Topic: The City of God Rejoices (Psalm 87)
God's love for Zion (Jerusalem) was not limited to the Old Covenant. Zion itself carries with it an atmosphere beyond a physical location. Zion is a symbol not only of Israel's past and future, but also of the born-again Christian's citizenship in God's Kingdom.
Archaeologists and historians have long wondered why Jerusalem should have been established where it was, and why it should have become great. It has none of the physical features which favored the advancement and prosperity of other important cities in the world. "It stands at the head of no great river. It overlooks no great harbor. It commands no great highway and no cross-roads. It is not close to abundant sources of water. …It possesses no mineral riches. It was off the main trade routes. It held no strategic key to the conquest of vast areas ...Indeed it was blessed with neither special economic nor topographic virtues which might explain why it should have ever become more than a small, anonymous mountain village with a fate any different from that of most contemporary villages which have long since vanished” (William MacDonald, Enjoying the Psalms).
God chose Israel not because of anything special about them, but because He had determined to love them specially (Deuteronomy 7:6-8). Something similar could be said about His choice of Jerusalem as the place to put His Name. The New Testament focuses on the spiritual realities behind God's physical actions and promises. Jesus Christ is the foundation and we are the Temple or stones in the Temple walls. No other foundation that can be laid (I Cor. 3:11).
If you have come to know Jesus, God chose you. Most of you did not attend an Ivy League school, are not millionaires and are not from prestigious families. Look at verse 4. The very mention of Rahab, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Ethiopia point to God calling all nations to Jerusalem.
Just as God has chosen Jerusalem to be His city, He has called people from all nations to salvation and to dwell in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is more than a physical location. It is a symbol of being a citizen of heaven (Ephesians 2:19-22).
In verse 6, God Himself writes the names of Zion's citizens; this is probably connected to the "Book of Life" mentioned in Revelation.
Hebrews 12:22-23, " But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect.”
The concluding verse of this Psalm depicts Jerusalem as a city of joy!
Singers are singing.
Dancers are dancing.
The instruments are sounding forth.
The picture is that of a natural spring of water flowing out of a mountain side and bursting forth into a pool of water at the bottom. People come from miles to see this wonderful site.
It is then natural for a church to sound forth with praise for we celebrate being citizens of heaven.
See you Sunday!
Dr. Scott Kallem