#884 Bed Bugs and Mites

Remember, O Lord, in David's favor,

all the hardships he endured,

2 how he swore to the Lord

and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,

3 “I will not enter my house

or get into my bed,

4 I will not give sleep to my eyes

or slumber to my eyelids,

5 until I find a place for the Lord,

a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;

we found it in the fields of Jaar.

7 “Let us go to his dwelling place;

let us worship at his footstool!”

8 Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place,

you and the ark of your might.

9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,

and let your saints shout for joy.

10 For the sake of your servant David,

do not turn away the face of your anointed one.

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.

12 If your sons keep my covenant

and my testimonies that I shall teach them,

their sons also forever

shall sit on your throne.”

13 For the Lord has chosen Zion;

he has desired it for his dwelling place:

14 “This is my resting place forever;

here I will dwell, for I have desired it.

15 I will abundantly bless her provisions;

I will satisfy her poor with bread.

16 Her priests I will clothe with salvation,

and her saints will shout for joy.

17 There I will make a horn to sprout for David;

I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.

18 His enemies I will clothe with shame,

but on him his crown will shine.” Psalm 132 ESV

A Psalm of Ascents. 

All the hardships he endured - It was a long and hard road for David, his kingship was not realized at his anointing, and even after he was made king much of Israel came slowly. Enduring word gives a great outline of his life. There are shadows here as well, Christ took on human form and endured great suffering, rejection from most of Israel, and even his own brothers for a time. Jesus is now Lord and King, but men prefer their own way. Judas, who walked with and learned from our Lord, also betrayed Him.

· Despised and criticized by his family.

· Placed in many life-and-death struggles.

· Accused of treason and treachery.

· Attacked the connected, powerful, and ruthless.

· Lived many years as a fugitive, a wanted man.

· Had family, home, friends, and career taken from him.

· Endured a significant season of backsliding.

· Accepted as king only reluctantly.

· Faced many enemies in battle through many wars.

· Openly criticized and despised by his wife.

· Suffered because of his own sin and scandal.

· Great conflict and problems among his children.

· Suffered a coup staged by his son, followed by a civil war.

· Openly despised and criticized by some of his subjects. Enduring Word

Until I find a place for the Lord - His was a good desire, not wanting the comforts of this life to precede his dedication to God's kingdom, His glory. We know that David never saw the completion of his vision, that God did not chose him for building the temple, yet he did much to prepare for it. 

…45 And our fathers who received it brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations God drove out before them. It remained until the time of David, 46 who found favor in the sight of God and asked to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomon who built the house for Him.… Acts 7: 45-47

Let us worship at His footstool - The tabernacle, temple, the ark of the covenant, none of these things could contain the God, Who created the universe, so the picture is of a humble piece of furniture.

For the sake of Your servant David, do not turn away the face of Your anointed One - 

i. “For his sake all those who are anointed in him are accepted. God blessed Solomon and succeeding kings, for David’s sake; and he will bless us for Jesus’ sake.” (Spurgeon)

The Lord swore to David a sure oath - 2 Samuel 7

…29 Brothers, I can tell you with confidence that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that He would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Foreseeing this, David spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did His body see decay.… Acts 2: 29-31

He has desired it for His dwelling place -

ii. The LORD has chosen Zion: “The human response was all too often cynical, treating God’s choice as something to be exploited: a shelter against his judgment (Jer. 7, especially verses 8–15) or an asset to be commercialized (Matt. 21:12f.).” (Kidner)

…14 In the temple courts He found men selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and money changers seated at their tables. 15 So He made a whip out of cords and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle. He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those selling doves He said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn My Father’s house into a marketplace!”… John 2: 14-16

I will satisfy her poor with bread - The leaders of the temple, the religious royalty, did not seek the welfare of their poor, and like Eli's sons they robbed both God's house and His people. This was a place for all to worship God, rich and poor alike, but they made it a den of thieves, elevating themselves, and deceiving themselves so much that they could not recognize God when He came. They took from the poor and sent them away with empty stomachs. They only respected those who had the means to do for them, wicked and unjust servants, plunderers and thieves.

And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, 2 and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. 3 So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; 4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”

Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple

5 Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said, 6 “These things which you see—the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.” Luke 21: 1-6

…26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1: 26-27

There I will make a horn to sprout for David - A horn is representation of power, and here of royal power, government. 

iv. “That this verse doth mystically refer to Christ, the Jews confess, as Dr. Hammond has observed. So saith Rabbi Saadiah, ‘The lamp is the king, which illuminates the nations:’ and Kimchi, ‘The horn of David, is the Messias.’” (Horne)

…6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this. Isaiah 9: 6-7