Psalm 132:10 NKJV
For Your servant David’s sake,
Do not turn away the face of Your Anointed.
Understanding God’s Promise to David
My Notes
Psalm 132:10 (NKJV)
“For Your servant David’s sake,
Do not turn away the face of Your Anointed.”
This short prayer in Psalm 132 is packed with deep longing, confidence, and hope. The psalmist is essentially saying:
“Lord, for David’s sake—don’t turn away from the one You’ve chosen.
Keep Your favor upon Your Anointed.”
In the immediate context, this referred to the kings in David’s line. Every king who sat on Israel’s throne did so because God promised David a lasting dynasty. But like so much of Scripture, this prayer stretches far beyond the moment.
It ultimately points to the True Anointed One—Jesus Christ.
And here’s the beautiful truth:
Jesus is the One whose face God will never turn away.
He is the perfectly obedient Son, the Beloved One, the One in whom the Father is well pleased.
And because we are in Him, the Father does not turn His face away from us either.
We are accepted, not because of our merit, but because of His. Just as God blessed Solomon “for David’s sake,” God blesses us for Jesus’ sake.
What a relief. What a gift. What a Savior.
Alexander Balmain Bruce reminds us of when Sennacherib’s army lay around Jerusalem besieging it. “God brought deliverance for Israel partly out of regard to the prayer of the devout Hezekiah, but partly also out of respect for the memory of David, the hero king, the man after God’s own heart. The message sent through Isaiah to the king concluded thus: “Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, he shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord. For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake:” 2Ki 19:32-34.”
And God remembered those prayers—even generations later. In the same way, your prayers, your obedience, your tears, your sacrifices—they matter.
None of them are wasted. God weaves them into His purposes.
The psalm also reminds us that God honors the sacrifices and faithfulness of those before us. David longed to build God a house; he prayed, he prepared, he sacrificed, and ultimately Solomon built what David had dreamed of.
And like the psalmist, we continue praying, because until we reach home, we will never be done needing God.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You that the Father is well pleased with You—and because I am in You, He is pleased with me also. Thank You for being the true Anointed One, the Beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased. Teach me to rest in Your merit, not my own. Help me pray boldly “for Jesus’ sake,” trusting that Your favor rests on me because Your hand rests on Him. And Lord, remember the prayers of those who came before me—the parents, grandparents, pastors, mentors, and friends whose faithfulness has shaped my journey. Fulfill the godly desires they carried. Let their labor not be in vain. Keep my heart anchored in Your presence today. I pray for this in your name, Jesus, Amen.
Key Takeaways
- Jesus is the ultimate Anointed One, the fulfillment of God’s promise to David.
- God never turns His face from Christ, and therefore never turns His face from us who are in Him.
- We are accepted in the Beloved—we approach God on the basis of Christ’s merit, not ours.
- God honors the prayers and sacrifices of past generations; He remembers.
- We never outgrow our need for prayer; dependence is part of our worship.
- Praying “for Jesus’ sake” is powerful, biblical, and full of confidence.
Cross‑References (NKJV)
- Ephesians 1:6 – to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
- Isaiah 42:1 –“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
- 2 Chronicles 6:42 – “O Lord God, do not turn away the face of Your Anointed; Remember the mercies of Your servant David.”
- Psalm 89:28–29 – My mercy I will keep for him forever, And My covenant shall stand firm with him. His seed also I will make to endure forever, And his throne as the days of heaven.
- Hebrews 7:25 – Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
- John 17:20–23 – “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
Meditation Questions
- What does it mean to me personally that God accepts me “for Jesus’ sake”?
- Whose prayers or spiritual labor have shaped my life? How can I honor or continue their legacy?
- What prayer or promise do I need to keep praying, even if I’ve grown weary?
- How have I seen God’s favor lately—even in small, subtle ways?
Proverb for Today
The Lord will not allow the righteous soul to famish, But He casts away the desire of the wicked. Proverbs 10:3 NKJV
Daily Scripture
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:21-26 NKJV
Bill
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Summary of Commentaries:
The commentaries emphasize that Psalm 132:10 appeals to God to show favor for David’s sake and not reject His anointed king. Historically applied to Solomon and David’s descendants, the prayer ultimately points to Christ—the true Anointed One whose merits secure acceptance for believers. Writers highlight God’s covenant faithfulness, the value of past faithfulness and sacrifice, the boldness of praying “for Christ’s sake,” and the assurance that God hears His anointed and fulfills His promises.
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“For thy servant David’s sake turn not away the face of thine anointed.” King Solomon was praying, and here the people pray for him that his face may not be turned away, or that he may not be refused an audience. It is a dreadful thing to have our face turned away from God, or to have his face turned away from us. If we are anointed of the Spirit, the Lord will look upon us with favor. Specially is this true of Him who represents us, and is on our behalf the Christ, the truly anointed of the Lord. Jesus is both our David and God’s anointed; in him is found in fullness that which David received in measure. For his sake, all those who are anointed in him are accepted. God blessed Solomon and succeeding kings, for David’s sake, and he will bless us for Jesus’ sake. How condescending was the Son of the Highest to take upon himself the form of a servant, to be anointed for us, and to go in before the mercy seat to plead on our behalf! The Psalm sings of the ark, and it may well remind us of the going in of the anointed priest within the veil: all depended upon his acceptance, and therefore well do the people pray, “Turn not away the face of thine anointed.” Thus, in these three verses, we have a prayer for the temple, the ark, the priests, the Levites, the people, and the king: in each petition there is a fullness of meaning well worthy of careful thought. We cannot plead too much in detail; the fault of most prayers is their indefiniteness. In God’s house and worship, everything needs a blessing, and every person connected therewith needs it continually. As David vowed and prayed when he was minded to house the ark, so now the prayer is continued when the temple is consecrated, and the Lord deigns to fill it with his glory. We shall never have done praying till we have done needing.
