I Was Glad- Psalm 122

Psalm 122 ESV

A Song of Ascents. Of David. I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!” For my brothers and companions’ sake I will say, “Peace be within you!” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.

Introduction

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Today we jump ahead in the Psalms to Psalm 122- a “song of ascents”. This inscription tells us it is what the Pilgrims sang as they came into Jerusalem and climbed Mount Zion from the Countryside to worship God. It was a city, great and strong. It was where God was located on earth. And it was where mighty King David ruled and reigned for the sake of God’s people.

They felt safe there. As did David, who penned the words of this Psalm.

I was glad when they said unto me, “let us go up to the House of the Lord.”

The House of the Lord. At the time of David, it was where the Ark of the Covenant was. And for the pilgrims that came after Solomon was king, it was where the Temple was.

I was glad.

The Lord God gave us the third commandment: “Remember the Sabbath Day by Keeping it Holy.” Luther, in the Small Catechism reminds us: We should fear and love God so that we may not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred, and gladly hear and learn it.”

Sundays for me are always invigorating. I look forward to each and every Sunday. Some people ask me what my favorite text in the Bible is. I tell them, “the one I’m working on for this Sunday.” I pray that you have this same joy each week as you come to receive your Savior and His forgiveness in Word and Sacrament and Song.

This is one of the reasons, at least for me, that I became depressed during the COVID shutdown. I know for myself I need corporate worship. Home devotions are fine but they are no replacement. Video services are nice because we can stay in touch, but it is not worship. We need the mutual consolation of the brethren. We need to be together. We need Jesus Body and Blood to physically come into our bodies. Sometimes this involves risk. To not be able to worship is almost as bad as walking away from worship. This is exactly why some pastors in both the Southern States and Western States are fighting the government. The government in some states has not fairly applied their laws. Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, and other stores remain open and filled to capacity. Protests and riots are not only allowed but now seem to be encouraged by leaders. But don’t you dare think that you can gather for worship. I’m grateful that this is not a problem in New York. But the First Amendment of the Constitution still exists that demands freedom of religion. When you look at what is going on, I hope you see the problem. And contrary to what the press reports, Churches contribution to the spread of Covid is infantismal.

As we heard a few weeks ago, David was in anguish because he longed for the courts of the Lord and was separated from them. Psalm 137- written after David’s death but included in the Psalms says

Psalm 137:1 ESV

By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.

And

Psalm 137:4 ESV

How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?

To be separated from worship, beloved, is to separate yourself from God. For just as the Children of Israel separated themselves from God by not going to the Temple, so we separate ourselves from God when we fail to receive Him in worship and offer Him our praise. Like David, the fast has come to an end, and we are back together, rejoicing that we can come to the very house of the Lord where Jesus Himself forgives us, speaks His Word, washes in Baptism, feeds us with His Body and Blood, and then rests His blessing upon our heads as we meet the new week.

Israel was Protected in Jerusalem

Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!” For my brothers and companions’ sake I will say, “Peace be within you!”

The Temple had not been built when this psalm was penned, but after it was, this Psalm was still used by pilgrims entering the holy city. It sang of the joy of worshiping God- something that no one could do but those who were his own, it spoke of the security of the city, protected by its walls and towers, and it sang the glories of the peace that came from being their. It is a prayer that the peace within Jerusalem would remain. It was there that the 12 tribes gathered. It was there where they experienced the peace of the Lord through His forgiveness. It was there where the Lord protected them from their enemies.

The peace, Shalom, of which is spoken means wholeness, salvation. Being one with God. And this is what Israel had.

They were also secure within Jerusalem’s walls because it was where the King dwelt. God’s army was there. Nothing would befall them.

The psalm exhorts its readers to “Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.” For years it remained.

But something happened to Israel. Peace left Jerusalem, because God left Jerusalem. When you live in sin and spurn the love of God, there are consequences.

Sin Steals Israel’s Peace

Because of Israel’s sin, God allowed King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to begin a siege of Jerusalem in December 589 BC. After completion of the eleventh year of 0Zedekiah's reign (Jeremiah 1:3), Nebuchadnezzar broke through Jerusalem's walls, conquering the city. Zedekiah and his followers attempted to escape but were captured on the plains of Jericho and taken to Riblah. There, after seeing his sons killed, Zedekiah was blinded, bound, and taken captive to Babylon (2 Kings 25:1–7; 2 Chronicles 36:12; Jeremiah 32:4–5; 34:2–3; 39:1–7; 52:4–11), where he remained a prisoner until his death. The Children of Israel not slain by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar were taken captive and brought to the land of Babylon in 587 AD, 383 years after David’s reign. They remained there until Cyrus’ edict allowed them to leave around 538 BC, almost 50 years later. Some of the remaining Jews returned to Israel with Nehemiah as their chief prophet, who upon returning, lamented over Israel and the broken walls, towers, and decimated temple. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 516 BC. King Herod would renovate it shortly before Jesus’ birth.

But it would not stand. Again, Jerusalem was overtaken and the Temple. In 66 AD Israel began to rebel against Caesar and Rome in earnest. In 68 AD Nero Caesar- a persecutor of the Church- took his own life, so his power was seized by Vespasian, who commanded his son, Titus, to wipe Jerusalem off the map. Following orders, and kindled by his own hatred of the Jews, Titus plundered the city in 70 AD, the first fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy that “not one stone would be left upon another.” Of course, when Jesus said this, He was speaking about Himself, and ultimately about His Second Coming. And so Jerusalem has remained “temple-less” since AD 70 with the exception of a small portion of the Western Wall, known as the wailing wall.

Bottom line- if we live in wanton sin we separate ourselves from God, from His love, from His mercy. And that is what Israel did. Because of it they are no longer a people. No more tribes. No more temple.

Sin Steals Our Joy

Israel became careless with their worship. They became sloppy about it. They were not always glad when they heard, “let us go up to the house of the Lord. And as their worship ceased, their sin increased. What’s so wrong about having a king? What’s so wrong about intermarrying with Gentiles? What’s so wrong about idol worship? What’s so wrong about taking what is rightfully mine from my neighbors? What’s so wrong about staying home on the Sabbath? Surely God will understand! My God is a “loving God.” And do you know what God did? He allowed His own dwelling place on earth to be plundered and destroyed— twice because of the sin of His people.

We sin when we do not rejoice at the opportunity to worship. We take a Sunday off, then a couple, then we are home more than we go. It is a discipline of Sanctification that God not only calls you to, but gives you His Holy Spirit to help us. When we separate ourselves from worship, we separate ourselves from the Lord and spurn the work of the Holy Spirit.

What does the Lord do?

He destroys the Temple a third time. Your fault. But the Temple is His Son Jesus. Knock down these stones and I will rebuild this temple in Three Days.

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem