Psalms of the Assents: The Stronghold of God’s Presence

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Psalm 132:13

For the Lord has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his home:

(CSB)

Prior to the finished work of Christ on the cross, God’s people had to go to the Temple to experience the presence of God.  In addition, not everyone could enter the Most Holy Place and those that could, could only do it once a year and not without blood (Hebrews 9:1-7).  It was this need for atonement, only possible through a blood sacrifice for sins that prompted the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem, with the Psalms of the ascents recited along the way as a reminder of why the pilgrimage was necessary.  Thankfully, however, God has a better plan that enables everyone to enter the Most Holy Place at any time covered by the blood of Jesus. 

Psalm 132:1-5 serves to remind us of the desire of King David to build a dwelling place for God.  While God did not allow David to build the Temple, passing it on to Solomon, this desire demonstrates a heart that yearns to be with God.  It is therefore not surprising that God refers to David as a man after his own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).  The question everyone reading this must ask is does my heart have a similar desire to be in the stronghold of God’s presence. 

Psalm 132:6-10 provides a glimpse into the anticipation felt by those making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  Bare in mind, these people were not traveling in the comfort of an air-conditioned car but were walking in the heat of the desert sun.  Having visited Israel, I can attest to the heat of the desert sun being like the heat of the Arizona sun where I live.  This context makes the anticipation of those making the pilgrimage even more incredible.  This leads to another question those reading this must ask.  Do I have a similar anticipation at entering God’s presence in prayer, worship, or study of the Bible?

While David was not granted the privilege of building the Temple, God gave him an even greater promise and privilege, an eternal kingdom (Psalm 132:11-12).  What makes this kingdom eternal is that it is not presided over by an earthly high priest that enters a tabernacle or temple made by human hands but Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  It is also not based upon the symbolic blood of goats and calves, but the Blood of the Son of God (Hebrews 9:11-12).  In essence, David did build a Temple for God to dwell in as one of his descendants, Jesus, would provide salvation from sin with God now able to dwell in the temple of the hearts of those that believe. 

Because of the shed blood of Jesus, the stronghold of God’s presence now lives in anyone that confesses Jesus as Lord of his or her life (Romans 10:9-10).  The Zion of God’s home mentioned in Psalm 132:13-18 is no longer a building one must make a trek to annually through the heat of the dessert sun for now God can live in our hearts.  I invite anyone reading this that has not prayed to accept Jesus as his or her savior to pause and pray with me now.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

The stronghold of God’s presence now lives with you, providing protection, strength, and most importantly salvation.  This salvation from sin through the blood of Jesus Christ means you have reconciliation and a relationship with God as He created you to have.  I encourage you to become better acquainted with God your creator through study of the Bible, the Word of God.  I also encourage you to pray regularly which is how we communicate with God and to also find a church teaching the Bible, so you can learn more and find others who believe like you do.  May God bless everyone reading this.