Psalm 48

SLIDE 1 Turn to Psalm 48. When I was almost finished writing this message, I realized we haven’t looked at Psalm 47. Somehow, I skipped over it. By the time I realized what I had done it was too late to do anything about it. So, tonight we’ll look at 48 and we’ll come back to 47 later.

It is believed that Psalm 46 was written after Jerusalem had been attacked by the Assyrians. It gives praise to God for his protection. Assyria encamped around the city cutting it off from food. They thought they’d cut the city off from water too but Josiah had ordered a tunnel to built that brought water into the city that the Assyrians didn’t know about. The Assyrians, being the strongest country at the time, faced little resistance from other cities it had attacked. However, when they marched against Jerusalem and defied the Lord to stop them, God interceded. They woke up one morning with 185,000 of their men mysteriously dead. The army retreated and never returned. God had protected the city and his people. Keeping that theme in mind, we turn to Psalm 48, a psalm about the city of Jerusalem.

The superscript for the psalm reads:

A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.

According to the superscription, this psalm is “a song.” All the psalms were songs. There were all intended to be sung. Therefore, to say that this psalm is a song is saying something more. Elsewhere in the Old Testament the word is used to describe a joyful song. As we’ve seen, not all the psalms are very joyful but this one is.

And like the previous few psalms we’ve examined, this psalm was written by the Sons of Korah. Korah was the great-grandson of Levi. By the time of David, these descendants of Levi served in the temple as musicians. Have you ever known a family where everyone played an instrument of some kind? That seems to be the sons of Korah. That must have been very musical family.

This psalm is a song of worship and praise about the city of Jerusalem. We don’t think too often about Jerusalem, but the city is important.

Jerusalem was the chosen city of God, the place where his divine glory had been most fully put on display.

In Jerusalem David united the kingdom and brought the Ark of the Covenant.

In Jerusalem Solomon built the temple, a house for God's glory.

In Jerusalem Jesus, the long awaited Messiah, presented himself to Israel, was crucified, buried, raised, and ascended back to heaven.

In Jerusalem the gospel of the risen Christ was first preached and the church was launched.

That’s all in the past and forty years after Jesus ascended into heaven it looked like Jerusalem might never have a future. In 70 AD, the Romans completely destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. Jesus talked about not two stones still lying one on top of the other the destruction was so complete. Of course, there still is Jerusalem today. Jerusalem is the only city about which God promised it would be rebuilt. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned the curse placed on Jericho after it was destroyed. The curse said whoever laid its foundation would lose his first-born son and whoever set up its gates would lose his youngest son. And that’s exactly what happened. That story can be found in 1 Kings. SLIDE 2

In Ahab’s time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken by Joshua son of Nun. (1 Kings 16:34)

But Jerusalem is different. Jerusalem is the city of God. Isaiah prophesied about the day when: SLIDE 3

Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3)

And John said in Revelation: SLIDE 4

1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. SLIDE 5 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. SLIDE 6 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” (Revelation 21:1-3)

SLIDE 7 If that’s not enough to get us interested in the city of Jerusalem, when Jesus returns, he’ll return to Jerusalem. This psalm then is a hymn of celebration focusing upon God’s activity in the holy city of Jerusalem. As one commentator put it:

God is in the midst of the city of David, and she will not be shaken or defeated by enemies. Situated high on Mount Zion, a place of immense beauty and special prominence, Jerusalem is the city of God, the joy of the entire earth. The psalmist offered praise to God who dwelled in Zion to protect her.

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. (Psalm 48:1-2)

SLIDE 8 Jerusalem of today is an interesting city, but like any city it has its good points and its bad. SLIDE 9 It certainly has a history. The walls around the old city took four years to build, between 1537 and 1541. SLIDE 10 They were constructed by Suleiman, the ruler of the Ottoman Empire. SLIDE 11 Suleiman is also the one who ordered the eastern gate, the oldest of the cities eight gates, closed. He had sixteen feet of stone and cement to fill in the gate. He had the gate closed because of the Old Testament prophecies which stated the Messiah would enter Jerusalem through that gate. What he didn’t know, since the Jews don’t teach that Jesus is the Messiah, is the Messiah had already come. He’s also the one who started the Muslim cemetery just outside the gate. When Jesus returns though, sixteen feet of concrete and cemetery won’t be able to stop him.

SLIDE 12 Perhaps what is remembered most about the city today from a Jewish standpoint is the Western Wall. It is part of the retaining wall for the temple mount constructed by Herod not long before Jesus was born. As I already mentioned, the temple was destroyed in 70 AD. The only thing left are its retaining walls. Jews go to the western retaining wall to pray. SLIDE 13 Today, Muslims are in control of the temple mount. For them, the most important objects on the temple mount are the Dome on the Rock which is a mausoleum and a masque.

