Psalms 132:13
Ver. 13. For the Lord hath chosen Zion,.... Not only to build upon it the temple in a literal sense, and for the place of his worship; but also for the seat of his majesty, and over which he has set his Son as King; and all this from the love he bears to Zion, which, in a figurative and spiritual sense, is his church; whom he has chosen to privileges, to grace and glory, and for his service and honour; see Ps 78:67;he hath desired [it] for his habitation; heaven is the habitation of his holiness and glory; Christ is his dwelling place, in whom all the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily: yet his desire is to his church and people; his heart is set upon them, and upon their salvation; his delight is in them, and he takes pleasure in walking with them, and dwelling among them; they being built up an habitation for God through the Spirit; see Ps 68:16. Psalms 132:14Ver. 14. This [is] my rest for ever,.... The rest of my majesty, as the Targum; the place of his rest: and this being for ever shows that not Mount Zion literally, nor the temple, are meant; but the church and people of God, in whom he rests in his love, and rejoices over with joy; who are the objects of his delight, and with whom he abides for ever; for this phrase is expressive of pleasure and delight, and of permanency and perpetuity;here will I dwell, for I have desired it; not merely by his omnipresence, in which sense he dwells everywhere, both in heaven and in earth; nor only by his omnipotence, by which he upholds all creatures in their being, and so is present with them all; and they all live and move, and have their being, in him: but by his Spirit and grace reviving and refreshing the hearts of his people with his gracious presence; which is enjoyed in his house and ordinances, and makes them lovely and delightful; and may be expected there, since he has promised it, and it is so desirable and agreeable to himself to dwell there. Psalms 132:15Ver. 15. I will abundantly bless her provision,.... The provision of Zion, the church of God, the word and ordinances, of which Christ is the sum and substance; the Gospel is milk for babes, and meat for strong men; the ordinances are a feast of fat things; Christ's flesh is meat indeed, and his blood drink deed; the whole provision is spiritual, savoury, salutary, strengthening, satisfying, and nourishing, when the Lord blesses it; as he does to those who hunger and thirst after it, and feed upon it by faith; so that their souls grow thereby, and they become fat and flourishing; grace increases in them, and they are fruitful in every good work: and this the Lord promises to do "abundantly", in a very large way and manner; or "certainly", for it is, in the original text, {y} "in blessing I will bless", that is, will surely bless, as this phrase is sometimes rendered. Arama observes that the second blessing is because of the greatness of it; and says, that their Rabbin's understand it of the fertility of the land of Israel in the time to come, when there will be no poor in it; but all is to be understood spiritually of the church in Gospel times;I will satisfy her poor with bread; Zion has her poor; persons may be poor and yet belong to Zion, belong to Zion and yet be poor; there are poor in all the churches of Christ: our Lord told his disciples that they had the poor, and might expect to have them always with them; and particular directions are given to take care of Zion's poor under the Gospel dispensation, that they may not want bread in a literal sense: though by the "poor" are chiefly designed the Lord's afflicted and distressed ones; or who in a spiritual sense are poor, and sensible of their spiritual poverty, and seek after the true riches; or are poor in spirit, to whom the kingdom of heaven belongs: these the Lord promises to satisfy, to fill them to the full with the bread of the Gospel, made of the finest of the wheat, of which there is enough and to spare in his house; and with Christ the bread of life, of which those that eat shall never die, but live for ever.{y} Krba Krb "benedicendo benedicam", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus, Cocceius, Gejerus. Psalms 132:16Ver. 16. I will also clothe her priests with salvation,.... With the garments of salvation, as the Targum; in answer to the petition, Ps 132:9; but more is promised than prayed for, "salvation" including "righteousness" and all other blessings; and may be interpreted, as there, either of the ministers of the Gospel clothed with the doctrine of salvation by Christ, coming forth full fraught with it, openly publishing and proclaiming it; salvation being made public and manifest by them as a garment, as Aben Ezra observes: moreover Gospel ministers are instruments of saving others; the Gospel preached by them being the power of God unto salvation, as well as they themselves are saved in the same way, 1Ti 4:16; besides, they are kept by the power of God, and in the hands of Christ, who protects them, and as it were covers them with the garment of salvation, while they are publishing it to the world, to whose reproaches and insults they are exposed: or else this may be interpreted of the people of God in common, who are all kings and