Singing the Songs of Hope and Joy (Psalms 131–134)

Feeling overwhelmed by noise, deadlines, and uncertainty? We take a slow, thoughtful walk through Psalms 131–134 and find a different pace—one where a quieted soul, a reordered life, and a hopeful future come into focus. David’s image of a weaned child sets the tone: trust matures us. It doesn’t deny pain; it grows our capacity to rest in God’s character when outcomes aren’t instant.

From there, we revisit David’s holy burden in Psalm 132: bringing God’s presence to the center of national life. The ark’s return to Jerusalem wasn’t a pageant; it was a costly reset. Solomon’s dedication prayer rises with joy, yet the psalm keeps us honest about the Davidic covenant’s conditional thread. History bears the scars of disobedience, but the melody resolves in hope—the greater Son of David, Jesus the Messiah, who keeps the promise we could not and reigns with a faithfulness that doesn’t fade.

Unity takes on color and scent in Psalm 133. Like oil on Aaron’s head, it spreads a fragrance that people notice before they understand it. Like the dew of Hermon, unity refreshes far beyond its source. We explore how everyday choices—honor, forgiveness, shared mission—become a quiet witness in a divided world. Psalm 134 then lifts our eyes with a pilgrim’s benediction: bless the Lord, and be blessed by the Maker of heaven and earth. It’s a sending for ordinary days with extraordinary hope.

If you’re longing for calm, craving spiritual clarity, or curious how ancient songs shape modern lives, this journey will help you breathe again. Listen, share with a friend who needs encouragement, and subscribe so you never miss the next step on the Wisdom Journey. Your review helps others find this conversation—what truth stood out most to you?

The Christian's Compass is a companion study guide that corresponds to each of these lessons along The Wisdom Journey. Download a copy for free, or cover the cost of printing and shipping and we'll mail you a booklet.

Learn More: https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/the-christians-compass

Chapters

• 1:56 Setting The Theme Of Quiet Trust
• 2:41 Psalm 131 And The Weaned Child
• 4:42 Psalm 132: David’s Hardships And Holy Priorities
• 8:23 Solomon’s Prayer And The Davidic Promise
• 11:01 The Greater Son Of David: Messiah
• 13:34 Psalm 133: The Fragrance Of Unity

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:37

Welcome to the Wisdom Journey with Stephen Davy. How do you quiet your soul when life seems loud and uncertain? Just like King David, we're gonna go through times that are dark and difficult, but we face those times with hope. This is the theme that runs through the 27 verses that comprise Psalms 131 through 134. These short psalms remind us to trust God's plan, pursue unity, and celebrate his promises. Here's Stephen with today's lesson.

