Psalm 122:5

Psalm 122:5

The thrones of judgement

This is a bit of a puzzling statement! David does not highlight the Market Squares, or the beautiful parks, or the archaeology of the buildings as he describes Jerusalem, for him, one of the most appealing and pleasing aspects of the city is that it contains the thrones of judgement! What does this mean?

Firstly, it’s obvious that David, as a king, was delighted that he had chosen this place as his royal city, and there was no reason to doubt that it would remain as the capital city of the land and the chosen dwelling place of future kings and queens of Israel. What also delighted him was that fact that the Lord God had chosen to dwell there and instructed that His Holy Temple would be built within the city walls. In that context, both David and his descendants, and the Lord, would rule and reign from this citadel and from here the whole nation would be governed. This train of thought in the Psalms begins in Psalm 2:6-7. ““I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your Father. Ask me and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.”” We studied Psalm 110 which is devoted to extolling the importance of Zion and the future reign of God’s king. “The Lord will extend your mighty sceptre from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of your enemies!”Psalm 110:2. 

The promises that the Lord made to David and his successors, are contained in 2 Samuel 7:8-16 and let’s not be in doubt, when God says that “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever,” He will not go back on His word!

The ultimate fulfilment of these promises lies, of course, in the coming of Messiah, the descendant of David, and He will rule from Zion and also sit upon the throne of judgement that will ultimately decide the fate of every man or woman that ever lived. The thrones of God’s judgement were situated in Jerusalem and so shall it be in the future. Whilst the leaders of the earth scrabble around trying to find diplomatic and human answers to Israel’s problems, the Bible tells us that what happens in that land is not so much human but spiritual. It will be fought over in the heavenly realms until Messiah reigns. Why? Because it is the place that Yahweh chose to dwell, His earthly throne, deserted maybe at the moment but destined to rule over the world in the future. 

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