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.

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