This is another psalm used by the pilgrims as they were ‘going up’ to Jerusalem. It’s a meditation on ‘Jerusalem’ — which was a very im­portant place for the ancient pil­grims. It was the centre of Israel’s life: it was where they went up to give thanks to the Lord (4); it was where judgements were made and where justice was dispensed (5); it was where the annual festivals were observed; it was where God had made a home — in his holy Temple. It was where every true Israelite longed to be. His prayer might have been, ‘One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple’ (Ps. 27:4).

Why do we sing an ancient song like this in the church today? Is it simply for nostalgic reasons; or for history buffs or for antiquated Pres­byterians? No. Listen to what two commentators say. ‘What Jerusa­lem was to the Israelite, the church is to the Christian’ (Kidner). And, “‘Zion’ and ‘Jerusalem’ stand in the Bible, not just for the whole people of Israel, but for the entire people of God' (Harman). That’s the key to understanding the psalm and unlocking its meaning. Jerusalem or Zion is code for the gathered peo­ple of God. The church is now ‘the temple of the Holy Spirit’.

We no longer worship in Jerusalem (Jn. 4:21-24). Our focus is on the heavenly Jerusalem.

The writer to the Hebrews writes,

You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gath­ering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the right­eous made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Heb. 12: 22-24

As a result we as New Testa­ment Christians can now sing this psalm (and all the psalms) with a much greater depth of understand­ing and appreciation than any Isra­elite ever had.

The psalm is about the authors’ ex­perience of worship. How does he describe it?

1. He Looked Forward – with Pleasure (verse 1)⤒🔗

He expresses great delight when friends gave him the invitation to, ‘Come to God’s house’. He responded gladly. He reveals two things about himself: his love for the worship of God, and his pleasure in the fellowship of believers. These are things that should still mark a believer (cf. Heb. 10: 25). Can this be said of you and me? Do we look forward with pleasure as Sunday approaches? Is Sun­day (‘the Lord’s Day’) the best day of the week? Can you say, ‘I re­joiced when they said to me — come on, it’s time to go to church’? We look forward to so many other things, e.g. — a holiday — a movie — a birthday — a TV pro­gramme – even a cup of coffee. But do we look forward with as much pleasure and anticipation to Sunday approaching?

This man knew and appreciated the importance of public worship. Of course he could worship at home. He could read his Bible and pray. And I’m sure he did. But it’s not the same. As the writer to the Hebrews might have said, ‘Public worship is better than private worship’. Having such an attitude is a good preparation for worship. What an encouragement and blessing for any minister to have a congregation of people who really want to be there and have made obvious preparation for it.

2. He Looked Back – with Pre­cious Memories (verse 2)←⤒🔗

The AV renders the verb in 2 in the future tense, but all commen­tators and versions agree that a future tense is impossible. It’s a Hebrew perfect. Translating it in the present tense is possible, ‘Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem’ (as in NIV, NASB, and in the Complete Book of Psalms 1991). But past tense is probably better. ‘Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem’ (ESV). If we accept this reading it means that the psalmist is recalling with fond­ness the memories of his past vis­its to the city. Jerusalem for him was full of precious memories and rich associations. He was full of gratitude. Those memories in­creased his desire to return. He couldn’t wait to get back to the city. How does this compare with your experience? I hope you have happy memories of going to church — so much so, that it has instilled within you the regular habit of meeting with the saints. How im­portant it is to make ‘church’ a posi­tive experience for our children.

3. He Looked Around – with Praise (verses 3-5)←⤒🔗

‘For those coming from distant pasts of Israel, the sight of Jeru­salem must have been overwhelming. It was not just a con­glomeration of buildings, but a compact, well-ordered city — the national capital’ (Harman). Our pilgrim coming from the bush seems to have been greatly impressed by the nations planned capital. He is filled with pride as he gazes at the well constructed city. ‘Walk about Zion. Go all around her. Count her towers. Mark well her bulwarks’ (Ps. 48:12). But the real reason for his praise was not for the town planners or the architects or the builders. It was for the number and variety of the people gathered there. The city was merely an architectural metaphor of the tribes that went up there. He was amazed that despite all the diversity of the tribes they were united as ‘the tribes of the Lord’. There was e.g. the tribe of Zebulon — from the coast — who were one of the more wealthy tribes. There was the tribe of Dan from the hills. There was the tribe of Reuben from the desert who couldn’t claim any prominent mem­bers. There was the tribe of Asher who produced tucker fit for a king. Yet they were all united as one body. They were like the city – compactly built together. Only the Lord could have done this. The LXX paraphrases, ‘Jerusalem is built as a city whose fellowship is complete where the tribes went up’.¹ It’s true of the church today. Read Psalm 122. The church is the temple of God which the Lord is building with living stones which are all different. See 1 Cor. 3: 16 and 6: 19, 1 Peter 2: 5 and Eph. 2: 19-22.

He had another reason for praise: ‘for the rule and right­eousness of the house of David’ (5). God had established David as His king in Jerusalem. There the worshipper could expect to find law and order; justice and truth. Sadly the system didn’t work as it should. We know how Absa­lom abused it. David’s heirs and successors were all failures to varying degrees. But God had promised a king whose throne would be established forever upon righteousness and justice — a promise fulfilled in Christ, as we see in 2 Sam. 7:12-16 and Heb. 1:5.

Thus when we meet together today in the name of Christ, we give thanks to the name of the Lord for the King He has given to us. His kingdom is based on justice and righteousness. When the Bi­ble is read we hear the Word of the King. When the Gospel is preached faithfully His everlasting truth and righteous judgements are proclaimed. The end result is that our faith is confirmed and we praise the Lord.

4. He Looked Within – and Prayed (verses 6-9)←⤒🔗

He now looks within the city and is led to pray. Can you think of an­other who also prayed for the peace of the city? See Luke 19: 41-44. I wonder if our Lord was thinking of this psalm.

There is however a pun on ‘Jerusalem’ which means ‘city of peace’. (Ironic really — since it has never known earthly peace.) He prays that the city might live up to its name.

Note the number of times ‘within’ occurs in these verses — three times. Note the number of times ‘peace’ occurs — three times. He is concerned for the ‘shalom’ of God within the city. (Shalom includes health, soundness and har­mony). Note he doesn’t pray that Jerusalem may have peace with the world. No. When the church is at peace with the world, the world has come into the church.

He prayed for peace within the city. He knew how precious and precarious peace was among the saints. He knew the threats to peace. Some of the greatest threats to peace in the church actually come — not from the world — but from within. Some people can be divisive. Some can be touchy. Some can be ob­noxious. Some can be indiffer­ent. Some can be insensitive. Some can be guilty of dissemi­nating false doctrines and ideas. All these things undermine peace. There is much to pray for.

Why did he pray? He prayed, ‘For the sake of my brothers and companions’ (8a). It’s an unselfish prayer. He prayed for others. Do we pray for others in the church? Do we pray for their good? Do we ask the Lord to bless them with His peace? Do we actively seek their good (9b)? Do we do all we can to help one another?

He also prayed, ‘for the sake of the house of the Lord our God’ (9a). He desired the hon­our and glory of God in the church. A church riddled with factions and strife doesn’t bring much glory to God. But where there is peace and unity, there God commands the blessing.

The psalmist wanted every­thing that was good for the peo­ple of God and for the House of God. What a good thing it would be if we wanted only what was best for the church all the days of our lives. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.