Bible Studies

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The Psalms
Psalm 132:1-12 – Forevermore!
Key Verses: (NRSV)

• 1: “O Lord, remember in David’s favor, all the hardships he endured.” – This psalm looks back and remembers the trials of David, the triumphant celebration of the Ark of the Covenant entering Jerusalem, and the promise of David’s kingship lasting forever.
  
  
• 4-5a: “I will not enter my house or get into my bed; until I find a place for the Lord.” – David’s passion for building a temple to God is remembered.
  
  
• 9: “Let your priests be clothed in righteousness and let your faithful shout for joy.” – A prayer that all God’s people stay focused on His will and purpose. As a result, they will celebrate with shouts of joy.
  
  
• 11: “The Lord swore to David a sure oath from which He will not turn back.” – God is forever faithful.
  
  
• 12: “If your sons keep my covenant and my decrees that I shall teach them, their sons also, forevermore, shall sit on your throne.” – This conditional promise based on the ability of David’s descendants to stay true to God’s teaching turned unconditional with the ascension of Jesus Christ to the throne of God’s kingdom.
  

Points to Contemplate:

• Do you remember your past? Have you learned valuable lessons from your trials, hardships, and misguided adventures? Do you celebrate in these memories? Do you see them as situations in which God grew you in faith and in knowledge? Do you share these situations and how they demonstrate God’s faithfulness to others? Can your life experiences be a valuable lesson from which others can learn?
  
  
• Are you restless? David was so focused on building a temple for God that he became anxious and lost sleep. Are you anxious to do God’s work? Have you become so focused on God that you are restless and agitated? Have there been situations where you could not rest until the task that He has laid on your heart was completed? Is this anxiety a good thing? Does God want you to be so passionate that you lose sleep and become stressed? Remember, David did not build the temple. It was not His task to undertake. Is this a lesson that your passion must be balanced with a healthy dose of patience? Is sleeplessness an indication that, perhaps, the task before you may not actually be yours to complete?
  
  
• Are you “clothed in righteousness?” Do accept your role as a member of the priesthood of believers? That as a Christian you have become a priest for His kingdom? How do you remain “clothed in righteousness?” How do you keep it from becoming self-righteousness? Do you pray for God to clothe you in His righteousness? Do you look for His guidance in everything you do, recognizing that the world is watching? Do you celebrate His love for you – shouting for joy and singing praises at every opportunity?
  
  
• What does Christ as King mean to you? Do you think of Him more as a teacher than a king? Do you focus on His ‘crown of thorns’ more than His ‘crown of victory?’ Is it difficult to have a personal relationship with a king? Is it amazing to you that a king, The King, sitting at the right hand of the Creator of the Universe, is not aloof and distant, but, instead, cares intimately about your well-being? Does this provide you with a greater sense of how amazing His love for you truly is and how fantastic His promise of eternal life has become?
  

Promise of the Gospel:

For Christ the King Sunday, it is important to take a few moments and think back through our past and consider how many different ways God has interacted in our lives. It is through this reflection that we come to understand the depth of His love and the scope of His faithfulness. Christ is King! With that glorious exclamation we claim a piece of His kingdom, we become clothed in His righteousness, and we grow anxious in our desires to serve Him. God’s amazing ability to work through people such as David is available to each and everyone of us as we open our hearts to His love and to the promises He has in store.

FUMC Devotionals

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