Zion dwellers

Jerusalem at night

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Numbers 25-27; Psalm 48


TO CHEW ON: "Walk about Zion,
And go all around her.
Count her towers; ....
For this is God,
Our God forever and ever;
He will be our guide
Even to death. Psalm 48:12, 14

Zion is the city of Jerusalem. This Bible dictionary description helps us see it in its natural setting:

"The city is set high in the hills of Judah, over 30 miles from the Mediterranean, and over 20 west of the north end of the Dead Sea. It rests on a none-too-level plateau, which slopes noticeably toward the southeast. To the east lies the ridge of Olivet. Access to the city on all sides except the north is hampered by three deep ravines" - New Bible Dictionary, p. 614.

The Sons of Korah here praise Zion for its beauty, its qualities as a refuge, the way its appearance instills fear in Israel's enemies, and its stability.

But it is more than a mere city. For in the Jewish mind of that day its grandeur and solidity seem to be equated in some way with God Himself. Jerusalem was the center of their worship and so its qualities become a reflection of Elohim, the God they worship:

"For this is God (Elohim)

Our God forever and ever

He will be our guide

Even to death" (vs. 14).

Metaphors for God abound in the Bible. He is compared to

• a bird covering us with its feathers (Psalm 91:4).

• a mother caring for her child (Isaiah 66:12,13)

• a father (Psalm 68:5; Matthew 6:9).

• a shepherd (Psalm 23:1-6).

• a fire (Hebrews 12:29).

... and many more.

I love this picture of God as the city of Jerusalem. The city's elements of beauty, safety, and solidity remind us of the security we have in Him.

The last line talks about God as a guide. It fits so well with the Numbers passage we read today where Moses asked God who would lead the people after he died, and God told him to anoint Joshua. Joshua, with Aaron's son Eleazar the priest, would guide the Israelites into the promised land (Numbers 27:11). For us too, God has people (parents, friends, pastors, teachers, authors) to act as His representative to guide us.

PRAYER: Dear God, this picture of You as Zion reminds me of the safety and hope I have in You. May my life as a Zion-dweller be a credit to You. Amen. 

 PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 48

MORE: A city on a hill

I wonder if Jesus was thinking of Jerusalem when He mentioned a city on a hill during the Sermon on the Mount. Reading the physical description of Jerusalem, above, made me think of this verse—something we can take into the day.

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ... Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14, 16. 

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Registered in Zion

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 87:1-7

TO CHEW ON: "And of Zion it will be said,
'This one and that one were born in her; …
The Lord will record,
When He registers the peoples;
This one was born there.'" Psalm 87:5,6


"The most resistant Gentile peoples will find spiritual birth in Zion," is my Bible's footnote explanation of this psalm (K. R. "Dick" Iverson, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 752).

I love how the psalmist names specific nations as representative of its inhabitants: Rahab (symbolic of Egypt - Isaiah 30:7), Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia. These were Israel's neighbours.  Some had been or were enemies. Of individuals from these tribes/nations the writer says, "This one and that one were born in her; … The Lord will record, When He registers the peoples; This one was born there."

"He shall enrigister every individual among the converted nations as a true citizen of Zion, entitled to all covenant privileges" - Pulpit Commentary.

I see a picture of God, constantly scanning the peoples of earth, looking for signs of movement toward Him: "… to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him" - 2 Chronicles 16:9.

I see Him writing the names of these from every nation in His book: "…The Lord will record, /  When He registers the peoples…"  They are holy (separate). They are His - Isaiah 4:3.

Finally, I see this international crowd, before the throne, praising God:

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” - Revelation 7:9-10.

There is no basis to the criticism that Christianity is a European/North American religion foisted on other nations and people groups by the white man. It is, from its inception, truly international. It knows no borders and has no language or race barriers.


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus to die for everyone. Regardless of skin color, language or location, all of us can be born again ("born in her [Zion]").  We thank you for drawing and claiming the most resistant heart. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Maintaining the highways to Zion

Illustration from John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 84:1-12

TO CHEW ON: "Blessed—happy, fortunate, to be envied—is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion." Psalm 84:5 AMP

The writer of this psalm draws our attention to the delights of the House of God. For him it's a literal place, a building, the temple in Jerusalem.

He speaks in picturesque language of his envy of the sparrows that nest near the altar. He glosses over the difficulties of the journey to Jerusalem, telling how even the Valley of Baca* becomes a place of springs because of anticipation. He would be willing, he says, to do the lowliest job at the temple—be a mere doorkeeper—rather than live separated from God in the "tents of wickedness."

I doubt that these days we feel the attachment he felt to a church building or the place we meet for worship. In many cases the venue in which we gather isn't even used solely for church but might, for the rest of the week, serve as a home, classroom, theatre, hotel meeting room etc.

Which is why I love how the Amplified translation shifts our attention from the place we're going to how we set out to get there: "Blessed—happy, fortunate, to be envied is the man … in whose heart are the highways to Zion." For no matter where we worship, our meeting with God begins with an attitude and journey of the heart.

How can we make our hearts  "highways to Zion," not only as we prepare to meet together on Sunday, but every day? Embedded in this psalm are some of the practices of these pilgrims that we could perhaps adopt ourselves.

1. We can remember former meetings with God and dwell on their delights. The psalmist says, "My soul yearns, yes, even pines and is homesick for the courts of the Lord" − Psalm 84:1 AMP.

2. Singing is mentioned several times (Psalm 84:2,4): "Blessed … are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence; they will be singing Your praises all day long" - Psalm 84:4 AMP.

3. We can focus on our blessings, even in the midst of difficulties - Psalm 84:6.

4. We can trust. The Amplified Bible expands: "... blessed ... is the man who trusts in You, leaning on and believing in You, committing all and confidently looking to You and that without fear or misgiving" - Psalm 84:12 AMP.

