Psalm 48:2

Psalm 48:2

The city of the Great King

Visitors to Israel, who have read this Psalm and others like it, might well be disappointed on their first visit to Jerusalem as they look across the city from the Mount of Olives. “Where is this lofty mountain, I thought that Mount Zion was a soaring high peak?” As previously explained, Jerusalem’s mountains are no more than squat hills, if you want physically high mountains then you must go much further north, to the snow-capped summits of Hermon. 

The height of Mount Zion is not in its elevation from the earth but in its elevation before God. In spiritual terms it is the highest mountain on earth, much higher than Everest! (Read Psalm 68:15-16 to see how the northern mountains are jealous of the loftiness of Zion.) If God dwells in a place, then it is the most prized and loved of all by those who know Him on earth. What a privilege it is to be part of His Holy Temple in this age of His grace! (There is a curious reference in this verse to Mt Zaphon, simply because Zaphon in the far north was deemed to be the sacred residence of El, the chief of the Phoenician gods.) What a privilege too, to know that there is a heavenly Mt Zion and we are encouraged to draw near to it. Please read Hebrews 12:22-24. 

This Psalm invites us to put the Lord in His rightful place, to esteem and uphold Him, to raise Him up in our estimation and to acknowledge that where He dwells are beauty and holiness and authority. And if God is amongst us then we are in the highest of places so far as our earthly position is concerned. God bless Mount Zion for He will return to it and reign over the world once again. It has been and will be the city of the Great King. Hallelujah!

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