He Is My PEACE

Psalm 122 NIV

A song of ascents. Of David. 1 I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” 2 Our feet are standing in your gates, Jerusalem. 3 Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together. 4 That is where the tribes go up— the tribes of the Lord— to praise the name of the Lord according to the statute given to Israel. 5 There stand the thrones for judgment, the thrones of the house of David. 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. 7 May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” 8 For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” 9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity.

If you have been tracking along with our reading schedule through the Psalms of Ascent for this Lent season, you might be picking up on a progression in this week’s readings. The first three of the ascent psalms follow a particular theme. It begins in Psalm 120 with an expression of longing to be in the presence of God which comes from a place of desperation. Psalm 121 expresses the journey which brings the pilgrim closer to the presence of God. And now Psalm 122 pictures the arrival of the pilgrim into the holy city of God’s presence. There is a microcosm in these three psalms of the entire journey from start to finish. So, even though we are only three passages into this collection of passages which stretches all the way to chapter 134, Psalm 122 gives us a bit of a foreshadow of the completed pilgrimage.

Structure

Today’s outline again includes a printout of the psalm. And I will be marking up some important features as we work our way through the chapter. Our English Bibles have helped us out a little by showing us where the section breaks go. This Psalm is divided into three stanzas which each get a little bit longer. The first section is two verses; the second section containing verses 3-5 is three verses long; and the third section containing verses 6-9 is four verses long. Of course, if you follow along with my messages, you know at this point that so many passages in the Bible have a mirror structure. There are framing bookends with some kind of main point in the middle of the passage. Psalm 122 has a clue about that structure which nicely shows up in our English Bibles as well. There are three sections to this psalm and three references to a house—once in each section. And it has a framing—or mirror—structure which begins with the house of the LORD, then moves to the house of David, and returns again to the house of the LORD. This gives us a clue in the psalm that these two houses are somehow connected. More particularly, we see that the house of David is hemmed in and surrounded by the house of the LORD.

Jerusalem - the house of the LORD

closely compacted together = bound, fastened, tied, united

There is also a second term closely related to the theme of house. It is the name of the holy city. Jerusalem is also featured as the focus of this psalm. It is again mentioned once by name in each of the three sections of Psalm 122. The features of Jerusalem in this psalm also tell us of the author’s theme. Verse three says it is a city that is closely compacted, and verse seven specifically mentions the walls and citadels. It is a nod to the protection and security God provides for the city. The “closely compacted together” part needs a little more explanation. The Hebrew word literally means bound or fastened. It is used elsewhere in the Old Testament to talk about being tied together in a knot, or united together. It is the word used in Exodus to describe how all the pieces of the tabernacle were fastened together. It is not just that Jerusalem has a dense urban landscape. The description is that of a place that is bound and united together tightly. This would have especially been evident during this festival time of pilgrimage when so many people would have packed into Jerusalem to celebrate festival together.

pilgrimage to Jerusalem for WORSHIP - worship is an action which forms the heart (not the other way around)

What exactly is it that Psalm 122 highlights about Jerusalem? To begin with, there is an obvious reference to worship. The three major festivals for which the people would make pilgrimage to Jerusalem centered around worship. The whole reason people made the journey was in order to worship the LORD near the presence of God at the temple. The opening verses make this clear. I like that the NIV Bible says “I rejoiced.” Other English translations use the word happy or glad instead of rejoice. But the Hebrew word implies an action much more than an expression of feeling or emotion. Eugene Peterson’s commentary on this passage says it this way: “we can act ourselves into a new way of feeling much quicker than we can feel ourselves into a new way of acting” (Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, pg. 48). That’s instructive for us to see in this psalm about worship. Because let’s face it, often our approach to worship begins with feeling that takes expression in action instead of the other way around. Sometimes we may think to ourselves that I just don’t feel like worshipping today. Or maybe we think that our worship is somehow less sincere or authentic if it is not always coming from an overflowing heart of emotion. As if somehow it is the feeling of worship that precedes and produces in us the action of worship. Psalm 122 reminds us that it is the other way around. It is the obedient and habitually repeated action of worship that precedes and produces in us the feeling of worship. Both are necessary for worship; the two are tied together; but the order makes all the difference.

And so, the stage is set. Psalm 122 takes us into the gates of the city of Jerusalem for this act of worship which is prompted by obedient observance of the three major festivals which gather close to the temple. Let’s not get lost in the particular forms of worship. For the Old Testament Israelites it would have been offering sacrifices, eating the Passover meal, reciting the scriptures. For us today in the church our forms of worship include singing songs, offering prayers, and hearing the word of the LORD. More importantly, let’s focus our attention on what this action of worship produces, because that is what Psalm 122 is talking about.

Word Pairs

tribes - God’s chosen people

Let me highlight a few more terms in this psalm that are repeated for impact. In verses 4-5 we see some word pairs which ought to be taken together. Verse 4 has two mentions of the tribes, and verse 5 has two mentions of the throne. There is a link here between the chosen people of God and the justice / righteousness of God. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were the chosen people of God. They were divided into 12 tribes; that’s what the reference to tribes is all about. It is a call for all of God’s chosen people to join in worship. In the New Testament, Jesus selects 12 disciples who will be the apostles that launch his new church. And so, whether we are talking about the 12 tribes that represent all of Israel or the 12 disciples that represent all of the church, either way it is a reference to all of God’s chosen people.

thrones - place of justice / righteousness

The mention of throne two times highlights the justice and righteousness of God. maybe we read the word judgement in that verse and think about it as punishment or something negative. But that is not the case. This is a psalm of praise and worship; judgement in verse 5 is intended as a positive thing. It draws to mind the justice of God which rights every wrong and correct every misdeed. It is also the place of righteousness by which God purifies his loved people so that they are holy and blameless before him. And between these two word-pairs is the call to worship—to praise the name of the LORD. It is in the regular obedient act of worship which bends and shapes the hearts of all God’s people towards his justice and righteousness.

