Promise Seed is not David but after David: A look at Psalm 132:10-11

Koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Visiting Professor

Department of Liberal Education

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

It appears from Psalm 132 that someone is praying to the Lord regarding David’s dream to build the temple.

“Remember Lord to David” (v. 1a-b) and “unto all his afflictions” (v. 1c). “That he swore to the Lord, vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob” (2a-b).

David said:

“If I come in the tent of my house” (v. 3a)

“If I go up upon stretching my bed”(v. 3b)

“If I give sleep to my eyes,”(v. 4a)

“to my eyelids slumber”(v. 4b)

“until (ad) I found a place (magom) for the Lord”(v. 5a)

“a dwelling (mishkanot) for the Mighty One of Jacob” (v. 5b).

Then the singer mentions about some plaques that were set up in the woods wishing a temple to be built:

“Look, we heard of it in Ephratah” (v. 6a)

“we found it in the fields of Ya’ar” (v. 6b).

“Let us go up to His habitation” (v. 7a)

“Let us worship to the stool of His feet” (v. 7b).

The singer then prays to the Lord:

“Arise o Lord to Your habitation” (v. 8a)

“You and the ark of Your strength” (v. 8b).

The singer wishes God to rise in His Heavenly Temple.

The ark in mind is the ark of His strength.

He also prays for the priests.

“Your priests, let them be clothed with Righteousness” (v. 9a).

“and Your kind ones, let them shout for joy” (v. 9b).

He wishes then to pray for aspect related to David but not necessarily David himself:

“For the sake of David Your servant” (v. 10a)

“Do not turn away Your face from Your Anointed” (v. 10b)

Verse 10a is David who is the servant but in verse 10b the Anointed is Christ. God the Father is asked to accept the sacrifice of His son and not turn away His face from Christ horrible death on the cross. We know that it is in David’s future since the next verse provide the context of this Anointed:

“The Lord has sworn to David” (v. 11a)

“truly, He will not turn from Him” (v. 11b).

God says to David that He (God the Father) will not turn away from Him (God the Son in the cross act).

“From the fruit of your body” (v. 11c)

“I will sit to the throne to you” (v. 11c).

This means that the throne will be set in front of David and the One Who will sit on it will be Christ who will be in front of David “to you” (lak). All of us will appear before the throne of Christ, David included. Christ was from the House of David a son and thus was He the Seed to come and promised to come. Not David sit on the throne, but his Seed. The future is in mind here and David resurrected since from the fruit of David will sit on the throne while David is also alive. It is true that David co-reign with Solomon for four years between 974-970 BCE but this is not a co-regency. Only One is King and only One is Annointed, and only One is the Seed of David. That is why Solomon is cancelled and why Christ is in mind here, but with David resurrected during the 1000 years in heaven.

There will be scholars who wish to say David’s throne is promised to be eternal here but look at the original carefully. The preposition is used for a purpose “to the throne to you” because it orientates David in front of the throne, not “his throne”. It is a small technicality but very crucial. The modern translations skipped this very crucial nuance here. We better keep it literal as possible.

David’s children who are faithful will be sitting, not “on the throne” but “to the throne” and not with David on the throne but next to them, thus “to you”. Christ sits on the throne and David and his children next to him sits to the throne of Christ. The poet and singer could have made it very simple with just a second person pronominal singular suffix but he chose a preposition to distance David from the throne as the preposition lamed also distance the children away from the throne.

When the singer comes to verse 13, he is eschatological. Zion is the heavenly Zion which is another name for the Heavenly Jerusalem. Christ has desire the heavenly Zion for His habitation. It is biblical that the heavenly Zion will come out of heaven one day.

Christ announces that “This is My rest for ever; here will I dwell; for I have desired it” (heavenly Zion and Jerusalem).

Christ is speaking between vv. 15-18 about the heavenly conditions and what He will do for David and the saints. The Anointed in v. 17 is not David but Christ. He made a lamp for Himself. He is the Light of the World. “I have ordained a lamp to My Anointed” (v. 17b).

“His enemies will I clothed with shame” (v. 18a)

“but upon Himself shall His crown flourish” (v. 18b).

Christ’s enemies will be ashamed in the eschaton but Christ will be the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.