Useful Bible Studies > Songs of Ascent Commentary

Psalm 132

· To get the maximum benefit from this study, please open your Bible and read Psalm 132 first.

Psalm 132:1-5

‘*LORD, remember David’ are the first words of Psalm 132 in many translations. But of course, God does not forget his loyal servants. The word ‘remember’ has another meaning.

When God remembered Noah, God acted on Noah’s behalf (Genesis 8:1). And Psalm 132:1 has a similar meaning. The poet is asking God to act on Israel’s behalf, because of the promise that God made to David.

The poet mentions David’s many troubles. David fought many wars. But David was not a proud king who fought wars because of his ambitions. David had to fight in order to save Israel from its many enemies. And he fought to establish Israel as a strong nation that served God. But David would have preferred to be the peaceful king who built God’s house. David’s son Solomon actually did that. But Solomon’s peaceful rule was only possible because of the battles that David had fought.

When the poet asks God to remember David’s troubles, he does not just mean the past troubles. There are also Israel’s current and future troubles. Those troubles are all part of David’s task to establish Israel as the nation that serves God. David is not still there to fight for Israel. But David’s God is Israel’s God. And God will act on behalf of Israel. He is Israel’s defender and Israel’s strength.

So the poet uses David’s name as he prays. God’s promise to David is a powerful reason for God to act on his people’s behalf.

The poet will write about God’s promise to David in Psalm 132:11-18. But first, he writes about David’s promise to God.

Next part: David’s promise to God

See the word list for explanation of words with a *

Please use the links at the top of the page to find our other articles in this series. You can download all our articles if you go to the download page for our free 450 page course book.