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Spiritually Speaking => Pastor Al Moak's Study => Manna For The Soul => Songs of Worship & Psalm 119~Psalms Studies => Topic started by: Al Moak on April 28, 2003, 02:06:27 PM

Title: Psalm 48
Post by: Al Moak on April 28, 2003, 02:06:27 PM
Psalm 48

The people have come, early in the morning, to worship their covenant God at the temple on Mount Zion.  As they came, and as they heard the trumpet blowing and calling them to worship, they could look up ahead and see the majestic temple itself.  It was a very imposing sight, a sight that could never be forgotten. But the meaning of that wondrous building was even more overwhelming – it was the place God had chosen to meet with His people.  It was a very special place, a place where the people could quietly and reverently come each day to worship and praise Jehovah.

The song led by their worship leader this particular day was appropriate to the imposing view they had before them.  They sang, "great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in His holy mountain.  Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great King!"

It must have seemed so very natural to sing of the great King Who ruled from this holy mountain over all the kingdoms of the world.  As the early-morning sun glistened on the high walls and as the rams horn sounded for the people to gather, they came. And as they came, they sang of their sovereign God, of His holy temple, and of His chosen nation Israel.  It had to be a thrill just to be there taking all this in!

Even foreign kings passing by would have to be impressed as they saw the imposing temple and heard the praises.  They might even feel conviction for their sin of worshipping other gods, and they might then leave this city with the thought that this God Who was being worshipped just might be the true and only God!

It was wonderful for Israel to have Jehovah as their heavenly King!  They would gladly sing, "We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness (It was that lovingkindness that made them – or us - His special people) in the midst of Your temple!" In awe and wonder they would realize that they alone, of all the peoples of the earth were worshipping the only, the true and the majestic GOD of gods and LORD of lords. 

It was only reasonable under such circumstances to sing as they did,, "According to Your name, O God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness!" And it was only right that the special people of such a God should sing to one another, "Let Mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of Your judgements!"

Finally, the song closed by telling the people to carefully observe the capitol city of their great God, to "walk about Zion, and go all around her, count her towers; mark well her bulwarks; consider her palaces; that you may tell it to the generation following.  For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our Guide even to death!"  They were thus encouraged to "Pass it on!" 

In our own day as well we should sing this song.  Christ's Church is the Zion of our day.  It's an inheritance our children too should treasure.

We don't have an earthly temple.  Instead, today, God's people gather as His Church in many places, and He meets with them wherever they are.  But just as much as in former days, they need to be aware of His awesome Presence and of His lovingkindness to allow them access to Himself.  They need not inspect a city, but they can carefully inspect the Church, the people of God, and they may observe His wonderful works in each and every life.  They observe the gifts He has given whereby they can even be used in the upbuilding of that blessed Church.

In other words, the symbolic has passed away, and the true has come - the majestic temple is no more, but the true City, the even more majestic Church, has replaced it. Each of us can and should see what our God has done and is doing – "our God forever and ever, our guide, even to death!"