Day 657: The city on a hill – Psalm 48

A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. 1-3 Great is the Lord - and greatly to be praised in  the city of our God! His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth. Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress. 4-8 For behold, the kings assembled; they came on together. As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic; they took to flight. Trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in labour. By the east wind you shattered the ships of Tarshish. As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the  Lord of hosts, in the city of our God, which God will establish for ever. Selah

9-11 We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. As your  name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness. Let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgements! 12-14 Walk about Zion, go round her, number her towers, consider well her  ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God for ever and ever. He will guide us for ever. Psalm 48. (For Paraphrased version)

The words in vs 12-14 are like a tour guide encouraging people to walk about Jerusalem and take in the beautiful sights of the city. But this wasn't about tourism. He wanted the next generation to be told of Jerusalem's wonders. What was it that made this city special? (vs 1-3)

It wasn't just any city on earth – it was the city where God Almighty had chosen to put His name. The writer says God Himself was the city's fortress and vs 4-8 recall how God had protected the city in times past. Central to the city was the temple. What do verses 9-11 tell us about the God who was worshiped there?

He is a righteous God - but one who is also full of mercy. His fame had even reached other nations. The 'daughters of Jerusalem' he mentions in vs 9-11 probably referred to surrounding towns and villages who benefited from God's righteous judgements. Vs 12-14 describe another wonderful truth about Jerusalem's God, especially the last line. It says: “This is our God for ever and ever.” Evidently the Hebrew words used there can literally mean God will “drive us over death”. In other words, He will guide us beyond death! What a lovely picture that is of the ultimate protection and victory God gives His people. So Jerusalem was a city on a hill that shone with God's presence. No wonder the writer delighted in it so much.

But we know from other parts of the Bible that cities and temples made with human hands were not God's first desire. When a man named Stephen preached his last message before being killed in Jerusalem, he said of it's temple: “Solomon built a house for God - however, the Most High doesn't live in houses made by human hands. For the Lord said through a prophet: 'Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool - what sort of house will you build for me, or what is my resting place?” That's why many would say that this Psalm finds its deepest meaning not in a physical city, but in the Church. Not a Church building, such as the Vatican or some Cathedral, but the people who God called out of the world to be His church. They acknowledge His righteousness. They've experienced His mercy and enjoy His protection. They are the ones He will 'drive over death' and who will live forever in what the last book in the Bible calls 'The New Jerusalem'. That will be a truly glorious and eternal place.

Meanwhile, citizens of this spiritual Jerusalem have a responsibility in the world. Jesus said to His disciples; “You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14) The apostle Peter wrote: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light! Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10) So may we be as excited to tell others about Jesus Christ as the writer of this Psalm was about Jerusalem. After all, those who love the Lord are like His city set on a hill.