Time and Place

verses 1-2 = present; verses 3-5 = past; verses 6-9 = future

The time and place of this worship is also significant in Psalm 122. Each section of the psalm reflects a different time. It begins with a present view; the psalmist says that his feet are standing at the gates of Jerusalem. Verses 3-5 look back at the past; it is a reference to the regular worship of God which has stood for generations, symbolized by the city which he has built up and fortified. And verses 6-9 look to the future; it is filled with prayer and the request that God may continue to show his peace and security upon his chosen people.

chosen people have become the holy city - in Christ the house of the LORD and the house of David are brought together as one

And we need to say more about the place of this worship. Everything in this psalm revolves around the holy city of Jerusalem. But there is a poetic connection here between the city itself and the people. Psalm 122 blurs the lines between the two. All that this psalm has to say about the city of Jerusalem is also applied to the people themselves. Everything about a city bound and fastened and united and held together is an expression of the city which also applies to the people of God being united and held together. Everything about a city from which the justice and righteousness of God flows is an expression of the city which also applies to the people of God living as those who seek justice in our communities and pursuing righteousness brought to our world with new life in Christ.

The picture of Jerusalem in Psalm 122 is fulfilled in Christ. It is in Christ that the residence of God moves from a physical temple in Jerusalem into the hearts of his people. We are the city now. You and I who gather here as the church have now become the place where the Holy Spirit fills this world with the presence of God. The house of the LORD and the house of David are joined together in Jesus. This is what Christ has done for us on the cross. Now the question becomes, what does it look like for us to live as people who have become his holy city?

Uninterrupted Flourishing

It is this final section of Psalm 122 that points us forward to what it is we have become and are yet becoming as God’s new holy residence. It begins with a single command: pray. It is the only imperative verb of the entire psalm. And then verses 6-9 echo back and forth between peace and security. It is a prayer for the peace and security of God’s people. But this needs some explanation.

shalom = “peace” - all creation flourishing and thriving as God intends

I have talked about this Hebrew word for peace many times. It is the word shalom. Nicholas Wolterstorff and others have suggested that shalom is better translated into English as flourishing. Shalom happens when all the conditions of God’s creation are such that everything he has made can function and thrive exactly as God designed and created it to do. You know those moments that happen every once-in-a-while when life feels like everything is perfectly tuned around you exactly as God intends it to be—everything thrives and grows and flourishes—that’s shalom. This is the prayer of what God may bring to his holy city. This is what the worship of those who gather in the presence of God is looking for. The reflection of our worship directed to our triune God is best fulfilled by God’s response of shalom-flourishing.

sha’al = “pray” - inquiry, seek out, discover, pursue

There are two other words in verse 6 along with shalom that all sound similar. It is a wordplay used by the author to tie them all together. Even though the verse begins with the instruction to pray, it is not the same Hebrew word for prayer that the Bible normally uses. It is the Hebrew word sha’al which is better understood as an inquiry. It carries the idea of seeking out or discovering an answer. It is not just bringing a petition to God in prayer; it is also actively seeking out the fulfilment of that petition of prayer. It is a prayer that is more than just asking God for shalom-flourishing. It is a prayer that is actively seeking out the shalom-flourishing of God. It is worship which leads and spills over into lives that pursue this shalom-flourishing of God in our world.

shalah = “security” - undisturbed, uninterrupted, at rest

And the third similar word in this set is the Hebrew word shalah which the NIV Bible translates into English as security. But there is more to understanding this word as well. Shalah literally means undisturbed or uninterrupted. It carries the notion of resting, but not sabbath kind of rest. Sabbath means to stop or cease. Sabbath is power down your smartphone and turn it off completely. Shalah is leaving your smartphone turned on, but putting it into do-not-disturb mode. Shalah is a state of shalom-flourishing which carries on and continues undisturbed and uninterrupted.

“I will see your prosperity” - Hebrew tov = good, goodness

I will seek all which God fulfills and restores in our world in Christ through the cross

The psalm ends with a single line spoken of the holy city: “I will seek your prosperity.” I don’t want us to get the wrong idea of what the psalmist means by prosperity. It is the Hebrew word tov which is better translated and understood as good or goodness. It is the summation of all which God fulfills and restores in our world in Christ through the cross.

“go in peace” = go from here to live in a week of worship which actively seeks out the flourishing of God’s world in the new life he has given to you through Jesus

And this is where our regular and repeated act of worship should bring us. Our routine habit of coming before God in worship is what sets our hearts in a direction that continually seeks out this uninterrupted shalom-flourishing which can only ever be found in the cross of Jesus because it can only ever come to us by the grace of God. That is what it means for God to be our peace. And that is what it means every single Sunday when the very last words I say to you before leaving this place are: “go in peace.” It means, go from here to live in a week of worship which actively seeks out the flourishing of God’s world in the new life he has given to you through Jesus. And after that week is through, may it be the song of your heart to declare with the psalmist, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, let us go to the house of the LORD.”