All good relationships rely on reciprocation, and this Psalm describes such reciprocation between David and the Lord. The pertinence of relational reciprocation, in this instance, surrounds the object of covenant commitment; loyalty written in David’s lineage as it was to come:
“The Lord swore to David a sure oath
from which he will not turn back...”
~Psalm 132:11a (NRSV)
Both David and the Lord centre their attention, and the gait of their effort, on the emergence of Zion; the promise to bless the sons of David, through lineage, evermore.
A Sign Of The Best Of Relationships
The best of relationships feature the characteristic of trying to outdo one another in acts of love, giving each to the other many things both desired and beneficent. Whenever one gives the gift of love, the other wishes to respond in whatever way they can. They want to out-give the other.
David’s commitment to God was unparalleled, and this Psalm cites examples and the mood of the anointed one’s obedience. The Lord saw from on High the purity of his servant’s heart and the Mighty One could barely resist blessing his son.
The same thing occurs in many of our families. The arrangements of love resemble a covenant outcome whereby parties to the covenant enjoy much agreed contractual peace, mainly for the reasons of heartfelt commitment, occurring in visible ways.
Giving Our Covenant Commitment
The test of our lives is our obedience.
The weight of that test varies, as does the variety within so many realms of this life. And whilst we’re called to obey God, knowing in advance that many times we’ll fail, we may shudder. We may be concerned regarding the Sovereign God’s take on that. We may fear judgment. All of this is normal.
As we read this Psalm, and many like it, we’re reminded of the intimacy between David and his Lord. Such a covenant relationship features the sort of love that’s never motivated out of guilt; such love between the two is pure, based always in truth.
And this is to be the goal of our lives, also. When we establish a relationship with God that reeks of the intimacy somehow exemplified in David’s faith, we develop the Spirit-connection that will sponsor the rest of our days in love, hope, grace, and patient endurance—all toward the devotion typified in love.
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David’s heart for God was ever pure. His faith was, likewise, blessed by the intimacy of the Lord. As we draw near to the Spirit of God we sense this intimacy, also. Only when we have intimacy with God can we have intimacy with ourselves and, therefore, know our true purpose in life.
© 2012 S. J. Wickham.
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