For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death. Psalm 48:14
Jerusalem, the Beauty and Glory of Zion
God is praised as the ruler and defender of the holy city, Jerusalem, who keeps the city secure and so stimulates the praise of His people.
Key concepts. Jerusalem
Zion. The hill on which the original Jebusite fortress of Jerusalem stood was Zion (2 Sam. 5:6-9)), David brought the ark to this hill. This psalm’s celebratory tone reflects Israel’s identification of Jerusalem as God’s city, and the joy that the security of His presence provides.
Psalm 48 unites with Ps. 46, 47 to form three great psalms of praise to God for His kingship and His love for the holy city of Jerusalem, This emphasis on Jerusalem has led many scholars to speak of these psalms as “Songs of Zion.” Attributed to the sons of Korah, this psalm calls the people to offer referent praise to their Lord. The structure is as follow: (1) a celebration of God’s greatness in the holy city of Zion vv. 1-3; (2) a description of the gathering of the kings and the peoples to witness God’s rule (vv. 4-11); (3) a celebration of God’s greatness in the holy city of Zion (vv. 12-14).
48:1 Great The city of Jerusalem is holy because of the presence of God in the temple.
1 A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain.
48: 2, 3 The city of the great King: Jesus quoted these words in Matt. 5:35 and identified the city as Jerusalem. God is in her palaces: These words express a prayer for the present and hope for the future. The point is clear: the beauty of the city of Jerusalem comes from the presence of the Lord, who has made His dwelling there.
2 Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King. 3 God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge.
nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Matthew 5:35
48:4-7 This section describes from a different point of view the final battle referred to in Ps. 2; 110. Psalm 48 describes the approach and hasty retreat of the errant Kings. The connection between this text and Ps. 2 is heightened by the use of an unusal Hebrew word for fear – a term meaning “trembling” or “quaking terror” – which is found in both places (2:11).
4 For behold, the kings assembled, They passed by together. 5 They saw it, and so they marveled; They were troubled, they hastened away. 6 Fear took hold of them there, And pain, as of a woman in birth pangs, 7 As when You break the ships of Tarshish With an east wind.
48:8 As… we have seen: The people who first sang this song knew the presence of God in temple worship. They knew that they were in the city where God had chosen to establish His blessing.
8 As we have heard, So we have seen In the city of the Lord of hosts, In the city of our God: God will establish it forever. Selah
48:9 We have thought: The verb is an unusual one in Hebrew. It refers to making comparisons and looking for similarities, thinking and considering with discrimination. The point is that nothing can be compared to the loyal love of God.
9 We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness, In the midst of Your temple.
48:12-14 Praising the city of Zion is another way of praising God, whose dwelling was there. To be a guide describes the work of a shepherd.
12 Walk about Zion, And go all around her. Count her towers; 13 Mark well her bulwarks; Consider her palaces; That you may tell it to the generation following. 14 For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death.
⇒ It’s good to have a specific place to go. It sets the course of my life. I will no longer be a wanderer. Jerusalem the Holy City, the City of my God. I don’t even have to travel there. God is here with me in this temple of my being. He will be our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even unto death.
The Beauty and Glory of Zion
48 1 A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain. 2 Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King. 3 God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge. 4 For behold, the kings assembled, They passed by together. 5 They saw it, and so they marveled; They were troubled, they hastened away. 6 Fear took hold of them there, And pain, as of a woman in birth pangs, 7 As when You break the ships of Tarshish With an east wind.
8 As we have heard, So we have seen In the city of the Lord of hosts, In the city of our God: God will establish it forever. Selah 9 We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness, In the midst of Your temple. 10 According to Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. 11 Let Mount Zion rejoice, Let the daughters of Judah be glad, Because of Your judgments. 12 Walk about Zion, And go all around her. Count her towers; 13 Mark well her bulwarks; Consider her palaces; That you may tell it to the generation following. 14 For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death.