We don't have to wait for a special day to go to a special place and experience the joy of God's presence. We can keep our heart highways to Zion maintained every day of the week!


PRAYER: Dear God, the psalmist's delight in experiencing Your presence here is contagious. Help me to feel the same pull to spend time with You. Amen.

*Baca is a type of balsam plant that can survive in dry conditions. So perhaps this valley is known as a particularly desolate, dry spot. The Amplified translates it: "Passing through the valley of weeping…"

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible. Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

The great Jewish return

"Reconstruction of Jerusalem and the Temple of Herod" by James Tissot

 
TODAY'S SPECIAL: Zechariah 8:1-123

TO CHEW ON: "Thus says the Lord of hosts:
'Behold I will save My people from the land of the east
And from the land of the west;
I will bring them back
And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem,
They shall be My people
And I will be their God,
In truth and righteousness.' "  Zechariah 8:7,9


The Old Testament prophets Zechariah and Haggai preached to the people who had returned from exile. Their messages were meant to arouse the returned Jews to finish rebuilding the temple.

In addition Zechariah's writings contain many references to the coming Messiah. Some well-known Messianic prophecies in Zechariah are of Messiah entering Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9) and of the Jews mourning over the One they have pierced (Zechariah 12:10).

Zechariah 8 is the prophecy of a restored Zion (a.k.a. Jerusalem). The prophet paints a picture of a future vibrant, safe, and peaceful city where:

"Old men and old women shall again sit
In the streets of Jerusalem,
Each one with his staff in his hand
Because of great age.
The streets of the city
Shall be full of boys and girls
Playing in its streets - Zechariah 8:4,5.

Our focus verse describes the return of the city's inhabitants. They come from all directions to live in Jerusalem. But they do more than just live there—they come to again be Yahweh's people:

"They shall be My people
And I will be their God."

It was a prophecy that was partially fulfilled in the exiles' return during and after Zechariah's time. But modern Bible scholars also interpret this passage as prophetic of events still to come. My Bible's notes say about chapter 8:

"Many Bible students believe the promises of a restored Zion are to apply primarily to a cleansed and invigorated church…"  and: "Some see this passage as partially fulfilled in God's building of a new people in the church age" David Warren Shibley, Introduction and study notes on Zechariah, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1248 &1256.

There may be some truth here, but I think we need to guard against taking a stand that removes the literal Jerusalem and the Jewish people from the equation. Though Replacement Theology (that says the church has replaced Israel in God's plan) is popular these days, I believe the Bible is unequivocal about the special place of the literal Jerusalem and the Jews in world events still to come.

Instead of writing off the Jews, let's pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6) and the day when the Jews will accept and follow their Messiah (Revelation 7:3-8; 14:1).

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the Jewish people through whom Jesus came. As world events unfold, with peoples fighting over Jerusalem, help me to continue to pray for its peace and the salvation of the Jewish people—the "apple of Your eye" (Zechariah 2:8). Amen.

MORE: Anti-semitism
Anti-semitism is on the rise again in the world. Global journalist Martin Himel has put together a series of documentaries called Jew Bashing that show the persecution and harassment of Jews in all quarters:  The Middle East, Anti-Semitism in Europe, Conspiracy of Anti-Semitism, and Canada.  Where anti-Semitism happens in the church, the belief in Replacement Theology is often a precursor to such a stand.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A prophecy to fuel hope

"Who are these who fly like a cloud
And like doves to their roosts?"
- Isaiah 60:8

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 60:1-22

TO CHEW ON: "The Gentiles shall come to your light

And kings to the brightness of your rising." - Isaiah 60:3

We see in Isaiah's prophecy the prediction of the wise men who came from the east (we'll read the account from Matthew tomorrow in two days from now when we commemorate Epiphany). The "your" in the verse speaks of Zion, the City of the Lord (Isaiah 60:14).

This passage is crammed with other things that distinguish Zion as a special place.

• She attracts the wealth of nations (Isaiah 60:5-10) where only the best of gold, silver and bronze is collected (Isaiah 60:17).

• She is a welcoming, bustling place (Isaiah 60:11).

• She will rule over her former detractors and persecutors and they will bring her homage (Isaiah 60:14).

• Her fortunes, once bad, have turned around (Isaiah 60:15-16).

• She is no longer a city of violence and poverty but of salvation and praise (Isaiah 60:18).

And it's all because of Zion's main attraction—the Lord God. He is her inhabitants' everlasting light and glory (Isaiah 60:19-20). Days of sadness are over for her citizens. Her insignificant people have became great to bring God glory (Isaiah 60:21-22).

We recognize layers of prediction here. The kings who came to worship baby Jesus fulfilled it in part. But the complete fulfillment of all of these predictions is still ahead. For example when we read:

"The sun shall no longer be your light by day,

Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you;

But the Lord will be to you an everlasting light,

And your God your glory" - Isaiah 60:19

we can't help but think of still-unrealized prediction from Revelation 22:

"There shall be no night there. 

They need no lamp nor light of the sun, 

for the Lord God gives them light" - Revelation 22:5.

So what does this prophecy have to do with us today? For me it resonates in two ways.

1. It helps expand my view and imaginings of God. As I read this passage I see His greatness and power, His magnetism, and His raw force for good.

2. It fuels my hope as I witness by faith the eventual triumph of good over evil, light over darkness, joy over sadness.


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for mind-expanding passages like Isaiah 60 that picture Zion as the seat of Your rule and home of Your people. Help me to nurture hope and expectation through Bible prophecy. Amen.

MORE: "The Prophets" by Michael Card