We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk. You are welcome to share this and include it in your church newsletters if you wish; we just ask that you please give credit to NTC and the author. Thank you!
Scripture: 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10
5 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. 2 In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’”
3 When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.
4 David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.
Psalm 48 The Glory and Strength of Zion
1 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, 2 beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
the city of the great King.
3 Within its citadels God
has shown himself a sure defence.
4 Then the kings assembled,
they came on together.
5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;
they were in panic, they took to flight;
6 trembling took hold of them there,
pains as of a woman in labour,
7 as when an east wind shatters
the ships of Tarshish.
8 As we have heard, so have we seen
in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our God,
which God establishes forever.
Selah
9 We ponder your steadfast love, O God,
in the midst of your temple.
10 Your name, O God, like your praise,
reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with victory.
11 Let Mount Zion be glad,
let the towns of Judah rejoice
because of your judgments.
12 Walk about Zion, go all around it,
count its towers,
13 consider well its ramparts;
go through its citadels,
that you may tell the next generation
14 that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
He will be our guide forever.
Devotional Thought
2 Samuel 5 tells the story of how the Jebusite stronghold of Jerusalem became the renowned city of David. The site had been occupied for over thousands of years before, and even got a mention in the travels of Abraham. The city still stands today as the holy city of three religions. For many the city’s name stirs up deep feelings of reverence. It is a symbol of hope. The city of peace.
But symbols are what we make them. We see what we are conditioned to see. The name Jerusalem is the combination of two ancient Semitic root words YRY and SLM. These two words have been said to represent “foundation or cornerstone,” and “wholeness or safety” from which the Hebrew word ShaLoM (peace) is derived. Perhaps the hope of those who first settled in that place was that it would be a place of peace, or a refuge where people could find safety.
The writer of Psalm 48 builds upon this hope, admiring the scenic beauty of the location, the security of the city walls, the sanctity of the temple that dominated the skyline. All of this he then projects onto the God said to dwell in the temple of Jerusalem. It is not simply David’s city, but “the city of our God, his holy mountain.” The Psalmist says that safety is found in God, not the stone walls or citadels; that the love of God is more steadfast than the ancient city, and the holiness of God’s presence is far more astounding than the temple perched on Mount Zion.
In Matthew 4:14 Jesus declares, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden.” We are reminded by this that our life together as the Church, the city of God, is visible for many to see. Our trust, and testimony is that the steadfast love of God is a foundation to which we invite all to find peace and build security. It is an ancient foundation, dependable and firm. St Augustine spiritualised the hill upon which the city of God is built to represent righteousness. Each one of us becomes a living stone in this city. Interlocking and mutually supporting. May the LORD be greatly praised in the city of our God. May you find hope and peace in Christ today.
Shalom.
Rev Richard Giesken
Associate Lecturer in Biblical Studies and Missiology