Psalm 51:18

Psalm 51:18

The highest Place

This verse could be taken in isolation, as a prayer for Jerusalem. We are exhorted elsewhere to, “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” (Psalm 122:6) However, we have followed David through his travails, his journey of repentance, and we know that he doesn’t throw ideas into his Psalms as afterthoughts. Somehow, in the king’s mind, his own restoration and the fortunes of the capital city are intertwined. 

As we have previously commented, Jerusalem was the title of the entire city, it was the place of government of all Israel, and it housed the living quarters of the king and his officials. Mount Zion was a small, squat hill that was elevated in stature because the tabernacle was placed there, and it was in this southern area of Jerusalem where David’s fortress was built. The term “Tzion” was often used to describe the entire city of Jerusalem; and later, when Solomon’s Temple was built on the adjacent Mount Moriah (which came to be known as the Temple Mount) the meaning of Zion was extended to include the Temple, the hill on which it stood, the biblical Land of Israel and the “world to come” or heaven. Zion literally means the “highest point or place”, so it sits well with the various locations allocated to it. It is high, not because of its stature but because of its spiritual prominence. By the way, Jerusalem means the “city of peace” which is the opposite of what has happened there throughout its history. 

Following the above logic, we too are part of Mount Zion and it is our duty to pray that it will prosper. Hebrews 12:22 compares the terrifying experience of Mount Sinai for the Jews to the prospect of a future Mount Zion for God’s people. “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem….” May Your Kingdom come, Lord. May Your will be done. May You rule and reign in our hearts.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Psalm 4:1 Smear campaigns

Psalm 4:1    Smear campaigns   The background to this Psalm is so familiar; David is being slandered and maligned by his detractors.  It seems that some calamity has befallen the nation and the king is getting the blame! Lies are being told, a smear campaign has begun, and the reputation of the Sovereign is under threat.  As usual, if something goes wrong, culpability is laid at the feet of the one in charge.  David, quite rightly, turns to the Lord his God and prays for relief and for mercy. The Satan is a master of such campaigns and his emissaries gleefully turn on Christians in leadership positions although the whispering campaign can affect all of us. The whispering starts in our own heads, but it can also come from the lips of our detractors. It goes something like this: - You’re the reason it went wrong You messed up again You should have seen it coming Surely you know better You are not worthy You don’t know what you’re doing Someone else ought to be in c
Read more

Psalm 74:16

Psalm 74:16 God established the sun and the moon “ In  the beginning   God created   the heavens   and the earth.   2  Now the earth was formless   and empty,   darkness was over the surface of the deep,   and the Spirit of God   was hovering over the waters. 3  And God said,   “Let there be light,” and there was light.   4  God saw that the light was good,   and he separated the light from the darkness.   5  God called   the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”   And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” These, so familiar, words from Genesis 1 remind us of who is in charge! There would be no light without God. There would be no day or night without God. There would be no earth without God. And there would have been no living things unless God had created order out of chaos. The sun, moon and stars would not be fixed in their orbits without God and you and I would not exist unless He ordered our conception. It is because we see God as glorious, righteous
Read more
Psalm4:8        I will lie down and sleep                Th ere are times, in the life of all believers, when we no longer have control of situations. We can do nothing more. We have given our all, we have tried every possible solution and now it is out of our hands. As someone has wisely said, “It is time to let go and let God.” If we truly trust Him, if our faith will allow us, we can turn our backs on our enemies. We can block our ears to the threats. We can ignore the lies and the deceit and say,  “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone Lord, make me dwell in safety.” I should imagine that the devil, having sent a hurricane our way is not amused, when we settle in our beds in the midst of it all and drift off into a peaceful sleep! But that is our right and privilege once we let the Lord God Almighty take control. These spiritual attacks are like whirlwinds, they blow with terrifying intensity and threaten to turn us upside down; the disciples witnessed one of thes
Read more