SLIDE 14 Jerusalem is great for only one reason – God! Without God, Jerusalem is like any other city.

While the city may be focus of the psalm, it is God that is being praised. It is only because of God that the city has any real importance. It is God that is great and it is God alone who is worthy of praise.

The psalmist says that God is on his holy mountain. This holy mountain is Mount Moriah. Mount Moriah is one of the most hotly contested pieces of real estate on earth. It is important to Christians, Jews, and Muslims. This is where God led Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. It’s the place David purchased to build an altar to God to stop a plague. After David’s death, it’s where Solomon had the temple constructed. Today, as I’ve mentioned, it’s the sight of the Dome on the Rock.

There are other important mountains in Israel’s history. Among the greatest is Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments and the law from God. The Israelites spent a year camped at the foot of Mount Sinai after they left Egypt on their way to the Promised Land. Mount Sinai was considered so holy that God commanded a fence be built around it and said that any person or animal that touched it would be killed. Mount Sinai was important but Mount Moriah is more important.

In the New Testament, Mount Sinai is referred to as the mountain of the law, a mountain of fire and smoke and of fear and trembling. Mount Moriah, also called Mount Zion, is a mountain of God’s grace and thus a mountain of joy. Of course, the psalmist didn’t have that New Testament perspective, but through the leading of the Holy Spirit spoke of things to come.

The psalmist mentions Zaphon in verse 2. The word literally means “north.” Sometimes it is translated as Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, or in the far north. If we look at Israel today, Jerusalem is in the south, not the north. However, after Solomon died and the kingdom was divided, Jerusalem was near the northern border of Judah. The description seems to refer a spiritually important mountain. That certainly describes Mount Zion. It also connects Mount Zion to God’s heavenly city and his heavenly throne. Sometimes heaven is described as being in the farthest regions of the north. Jerusalem is the city of the great king. It is the city of God. Therefore, we read in verse 3:

3 God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress. (Psalm 48:3)

This means that Jerusalem’s true defense is not her walls but God. God is her safe place. No army, no amount of chariots and horses, no archers with bows could defend her like God could.

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. (Psalm 48:4-7)

The psalmist pictures the kings of the earth assembled to fight against Jerusalem. However, we’ve already been told that God is the city’s defense. Therefore, what really can the kings do to destroy it? The answer is only what God allows. As a result, the kings marveled.

You may be familiar with the Latin phrase Veni, vidi, vici which mean “I came, I saw, I conquered.” The phrase is attributed to Julius Caesar after he won a decisive victory. If you’re not familiar with that phrase, maybe you’re more familiar with the phrase Veni, vidi, Visa. It’s the cry of women at the store during a big sale. It means, “I came, I saw, I charged it.”

The psalmist says when the kings came and saw Jerusalem that they marveled, they trembled, and so they quickly left in fear. One commentator describes these kings this way:

They saw Jerusalem; they were dumbfounded; they were overwhelmed; they fled in panic.

They didn’t conquer the city, they were conquered. No weapon is mentioned as being drawn, yet these kings ran away in confusion and fearful flight. When they saw the great city and understood that God was protecting it, they realized they couldn’t attack it. The psalmist says they hurt like a woman in labor and were scattered like ships at sea in the midst of a storm. God is protecting his city. Therefore, even when the kings of the earth gather together to attack Jerusalem they are unable.

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. (Psalm 48:8)

Have you ever heard someone reminisce about the good ole days? Maybe you’ve done it. The former football players talk about when they won championship and recall “the big play.” I think back to growing up and spending time with family.

Why do people usually reminisce about the good ole days? They do so because they don’t think the current days are as good as the past days. Things were great then but not so good now. If they were still as good there would be no reason to dwell on the past.

Two Fridays ago, the Elizabethton football team kicked off their season with a home game against Science Hill. Unfortunately, they lost. Fans could reminisce about the good ole days when Elizabethton used to beat Science Hill. “Do you remember when Elizabethton beat Science Hill at Science Hill?” I do. It was last year. Elizabethton won 34-15. And the year before, Elizabethton won 30-8. And the year before that, Elizabethton won 28-20. And the year before that Elizabethton won 36-34. We won’t talk about how Science Hill won the previous year 50-25. There’s no reason to dwell on the former days when Elizabethton is doing so well today.

The psalmist says that they had heard about what God had done in good ole days. They’d heard how God had brought plagues down on the Egyptians while sparing the Israelites. They’d heard about how God parted the Red Sea to allow the Israelites escape while drowning the Egyptians. They’d heard about how God provided manna, quail, and water in the wilderness. And they’d heard about how God had helped them defeat their enemies as they took possession of their enemies. They’d heard all these stories and more about the power of God as he worked for the benefit of his people. However, the psalmist wasn’t reminiscing about the good ole days because he quickly adds that God had done the same for them. He says, “We’ve not only heard about what God can do, we’ve also seen it for ourselves. We’ve seen how God protects us and makes us safe.”

