Maybe I watched too much television as a child. In fact, I’m sure I did. I even watched the commercials. And I still remember so many TV commercial jingles:
My bologna has a first name, it’s O-S-C-A-R …
Gillette, the best a man can get!
Raise your hand if you’re Sure!
Be all that you can be, find your future, in the Army!
Handy Dan, Do it Yourself! We’re gonna’ show ya’ how!
Academy Sports and Outdoors, the right stuff, the right price!
Kmart is the savings store, where your dollar buys you more!
I could sing a dozen more. There’s something about a well-written jingle: it sticks in your head—sometimes for a lifetime![1] I’m sure you have noticed.
Which is easier to recall, words set to music or words you read in your Bible? Most would agree that words set to music have a way of getting into your head and staying there.
That seems to be one reason God created music—it is one of the best tools for memorizing things, whether facts about God, or stories of God’s dealings with His people, or the words of the Bible themselves.
In a world where many families did not own scrolls of the Bible, or perhaps could not have read a scroll if they had owned one, you can understand the extraordinary value of music as a tool to aid in memorizing God’s stories.
The writer of Psalm 132 composes a song that teaches some history. The song remembers God’s dealings with King David, the way the temple came to be built, and God’s promise to bless the line of David forever. If you imagine Psalm 132 set to the right tune, you can see how effectively it would teach people about God and remind them of His truth.
The psalm is divided into three parts:
Part 1. The singer asks God to bless Israel because David built God a temple.
“Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor,
all the hardships he endured;
how he swore to the Lord
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
‘I will not enter my house
or get into my bed;
I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
until I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob’” Psalm 132:1-5.
Part 2. The singer reminds God and God’s people that God promised David one of his sons would sit on the throne forever.
“The Lord swore to David a sure oath
from which he will not turn back:
‘One of the sons of your body
I will set on your throne.
If your sons keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their sons also forever
shall sit on your throne’” Psalm 132:11-12.
And my favorite thing about this psalm is what I am calling part three (the big finish!):
Part 3. The singer reminds us of God’s mercy and God’s prophetic promise of a future Messiah-King.
God had promised David his sons would forever reign on the throne in Jerusalem … if they would be faithful to God: “If your sons keep my covenant…” The promise was conditional. David’s descendants would reign as kings forever—if only they could be good. I wonder what David thought about that?
Let’s consider what we know about David. Could he make any predictions about his progeny? Consider the giant-killer’s knowledge of human nature: David was born the youngest of eight sons. He killed Goliath. He refused to kill Saul though Saul was after him for years. David loved God and walked with Him deeply most of his life. David was also a man of war and bloodshed, a brilliant leader on the battlefield who witnessed (and caused) an extraordinary number of deaths. And this ‘man after God’s own heart’ also committed sins so egregious they set the stage for an uprising by one of his sons, for treason, and for civil war.
David is a poet, a songwriter, a deep thinker. David is a man who has seen it all if anyone has. David has seen it all.
Something tells me David understood human nature well enough to know his heirs were never going to obey God for generations. Let’s face it: David was probably the best of the lot and he made tragic missteps.
But God.
But God had other plans.
“I will make a horn to sprout for David;
I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
His enemies I will clothe with shame,
but on him his crown will shine” Psalm 132:17-18.
David knows his descendants will fail. (He must know.) And God certainly knows David’s descendants will fail. But God promises that He will raise up One son of David who will not fail: “I will make a horn to sprout for David … on him his crown will shine.”
Jesus will be a Son of David. Jesus will never fail. And Jesus will occupy the throne of Israel forever and ever. Thus, in spite of the failure of nearly all of the sons of David, God will have mercy, He will forgive, and He will bless David and fulfill His promise to David in spite of the fact that David’s line would be unable to fulfill its end of the bargain.
Isn’t God good?
How often has He blessed us when we did not deserve it?
Isn’t God good?
Dear God, thank You for Your mercy. Thank You that You love to bless us, You delight to bless us, even when we fail spectacularly. You are so merciful, so loving, so kind, so generous. Thank You for music that teaches us not merely Your truths, but Your words! May we love psalms, hymns, worship music, and even contemporary Christian pop songs more every day. Grant us wisdom to discern between strong lyrics and weak.
AΩ.
[1] Many of the most memorable jingles from the 70’s and 80’s were written and performed by Jake Holmes. Even as a child, I learned to recognize the pop sound of his clear tenor voice. However, Holmes neither composed nor sang for the Folgers ads (pictured). His biggest hit may have been “I’m a Pepper” for Dr. Pepper. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2770F30E303AD3CB
Household Words: 