This is another psalm of ascents and is the longest one. The authorship is unknown. It could have been Davidic (but verses 1, and 10-11 belie this) or Solomonic as a dedication of the newly built Temple. Whoever the author, this is a prayer given which asks God to remember His promises and is in connection with the Ark coming to Jerusalem and with the promise of the building of the Temple. This places the topic of the writing in time with our studies in 1 Chronicles and 2 Samuel (2 Samuel 7.8-16 [see study] and 1 Chronicles 17.11-14 [see our study]). Second Samuel is the Davidic Covenant and 1 Chronicles is the oath by God to build the Temple through David’s son, Solomon.
- Verses 1-5-Remember David’s oath to build the Temple (see our study on 2 Samuel 5)
- Verses 6-7-Remember David’s bringing the Ark to Jerusalem (see our study on 1 Chronicles 16). The writer recollects that David heard of the Ark in his youth as seen in the reference to Ephrathah, which is another name for David’s hometown of Bethlehem (Micah 5.2 and Genesis 48.7).
- Verses 8-10-A prayer for God to remember the Ark and the King. The phrase “Your anointed” could refer both to David’s descendants and his ultimate descendant Jesus Christ, the Anointed One (Messiah).
- Verses 11-18-A restating of the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7.8-16)
The prayers of verses 8-10 are answered in verses 16-18.
- Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength (8).
- This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it (14).
- Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness (9a).
- Her priests also I will clothe with salvation (16a).
- And let Your godly ones sing for joy (9b).
- And her godly ones will sing aloud for joy (16b).
- For the sake of David Your servant, do not turn away the face of Your anointed (10).
- There I will cause the horn of David to spring forth; I have prepared a lamp for Mine anointed. . . . But upon himself his crown shall shine (17, 18b).
During times of difficulty or praise, we need to record our prayers, desires, thoughts, and life so we might see God at work in our lives. When trials come, and they will, having a recorded testimony of God’s work in your life along with answered prayers will strengthen you and those around you. What is God writing in your life?