I think it’s easy for us to reminisce about the good ole days of how God did things in the past as well. We read stories in the Bible about how God spoke to people and performed miracles and conclude that God isn’t doing anything today. But that’s not true. God is at work today just as he was then. God is still leading and healing and protecting and providing just like he was in the past. We may not always see it or recognize it but he is. We need to be aware of the great things God did in the past – we have heard – and we need to pray with faith believing that God will act on our behalf today – so we have seen.

Having described to the people what God has done for Jerusalem, the psalmist turns his attention to God in the next few verses to give him praise.

9 Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love. (Psalm 48:9)

The psalmist says that they dwell on God’s unfailing love when they go to the temple. When they worship, they remember all that God has done for them. It is so easy to think about what has gone wrong in our lives, how often do we think about what has gone right? We tell others about our problems, how often do we tell others about how God has blessed us? Charles Spurgeon, preaching on Psalm 48:9 imagined three people in the church who need to take to heart this lesson from the psalmist and speak more often about the loving kindness of God. He said:

Now, my dear sister, you have talked about that rheumatism of yours to at least fifty people who have been to see you; suppose you tell your next visitor about the loving kindness of the Lord to you.

Yes, my dear brother, we all know that trade is bad, for you have told us so, every day, for I do not know how many years. And you have always been losing money, though you had no capital when you started; yet, somehow or other, you have managed to have something left even now. Well, we know that old story; could you not change your note just a little, and talk about the loving kindness of the Lord?

Yes, my friend, I know that many professing Christian people are not all that they profess to be; I have heard you say so ever 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 loving kindness of the Lord?

That’s what the psalmist was doing. He was focusing on all that the good that God has done instead of all the faults he might see around him. As he goes to worship God all he can think of is the goodness of God.

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. (Psalm 48:9-11)

The praise of God reaches to the ends of the earth. Like Rahab and the inhabitants of Jericho who had heard about God delivering the Israelites from Egypt, people around the earth have heard about the power of God. They may not put their trust in him, but they have heard of his greatness and many believe and praise his name as do those living in Jerusalem and the area surrounding it. They praise God for what God has done for them.

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. (Psalm 48:12-14)

A preacher described a trip his family took when he was young. He said:

When I was a boy, my parents decided to take a trip to Niagara Falls. They wanted my brother and me to be exposed to one of the world’s great scenic wonders. But anybody who has ever traveled with two boys in the back seat of a car will be able to guess the mood we were in by the time we arrived. “Mom, he touched me. Dad, he’s on my side of the seat. He’s making faces at me.” The mood was foul, to say the least. And of course, surely you know that it wasn’t my fault. I didn’t do anything wrong. It was all my brother’s fault. So, it he who was most unhappy when we got to Niagara Falls. For miles he had sat and pouted, with a sour look on his face. At the Falls, we piled out of the car, we strode to the railing, we looked and gaped and oohed and ahed, until my father noticed that my brother was over there, leaning against the car, staring down at the ground. My father tried to get Bob’s attention, “Look, Bob, there’s Niagara Falls. This is what we came to see. Come on, look at the Falls.” But from my brother’s mouth came the ultimate putdown, the final word of the distorted heart, “Hmph. I’ve seen Niagara Falls. I want to go home.”

He then makes this application:

Unless somebody stops us and makes us look at things of beauty, our hearts will grow dull, our spirits will be distorted. We are surrounded by so much beauty we are in danger of missing it. We just take for granted the majesty of the sky, the lushness of the earth, and the grandeur of the sea.

The psalmist doesn’t want us to miss the glory of Jerusalem. So, after offering praise to God, the psalmist becomes a tour guide encouraging the visitor to Jerusalem to look around at the city and examine its greatness. Study the cities towers. Inspect its outer walls. Tell others about what you see. The psalmist wants us to know about the cities defenses and its palaces. Remember though that the cities greatness comes from God. It is God that strengthens and protects it. God will be their God forever and he will lead them to the end of the ages.

One commentator on this psalm pointed out that no farmer can say of his field that it is his forever. One day he will die and the field will go to his son. No king can say of his crown that it is his forever. One day his son will be king. He wrote:

These possessions shall soon change masters; these possessors shall soon mingle with the dust, and even the graves they shall occupy may not long be theirs.

However, we can say of the Lord that he will always be our God.

Ultimately, this psalm look forward to Jerusalem when it will again be surrounded by its enemies, a scene described in Isaiah and Revelation. John wrote in Revelation 14: SLIDE 15

Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. (Revelation 14:1)

SLIDE 16 John pictures that last stance of the enemy trying to defeat God and his holy city. We all know how it’s going to end though. God will overcome.