Psalm 48: 1, 8, 14 (NIV)
Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. 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. For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.
There are those who love city living…and those who don’t. Many Americans today are desirous of having a place out and away from the city, maybe on a quaint farm or a beautiful lake or a cabin up in the mountains. Modern cities tend to be large and crowded and dirty, but in the days when Psalm 48 was written they were the center of culture and prosperity, but most importantly, they were a place of refuge and security. Living “out in the country” could easily get you killed.
Jerusalem was, of course, the Ultimate City to live in for God’s people. The Israelites cherished this sacred city because it became the home of the Ark of the Covenant – the symbol of God’s presence among his people. If you have ever seen drawings of what it most likely looked like, especially after Solomon built the Great Temple, it was a city that commanded awe and respect as it sat high up on a hill, “a holy mountain” (v. 1). Within its walls one found not only safety and commerce, but worship and atonement. And while the city itself was physically impressive, its most significant defense was the Hand of God and its most beautiful adornment was his love and care for his people, Israel.
Jerusalem has been destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries, and so the psalmist was most likely looking forward to the spiritual Jerusalem that would never perish…first, the Church established by Christ, and then eventually, the New Jerusalem which comes down from Heaven after Christ’s return (Rev. 21:2). As great as it would have been to experience the greatness of Jerusalem’s finest days under Solomon, today, Christ’s people have a far greater blessing! Through Christ, we are a Spiritual Nation, separate from the nations of the world but living among them…for now. One day in the future, ours will be the only nation in existence and the only perfect nation the world has ever known. If your faith is in Christ, then Peter was speaking this reality into your life when he said:
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10
Finally, no Christian should choose to live “outside the city” of the Body of Christ. Don’t “move to the country,” away from God’s people and think that everything will be ok. God designed his flock to live in community, and the only thing that spiritual isolation will bring you is destruction. In the “city” of the Body of Christ you will find fellowship, love, encouragement, instruction, support, prayer, praise, and worship…just to name a few! Like the city of old, the spiritual Jerusalem is adorned by the beautiful presence of God, protected and preserved by Him forever (v. 8). If the symbol of God’s presence in the ark of the covenant stirred the Jewish nation to such depths of adoration as we see in Psalm 48, how much more should we – as the church today – glory in God, letting the beauty of His temple shine forth in the midst of us, his Royal Priesthood!
