Written by the Sons of Korah. It is one of the “songs of Zion,” psalms that extol the characteristics of Jerusalem by the name Zion.
1 Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
2 Beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth, like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion,
the city of the Great King.
3 God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress.
4 When the kings joined forces, when they advanced together,
5 they saw her and were astounded; they fled in terror.
6 Trembling seized them there, pain like that of a woman in labor.
7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish shattered by an east wind.
8 As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the Lord Almighty, in the city of our God:
God makes her secure forever.
9 Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love.
10 Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Mount Zion rejoices, the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments.
12 Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers,
13 consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation.
14 For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.
SECTIONS:
I Introduction (1-3)
II Panic response of the provokers of God
III Praise response of the people of God
THEME: God’s holiness and greatness should be exalted in praise.
QUESTIONS:
- How does the psalmist describe the City of God?
- What does Zion and City of God symbolize?
Zion is more or less a synonym for Jerusalem, but it literally refers to a fortified hill within the city, and it has also come to have idealized or even eschatological connotations. Some of the songs of Zion make reference to what the commentators call “holy war,” which in this context is war that God, as the divine warrior, fights for Israel.
When “the great king” is mentioned in Hebrew scripture it’s frequently a reference to King David, especially in connection with Jerusalem. But God is also portrayed as the ultimate king, and in v2, “the great king” seems to be more a reference to God than to God’s mortal agent.
This really is a psalm of place. One of the clearest repetitions in the psalm rests on one of the smallest things, the preposition “in.” The city and the citadels form an interior in vv1 and 3 that is visible from the exterior as beauty and height, and experienced from within as safety and security. That interior is emphasized again in v8, the place we have seen and have heard God’s triumph.
That seeing and hearing are taking place in the past, while the pondering of steadfast love is taking place in the present, and the walking about Zion and counting its towers seems to be something yet to be done. God, however, is God past, present, and future (v8, v14). These shifting tenses, which apply to humans, work to emphasize God’s continuity.
In His holy mountain: The idea of Jerusalem as a holy mountain is a thought-provoking contrast to another holy mountain – Mount Sinai. Sinai was so holy that a fence kept God’s people from it, lest they die (Exodus 19:12-13). The New Testament develops this comparison and contrast between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion (Jerusalem) in Galatians 4:24-26 and Hebrews 12:18-24.
This reminds us that though the psalmist certainly had the literal, historic city of Jerusalem in mind, he was also carried away by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to also see the idealized city of Jerusalem, the city of God, the New Jerusalem (Revelation 3:12 and 21:2). The two aspects do not cancel each other out; they compliment each other.
We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness: The thought turns from a focus on the strength and majesty of God to a consideration of His covenant love. Charles Spurgeon said “Yes, my friend, I know that many professing Christian people are not all that they profess to be; I have heard you say soever so many times. You say also, ‘There is no love in the church.’ Well, so far as we can see, you are not overstocked with it. You say, ‘There is no zeal among the members,’ but have you any to give away to those who need it? Now, henceforward, instead of always harping on the faults and failing of God’s people – which, certainly, are numerous enough, but have not become any fewer since you talked so much about them – would it not be better to think and talk of the lovingkindness of the Lord?” (my reflection on Spurgeon’s words: Jesus taught that we are not to judge others. We are to love them as God loves us. “By your love, they will know you are my disciples.”)
My Reflection: This isn’t one of my favorite psalms, in view of all the other beautiful psalms written, but I do love the fact we’re told to meditate on God’s unfailing love. I have taken time to do that a number of times. And when I do I am blessed.
I once wrote down on my Index cards every verse that talked about God’s love. Another time I wrote down ways that God expressed his love (which are so numerous I couldn’t begin to write them all down). And I made a list of how God wants Christians to show love. It really is all about love. That’s the most important thing in God’s eyes. He wants us to love him and love each other.
My life changed meditating on God’s love. When I started dong this I found I judged people less, was able to forgive more quickly, had more patience and realized how it’s possible to love those I thought it was impossible to love. We can love those who hate Christians because we can love them with God’s supernatural love that he gives to us. We start seeing them through God’s eyes.
One of my pastors said “When you point a finger at someone else there are 4 other fingers pointing back at you.” He’s right. God always has a way of showing me that when I start to criticize someone else, I need to look at myself first. Is my heart pure? Are my actions always perfect? How would Jesus respond? It always falls back on me and not them. Once I get myself straight with God, I see things in a new perspective!
Yes, I still get angry and judgmental and all those things we humans sometimes do. But God has a way of aligning me again with his will and spirit and I am turned back to love, which is the singular most important thing that should define a Christian. Do I get angry when I see violence and hatred towards God and his ways. Yes. And I get angry when I see others trying to take away faith from our children and our country. That kind of behavior angers me a lot. But do I hate the people who are doing this? No, I pray until God changes my heart so I don’t hate the person, but I do hate the sin. I know that God loves everyone. He died for every soul on this planet. It’s not easy to love those who call Christians bigots and fools and intolerant. It’s not easy to love those who break God’s laws and encourage others to do the same or to love those who call evil good and good evil. It’s not easy to see this world’s hate, violence, and division and not get caught up in it. But it’s satan’s plan to cause division (even within the Christian community). He wants us to get caught up in hatred and division. And I have come see his plan for what it is. I refuse to believe satan’s lies or get caught up in his plan’s for hatred and division. God wants me to love regardless of how I’m treated, or the names I’m called. I stand up for God’s ways and laws and confront what is evil but I do not get caught up in hatred. And it’s a spiritual battle. It’s tiring. I get worn down sometimes, but I remember that love is what is most important to God. Yes, it’s hard work and I need God’s help and strength. But God will win in the end no matter what things look like in the present. He will have ultimate victory over satan’s plans to destroy. And that is what this psalm is all about. Our victory ultimately comes from God and for that we have plenty of praise to give him. Not by our strength but by HIS! He will guide us to Victory!
SONGS: Great is the Lord, Great is Your Faithfulness