priests to God, and are all clothed with the garments of salvation, Isa 61:10. Salvation by Christ is brought near to them, is applied to them, and put upon them as a garment; it is from Christ, and without them, though upon them; it is their clothing and their ornament, as well as their security from sin, law, death, and hell; see Ps 149:4;and her saints shall shout aloud for joy; not only "shout", as is entreated, Ps 132:9; but "shout aloud"; it shall be a jubilee time with them on account of the Gospel of salvation, the joyful sound sounded in their ears by the ministers of it clothed with it; and on account of the salvation itself, so great, so suitable, so free, so complete and full, and in which the glory of God is so much displayed; and on account of the application of it to themselves, being clothed with it and possessed of the joys of it. These the Jewish writers generally understand of the Levites. Psalms 132:17Ver. 17. There will I make the horn of David to bud,.... Which the Targum interprets "a glorious" King; and both Kimchi and Ben Melech, and also Arama, understand it of the Messiah, and very rightly; called the horn of the Lord's Anointed, and the horn of salvation, 1Sa 2:10 Lu 1:69; expressive of his power and strength, in allusion to the horns of cattle, with which they push their enemies and defend themselves; so horns are interpreted kings, Da 7:24; and is fitly applied to Christ, raised up of the seed of David, the man of God's right hand, made strong for himself, who is a mighty King and an able Saviour; as appears by what he has done and suffered, by the deliverance and salvation of his people, and by the destruction of all their enemies: and it is here promised that God would make this horn to "bud" or branch out, in allusion to another name of the Messiah, the "branch"; and it is the same as raising up to David a righteous branch, or causing the Messiah to spring forth as a branch out of his roots, for which reason he is called the Lord's servant, the branch, and the man the branch; see Jer 23:5; and it should be further observed that the Lord says, "there" will I do it; that is, either at Ephratah, which is Bethlehem, the place where the Messiah was to be born, and was born; or else at Zion or Jerusalem, where he appeared and showed himself, where he taught his doctrines and wrought many of his miracles, and near to which he suffered and died; and this shows that the Messiah must be come, that this horn of David must have budded, or the man the branch brought forth, since Bethlehem and Jerusalem are long ago demolished;I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed; which Jerom understands of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, who was a burning and shining light, but was not "that light", that famous light, that was to come, but was sent to bear witness of it; he being but as a candle, as the word here used signifies, in comparison of the sun of righteousness; but rather it means a son and successor of David, the Lord's anointed; in which sense the phrase is often used, 1Ki 11:36; and here the famous and illustrious Son and successor of his, the Messiah, the light which lightens every man with the light of reason; and who is the light of the world of his people, enlightening them with the light of grace, and will be the light of the New Jerusalem state, and of the ultimate glory; him God has "ordained" as such, even foreordained him before the foundation of the world; this lamp, or light, he prepared in eternity, and it dwelt with him, and therefore was desired to be sent out from him, Da 2:22; which places are to be understood of the Messiah; See Gill on "Da 2:22" andSee Gill on "Ps 43:3". Psalms 132:18Ver. 18. His enemies will I clothe with shame, With the garments of shame, as the Targum; very different from the clothing of Zion's priests; all that are incensed against Christ as a King and Saviour shall sooner or later be ashamed; either here, when brought to a sense of their evil, to repentance for it, and faith in him; or hereafter, at the resurrection, when they will rise to shame and everlasting contempt, and when they shall see him come in the clouds of heaven, in power and great glory, to judge the world in righteousness, Isa 45:24;but upon himself shall his crown flourish; being crowned with glory and honour, as he now is at the right hand of God, he reigns, and will reign, till all his enemies become his footstool; his throne is for ever and ever, and his kingdom an everlasting one; and will be very flourishing in the latter day, when his subjects shall be many, and when there shall be an abundance of peace and prosperity, and of that no end; the crown of the Messiah shall flourish on him as a king, shine out and be very conspicuous, as Aben Ezra and Jarchi interpret the word used; and so his crown as a priest; the same word is used of the holy crown of the priests put upon the mitre, on which Holiness to the Lord was inscribed; and the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, render it, "my holiness"; and, as his own crown is a never-fading one, such an one he will give to his ministers, and all that love him appearing, 1Pe 5:4.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.