SPEAKER_01: 2:14

If you've been sailing along with me on this wisdom journey, well, you know by now we've been covering the Psalms of Ascent. These are the Psalms that were sung by the Israelites as they walked up, literally walked up toward Jerusalem to celebrate their festivals and their feasts, such as Passover and Tabernacles. Well, now we're here in Psalm 131, a very short psalm, only three verses long, but it's rich, it's deep. Charles Spurgeon, the nineteenth century preacher, once wrote, This psalm is a short ladder, yet it rises to a great height. Well, the psalmist David uses the imagery of a weaned child to teach us that trusting God leads us to a better kind of life. He writes here in verse two. But I have calmed and quieted my soul like a weaned child with its mother. When children are weaned, they're not going to like it, but they're going to be taught that something more lasting is on the way. In fact, it's going to last longer than two hours. So a mother is effectively teaching her son or daughter they can be quieted by this truth. She's trustworthy. She's going to provide for them. She's going to be different. She's going to provide for their well-being in ways that, well, at the moment, this child might not understand. Let me tell you something. Trusting God to provide for us takes us beyond our limited perspective as his children. You see, God has plans for us and he wants us to be quieted in this knowledge. He's deepening us. He's giving us truths that are longer lasting, as it were. He's trustworthy, so let's trust him to provide for us. And along the way, what's he gonna do? He's gonna grow us up in our walk of faith. Let's sing here with the psalmist, then, in faith, as we trust him. I have calmed, I have quieted my soul as I trust in him. Now, Psalm 132, next here, is rich in Israel's history. It might have been composed by Solomon. In fact, verses eight through ten are part of Solomon's prayer as he dedicates the temple in Jerusalem given to us in detail back in Second Chronicles chapter six. This psalm here sort of takes us on a field trip through Israel's history under King David. Verse 1 says, Remember, O Lord, in David's favor all the hardships he endured. Maybe you feel like praying that way today. Lord, remember me favorably because all the hardships I'm enduring. Well, what kind of hardships are in mind here, as the psalmist writes? Well, you might be surprised that first on the list are hardships David suffered for the Lord's sake. The Psalm reaches back in history to 2 Samuel chapter 7. This is where David told Nathan the prophet that he felt guilty and sad because he lived in a palace that was trimmed in cedar wood, while the ark of God was dwelling, as it were, over in that plain old tent. The psalmist quotes David, who describes how he felt about it here in verse 3. 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 dwelling place for the mighty one of Jacob. He's essentially saying, I gotta find a suitable house for the Lord, represented by that ark, that golden box. Now, secondly, here in verse 6, the psalmist refers to David's hardships in reestablishing true worship. And again, he dips into history, goes back to 2 Samuel chapter 6, when the Ark of the Lord, which had been captured by the Philistines and then recovered, is finally brought into the city of Jerusalem. Let me remind you, David went through a lot of trouble to bring that golden ark of the covenant back into Jerusalem. So keep in mind, these hardships referenced here in this psalm, they had to do with David wanting God to be the priority in the life of the nation of Israel. He's agonizing over God sort of being shoved out the door. He's wanting God to be returned in glory, worshipped, and glorified. Maybe that's something you're agonizing over today, as I do. God is being shoved, you know, out the back door of our world, certainly our nation. We want him to be worshipped. We want him to be center stage. We want God's glory to be honored. We want God's reputation to be enhanced in our world. And it's a hardship in our life, in our heart, when he isn't. Well, now here in verses 8 through 10, the psalmist records something Solomon prayed at the dedication of that glorious temple, which again leads us to believe that Solomon is writing this particular psalm. Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your saints shout for joy. This kind of joyful anticipation is embraced by Solomon. In fact, now here in verse eleven, God's promise to form a dynasty of David's family is referred to. His descendants are going to occupy the throne in Jerusalem. But uh Solomon has that conditional clause attached to the promise. God is speaking here in verse twelve. If your sons keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them, their sons also forever shall sit on your throne. Well, we know that didn't happen. In fact, David's son, Solomon, is going to set the table for idolatry and immorality. I wonder if he thought of this psalm in later years, because he and the kings that followed him, for the most part, are going to fail to obey God's word. But God is still promising here that a son of David will sit on the throne forever. Well, who's worthy of that? There's only one son related to David in the flesh. It's the greater son of David, the descendant of David through Mary, none other than the Messiah Jesus Christ. So you can imagine why this psalm is going to become the musical crescendo, the climax of these fifteen psalms of ascent as the people are streaming up and into Jerusalem to celebrate their coming Messiah. And what it's going to be like when the Messiah reigns in his coming kingdom. Well, Psalm 133 tells us what it's going to be like here in verse 1. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity. This is a reference to the coming kingdom of Christ on earth, when the tribes of Israel will be unified again. Well now the Psalmist David here goes on to give us two descriptions of this unity. And frankly, even though the church is not in view here, these principles are timeless and true for any of God's people, whether a local church or certainly the people of God at large. This is unity that we can enjoy today in part. And we recognize we're going to share it perfectly one day in the kingdom of Christ. What's that going to be like? What does that unity look like then? What does it feel like now? Well, he describes it here in verse 2 as the fragrance of God. This unity is like the precious oil on the head running down on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes. We'll go back to Exodus chapter 30, where you have the description of this special perfumed oil that was originally poured on the head of Aaron, commissioning him as the high priest. And here it's pictured as running down his beard and shoulders and over the stones on each shoulder that bore the names of the tribes of Israel. It created a fragrance everywhere Aaron walked. You could smell them coming, as it were. That's why it was an appropriate symbol for unity. Unity among the brethren is a sweet perfume to the world around us. Well, David goes on to describe unity here in verse three as the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. Well, Mount Hermon is nearly ten thousand feet high there in northern Israel. It's famous, by the way, for the heavy dew that falls on its slopes. It actually provides the water that crops and people need down below. Well, the mountains of Zion, that is Jerusalem, will experience the refreshing dew of God's blessing when his people are unified in the Lord. Well, with that we come to Psalm 134. This is the last psalm of the fifteen psalms called the Psalms of Ascent that the people sang as they went up to Jerusalem. This final song, again, is short, it's only three verses long. It's a rather heartwarming benediction, if you please. Verse 1 says, Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord. More than likely this would have been a solo verse. Now they're all going to join together here in verse three. May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth. Can't you just imagine these pilgrims singing here as they journeyed toward Jerusalem? The grace of God has been their theme. There's hope and joy in their hearts with these promises as their encouragement. And let me tell you, to this day, we are still singing truths that come from psalms like this as we look forward to the return of Christ and his presence among us. So, in the meantime, beloved, let's keep marching toward our heavenly home. Let's keep that view of our coming King in our hearts as it gives us hope and joy and encouragement. And maybe sing a modern version of this psalm, one I learned as a child, goes like this: Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land. I am weak, but thou art mighty. Hold me with thy powerful hand. Let me encourage you to sing that today as you walk with God. And until our next wisdom journey together, beloved, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

SPEAKER_00: 13:41

Thanks for listening to The Wisdom Journey with Stephen Davey. To learn more about us and access all of our Bible teaching resources, visit wisdomonline.org. Our phone number is 866-482-4253. And you can email us at info at wisdomonline.org. Stephen developed this daily program to help you know what the Bible says, understand what it means, and apply it to your life. So please join us next time to continue the wisdom journey.