Slices
Prepare
Think about ways in which God has been faithful to you, and kept his promises, in the past. ‘Thank you, Father God, for all you have done for me, and for your faithfulness to me in the past. Amen.’
Bible passage
A song of ascents.
1 Lord, remember David
and all his self-denial.
2 He swore an oath to the Lord,
he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 ‘I will not enter my house
or go to my bed,
4 I will allow no sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5 till I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.’
6 We heard it in Ephrathah,
we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:
7 ‘Let us go to his dwelling-place,
let us worship at his footstool, saying,
8 “Arise, Lord, and come to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
9 May your priests be clothed with your righteousness;
may your faithful people sing for joy.”’
10 For the sake of your servant David,
do not reject your anointed one.
11 The Lord swore an oath to David,
a sure oath he will not revoke:
‘One of your own descendants
I will place on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons shall sit
on your throne for ever and ever.’
13 For the Lord has chosen Zion,
he has desired it for his dwelling, saying,
14 ‘This is my resting place for ever and ever;
here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.
15 I will bless her with abundant provisions;
her poor I will satisfy with food.
16 I will clothe her priests with salvation,
and her faithful people shall ever sing for joy.
17 ‘Here I will make a horn grow for David
and set up a lamp for my anointed one.
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but his head shall be adorned with a radiant crown.’
Explore
As we might do as we reflect on what God has done for us in the past, the psalmist here is looking back (vs 1–12), reflecting on the ark (built in Exodus 25:10–22) and God’s covenant with David and his people (see 2 Samuel 7:4–16).
Reflecting on the past, and how God worked in and through his people, enables the psalmist to look forward to the fulfilment of all of God’s promises in the future (vs 13–18). Did you do any reflecting on 2020, and set any hopes for 2021? What encouragement does this psalm give you?
God’s heart is for Zion, his people (v 13) – the family we have been following in our Exodus readings. Verses 10 and 17 talk about the ‘anointed one’ who will have a shining crown. Is this not ultimately Jesus, our Lord and King, where we will find a safe, secure resting place for ever (v 14), full of abundant blessing and joy (vs 15,16)?
Respond
Ponder these words or sing this hymn: ‘High King of heaven, my victory won, / May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s sun! / Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, / Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.’*
*Old Irish, trans. 1912
Deeper Bible study
‘My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?’1 Reflect deeply, meaningfully and effectively, as you read God’s Word today.
When visiting historic places – temples, churches, palaces, castles – our minds naturally turn to the great figures who dreamed up or designed these structures. On pilgrimage to God’s house, it’s natural for pilgrims to reminisce about the history of that house. Their plea that God ‘remember David’ (v 1), however, is not nostalgia but a plea for action. With God, to ‘remember’ is to act, and God’s remembering is frequently connected with his covenants: it was when ‘God remembered Noah’2 that the flood waters began to recede, taking the story surging forward to God’s covenant with all creation;3 in Exodus, it was when ‘God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob’4 that Operation Deliverance was launched.
To ‘remember David’ was also to remember the Davidic covenant.5 The psalmist begins by recollecting David’s all-consuming desire to honour God with a house truly fit for a king (vs 1–5). God, however, has even more grandiose plans! He vows to build a different kind of house for David – not a Temple made of stone but a dynasty made up of living stones, one that will endure for ever (vs 10–12). Why does David so ardently desire to build a ‘dwelling’ for God? The words ‘dwelling’ or ‘resting place’ – which occur five times (vs 5,7,8,13,14) – represent the presence of God. David yearns, thirsts, pants to be in God’s presence because he is a man who delights deeply in the Lord.
Desires that are shaped by delight in God will always be fulfilled! The cry of verse 8 is realised in verse 14; the prayer of verse 9 is answered in verse 16; and the plea in verse 10 is gloriously fulfilled in verses 17 and 18.
‘Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.’6 Ask God to shape the desires of your heart in accordance with his will.
1 Ps 42:2 2 Gen 8:1 3 Gen 9:8–17 4 Exod 2:24, emphasis added 5 2 Sam 7 6 Ps 37:4
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Exodus 13,14; Matthew 23
Pray for Scripture Union
SU USA were able to run ‘PrimeTime’ after-school clubs successfully on Zoom; pray for wisdom as to future direction especially on how and when to resume face-to-face meeting and for work on a new programme for ages 14–16 called ‘PrimeTime Plus’.