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Enduring Word
For Your servant David’s sake: God promised that He would not forsake the sons of David (2 Samuel 7:14-16). When the psalmist prayed this, he prayed for the fulfillment of a promise God had already made. (Guzik)
i. “For his sake all those who are anointed in him are accepted. God blessed Solomon and succeeding kings, for David’s sake; and he will bless us for Jesus’ sake.” (Spurgeon)
Do not turn away the face of Your Anointed: The singer asked that the favor of God would never be taken from His Anointed. There is a sense in which every king of David’s line was God’s anointed, but this looks to the ultimate Anointed one – the Messiah Himself, Jesus Christ. This is ultimately a prayer for blessing on God’s Messiah, the Anointed Son of David. (Guzik)
i. “The prayer upholds David by the special designations ‘your servant’ (ebed; cf. Psalm 27:9) and ‘your anointed one’ (masiah; cf. Psalm 2:2; 84:9; 89:20). These designations apply to David and to all his descendants who were anointed as kings over Israel or Judah.” (VanGemeren)
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Albert Barnes
For thy servant David’s sake – Because of the promise made to him; because of the zeal which he has shown in securing a place for the ark. Let it not be in vain that he has shown such a regard to the honor of God; let not the promises made to him fail. Such a prayer is proper now. There is nothing wrong in our beseeching God to carry out and accomplish the purposes cherished by his church for promoting the honor of his name, or for a child to pray that the purposes of a pious parent in regard to himself may not fail. It is an expression of nature – a desire that the labor and sacrifices of those who have gone before us should not be lost. This is the language of the author of the psalm and of those for whom the psalm was composed. See Psalms 132:1. In view of all that David has done, do thou now show favor and mercy.
Turn not away the face of thine anointed – As if in displeasure, or in forgetfulness. The word anointed would refer to one who was set apart as a king, a priest, or a prophet. See the notes at Matthew 1:1. The word would be applicable to David himself, as the anointed king; in a higher sense, it is applicable to the Messiah, the Christ. The reference here is probably to David himself, as if a failure to carry out his purposes in regard to the sanctuary, or to fulfill the promises made to him, would be a turning away of the face from him; would be a mark of the divine displeasure against him. The prayer is that God would carry out those purposes as if his face was continually turned with benignity and favor toward David.
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John Gill
For thy servant David’s sake,…. Not for any virtues, or excellencies or merits, of David, literally understood; rather for the sake of the covenant and promises made with him: but for the sake of the antitypical David, the Messiah, the son of David according to the flesh, and the servant of the Lord as Mediator; for whose sake, and in whose name, prayers and supplications are made and presented;
turn not away the face of thine anointed; not David; rather Solomon, as the Targum expresses it; so Jarchi: but any of the Lord’s anointed, every Christian, or believer in Christ, is an anointed one; and has received the unction from the Holy One, the oil of true grace. And the request is that God would not turn such away from him, and cause them to depart from his throne of grace, ashamed and disappointed; but hear and answer their petitions, for his Son’s sake. In 2 Chronicles 6:42, it is added, “remember the mercies of David thy servant”; the kind and good things promised to him, and perform them.
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Matthew Henry
That Solomon’s own prayer, upon occasion of the dedicating of the temple, might be accepted of God: “Turn not away the face of thy anointed, that is, deny me not the things I have asked of thee, send me not away ashamed.” He pleads,
(1.) That he was the anointed of the Lord, and this he pleads as a type of Christ, the great anointed, who, in his intercession, urges his designation to his office. He is God’s anointed, and therefore the Father hears him always.
(2.) That he was the son of David: “For his sake do not deny me,” and this is the Christian’s plea: “For the sake of Christ” (our David), “in whom thou art well pleased, accept me.” He is David, whose name signifies beloved, and we are made accepted in the beloved. He is God’s servant, whom he upholds, Isa. 42:1. “We have no merit of our own to plead, but for his sake, in whom there is a fullness of merit, let us find favor.” When we pray for the prosperity of the church, we may pray with great boldness, for Christ’s sake, who purchased the church with his own blood. “Let both ministers and people do their duty.”
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Miscellaneous Comments
“For thy servant David’s sake.” When Sennacherib’s army lay around Jerusalem besieging it, God brought deliverance for Israel partly out of regard to the prayer of the devout Hezekiah, but partly also out of respect for the pious memory of David, the hero king, the man after God’s own heart. The message sent through Isaiah to the king concluded thus: “Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, he shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord. For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake:” 2Ki 19:32-34. What respect is shown to David’s name by its being thus put on a level with God! Mine own sake, and David’s sake.
—Alexander Balmain Bruce, in “The Galilean Gospel,” 1882.
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