Psalm 48:1

Psalm 48:1

The Holy City

Once again, we have a Psalm that takes us to the centre of Jerusalem, to the Holy Mountain of God – Mount Zion, and to the Temple - the centre of Jewish national pride and worship. For here is the dwelling place of the Most High, here Is the beautiful Temple building with its courts and its Holy Place. Here are the priests, the Levites, the musicians and choirs and the altar of burnt offering. No ordinary Israelite was ever allowed to enter beyond the curtains of the Sanctuary, but all knew that here God’s Presence was found, in all His glory. Mount Zion was by no means the highest mountain, even in Jerusalem, but it was sacred and in Jewish minds, impregnable. It was their fortress, their spiritual mountain, the place of their worship and thanksgiving and because the Lord God dwelt there, it was the most glorious place on earth. Let’s go and pay a visit, shall we? 

 

V1        I love this verse! Some of you may know one of a number of more modern Songs or Hymns that have been written, copying the words and continuing the inspired celebrations of the Sons of Korah who wrote the original. I’m sure it was a great hit in its day! How can we outdo the exclamation of praise that begins Psalm 48? “Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise.” Ancient hearts and eyes would turn to Zion and to the Holy Mountain for it was here that the Lord God was found, he dwelt in Zion.

The typography of Jerusalem is undulating, it is a city spread over a number of squat hills and the name Zion first applied to a Jebusite town in the south, taken by King David. This area is still referred to as the City of David although it is outside the city walls of Jerusalem. The modern name is Ophel and it is here that the only water source in the whole city is found – the Gishon Spring. There are debates about the site of Solomon’s Temple, most archaeologists place it North East on the Temple Mount i.e. Moriah, and throughout the last 2,000 years it has been assumed that this became Mount Zion – the site of Herod’s temple and today occupied by the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. However, there are other experts who believe that Solomon’s Temple was on the old Mount Zion in David’s City and the so-called Temple Mount was actually the site of the Roman Garrison at the time of Christ! 

As with everything in Jerusalem, there is confusion, but we need to understand that in the Bible, whilst Zion was a holy hill with a Temple, it was also a designation used to describe all of the city. Additionally, it was a term that encompassed all that God meant to His people and thus used to describe Israel. Finally, Zion also refers to the heavenly city of God. Wherever God is, that is His Holy Mountain, and the Holy Mountain is Zion. Got it? 

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