are we not His torch bearers?

Worship

The Messiah Comes