Read Psalm 132:1-10 1Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor, all the hardships he endured, 2how 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, 4I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, 5until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” 6Behold, 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!” 8Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. 9Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your saints shout for joy. 10For the sake of your servant David, do not turn away the face of your anointed one.
The pilgrims, including Judah’s anointed king, recall how the Ark of the Covenant made its way to Zion. David chose Jerusalem as the mountain top seat of power. He had moved in, but God’s presence, manifested in the Ark, was still not home. After a failed first attempt, David was able to bring the Ark into a tent he had pitched in Jerusalem, the Tabernacle of David as it is called. From there the Ark was moved into Solomon’s Temple, the final destination of our pilgrim singers.
Why did David care so much about getting the Ark back to Jerusalem? Was it merely a political move to solidify his power after the death of Saul? Not at all. David knew what we too must know, that apart from God we can do nothing. David’s line between the Ark and God himself was very thin. To bring the Ark into his tent was to find a place for the Lord himself, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.
For David it was all about living in the presence of God. Not power. Not politics. Presence. The presence of God that allows his priests to come clothed in righteousness and his saints to come with shouts of joy.
As royal priests in the Kingdom of Christ the saints that are in Christ have become the Tabernacle of David, the dwelling place for the presence of God. We live every moment in his presence, dressed in Christ’s righteousness and shouting Christ’s own joy.
To live is Christ is to be able to draw near to God at any time and in any place. Why? Because he has made his home in our hearts.
You: Are you as concerned with living in the presence of God as David was?
You in Christ: How does our union with Christ guarantee the perpetual presence of God with us?
Christ in you: How would the day be different if you really believed that Christ lives in your heart as his dwelling place?
Pray: Blessed Trinity, help me to live each day in the awareness of your presence. Amen.
To Live is Christ 