“Here I will make a horn grow for David and set up a lamp for my anointed one.”
~ Psalm 132:17
Hi James and Ellen,
Would you rather get something from your dad that you have wanted or would you rather give something to your dad that he has wanted? Your grandmaa and grandpaa like to give gifts. Why do you think that your grandmaa and grandpaa like to give gifts? What is something that you enjoy doing on Christmas Day? What does Christmas mean to you? Does Christmas mean to you receiving gifts? Does Christmas mean to you singing, snow falling and eating a lot of food? Does Christmas mean to you new toys, new games and new clothes? Why do you think that so many guys, gals and kids like the Christmas season so much? The Christmas season is a time to use colorful lights to dress up houses, lawns and trees. The Christmas season is a time to choose an evergreen conifer on which to hang glass balls, blinking lights and shiny tinsel on its branches. Christmas – for your grandmaa and grandpaa, is when a puzzle is fixed. Christmas – for your grandpaa when he was your age, was to go to the house of his ma’s dad and ma to eat dinner with his ma’s large family. On one of these Christmas Days when your grandpaa was with his ma and dad at the house of your dad’s grandma’s dad and ma, no one fixed your grandpaa a plate of food for your grandpaa to eat. Your grandpaa after that Christmas Day did not look forward to going again on Christmas Day to the house where your dad’s grandmaa’s dad and ma lived. What good or bad memories do you have of Christmas Day?
What is something that schools and churches usually do right before Christmas Day? Schools and churches typically have a Christmas program. What are schools and churches doing when they have a Christmas program? Kids like you who get to sing songs in a Christmas program are singing songs of thanks. Do you know Who these songs of thanks are sung about? These songs that are sung are about a little baby boy whose name is Jesus. These songs are sung to thank God the Father Who had His Son Jesus be born on planet Earth. Way before Jesus was born, God promised His specially chosen guys, gals and kids that He was going to have a very special birth happen on planet Earth. About 1000 years before Jesus was born, David was one of the guys who God told that He was going to one day have a special birth happen on planet Earth – and that baby Who would be born would be kin to David. Do you remember who David was to God? God called David beloved. David was known as a guy who was loved by God. David was chosen by God – before He created planet Earth, to be the best king Israel would ever have. David sometimes made bad choices – like every guy, gal and kid who has ever lived, is living and will live on planet Earth has done, is doing and will do during his or her lifetime. God would have David feel really terrible each time that he made a ruinous choice. After God had David internalize that he had done something against His will, David would sincerely ask God to forgive him. God would hear David crying for forgiveness and . . . do you know what the one thing was that David wanted to do more than anything else? David did not want to be the best king that Israel would ever have – even though he would be. David did not want to be the ruler over a lot of people – and a lot of land, even though he was. David wanted to do something very special for God. Why do you think that David wanted to do something very special for God? David knew how really special that it was to be loved by God. Do you know what David wanted to do for God? David wanted to construct a special place where God’s presence could be with His specially chosen guys, gals and kids in His specially chosen town – Zion. Zion is another name for Jerusalem.
David wrote a psalm song – Psalm 132, which he probably wrote to be sung during the dedication of the very special place where God’s presence would be with His specially chosen guys, gals and kids – the Israelite people group, in Zion. In the special dedication song that David wrote, David asked God to remember him. David did not want His Heavenly Father to ever forget all the difficulties that He had him experience. David did not want His Heavenly Father to ever forget all the promises that He had made to him. David wanted the opportunity to built the very special place for His Heavenly Father’s presence but as he was the one who God used to destroy His enemies in the land that He had promised His specially chosen guys, gals and kids that they would always have as their very own land to live in if . . ., it would be David’s kid – Solomon, who would build this very special place in Zion – or Jerusalem. God promised David that Zion – or Jerusalem, would be where He would have His presence be when He was on planet Earth with His specially chosen guys, gals and kids. God promised David that He would care for His specially chosen guys, gals and kids in a very special way. David included in this psalm song a special promise that God gave him. David wrote in verse 17 “‘Here I will make a horn grow for David and set up a lamp for my anointed one.”’ The horn is a reference to Jesus being born one day – and that Jesus would be as a light for God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids – the Israelite people group, to follow as well as for all the guys, gals and kids who God had specially elected for Himself before He created planet Earth. God has already done what He said that He would do in the psalm song that he had David scribe. About 1000 years after God told David that He would have a special child be born in David’s extended family, Jesus’ birth took place on planet Earth. If God had not had His Son Jesus be born on planet Earth, there would never be a Christmas Day. If God had not had Jesus be born on planet Earth, your grandpaa, you grandmaa, your dad, your ma, your . . . would never have the opportunity to know what it is like to be gifted by God the gift of eternal life. Christmas is a time to remember Jesus and the gift that God gave to you.
Psalm 132 (123)