Good morning friends.
I’ve been out of communication for a while. Not intentional, just life taking a turn away from the opportunity to write.
All is well here. We are hunkered down here, and glad to have the covering of Psalm 91 sheltering us as we settle in through these rare times.
Today, my reading in the Pslams brought me to Psalm 87, and after only the first three verses I thought, I need to share this.
His foundation is in the holy mountains.
The LORD loves the gates of Zion
More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.
Glorious things are spoken of you,
O city of God. Selah.
Psalm 87:1-3
Since my study of Revelations a couple years back, Zion has taken on a deep and wonderful meaning in my heart.
First – Zion is the Bride of Christ.
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, – Revelation 21:9-10
Couple this with the clear teaching of the New Covenant that we ARE the dwelling place of the Most High, we dwell in Him and He dwells in us, the words of the Psalmists throughout heavens hymn book have taken on great importance to me.
Let’s break this down a bit.
Psalm 87, verse 1 starts out “His foundation is in the holy mountain.”
What would the foundation of His home, Zion, be? It’s the ROCK. We, the Church, are built on the Rock, Himself, Jesus Christ, and built on the Rock that Peter described in Cesarea Philippi…
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” – Matthew 16:16
This foundation of the House of the Lord is the Rock Jesus spoke of recorded in Matthew and Luke in the Sermon on the Mount…
…he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. – Luke 6:48
Verse 2 speaks of the gates of Zion.
O, how the Lord loves our praises.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
Psalm 100:4
Yet You are holy,
O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
Psalm 22:3
Finally, the psalmist speaks of the glory Jesus shared with His church.
“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; – John 17:22
O Church, hear me this morning.
You are a dwelling place built on the Rock of Jesus Christ. Built with easy means of access to the throne room of God the Father, where you can appear in the glorious robes provided by the blood of Christ.
Lest I think myself clever for coming up with this myself, the Hymn writer John Newton writing in 1779 drew from this psalm for his wonderful hymn.
Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken
Verse 1
Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God;
He whose word cannot be broken
Formed thee for His own abode;
On the Rock of Ages founded,
What can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation’s walls surrounded,
Thou may’st smile at all thy foes.
Verse 2
See the streams of living waters,
Springing from eternal love,
Well supply thy sons and daughters,
And all fear of want remove;
Who can faint while such a river
Ever flows their thirst t’assuage?
Grace, which like the Lord, the giver,
Never fails from age to age.
Verse 3
Round each habitation hov’ring,
See the cloud and fire appear
For a glory and a cov’ring,
Showing that the Lord is near;
Thus deriving from their banner
Light by night and shade by day,
Safe they feed upon the manna
Which he gives them when they pray.
Verse 4
Savior, if of Zion’s city
I, thro’ grace, a member am,
Let the world deride or pity,
I will glory in thy name;
Fading is the worldling’s pleasure,
All his boasted pomp and show;
Solid joys and lasting treasure
None but Zion’s children know.
Author – John Newton
Usually sung to the Austrian Hymn tune by Franz Joseph Hayden
This is such a rich meal of truth. (True confession: I miss the public singing of hymns.)
Have a great day,
Meditate on His Word,
Worship Him in spirit and truth.
See you again soon.
Ben