Trust God for His Bountiful Blessings (vv. 13-18). God not only chose Israel to be His people and David and his descendants to be His kings, but He also chose Zion to be the site of His temple and His throne (the ark). David had desperately wanted to build God a house but was forbidden to do so, but he gathered the wealth needed, received the plans from the Lord, and bought the property on which the temple would stand. This purchase grew out of the sin David committed when he took a census of the people (2 Sam. 24). When the fire from heaven consumed his sacrifice, David knew that this was the place God had chosen. Other nations had temples, but none of those temples had the glory of the true and living God dwelling in them.
God spoke to the people in verses 14-18 and reaffirmed His covenant with Israel (Lev. 26; Deut. 27–30), for the people as well as the kings were obligated to obey the Lord if they expected to experience His blessing (v. 12). God promised to dwell with Israel, provide their food, bless their worship, and defeat their enemies. Two special images are seen here–the lamp and the sprouting horn (v. 17)–and both refer to David and to the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ. The burning lamp symbolized the king (2 Sam. 21:17), the preservation of life (18:28-30), and the perpetuation of the royal dynasty (1 Kings 11:36; 15:4; 2 Kings 8:19; 2 Chron. 21:7). The sins of some of David’s successors deserved radical punishment, but for David’s sake, the Lord allowed them to reign from David’s throne. A horn is a symbol of power and strength, and the sprouting of the horn of David is a picture of the coming of the promised Messiah. The Hebrew word for “sprout” is translated “branch” in Isaiah 4:2, Jeremiah 23:5 and 33:15, and Zechariah 3:8 and 6:12, and refers to the Messiah, “the Branch.” The word translated “flourish” or “shine” in verse 18 can also mean “to blossom,” and is used that way in Numbers 17:8, the blossoming of Aaron’s rod. This, too, is a messianic image. So, the psalm ends by pointing to Jesus Christ.
The psalm concerns itself with David and God’s covenant with him, but it points to David’s greater Son, Jesus Christ, and His covenant with His church. The psalmist was concerned about the ark of the covenant, but the ark points to Jesus Christ who today is enthroned in the Holy of Holies in heaven. We see, not the earthly Zion, but the heavenly Zion (Heb. 12:22-24), and we rejoice that we are “a kingdom of priests” because of the grace of God (Rev. 1:5-6). Let us give God His rightful place, worship Him joyfully, rest on His faithful covenant, and trust Him for the promised blessings for those who willingly obey His will.