SPIRITUAL
DIARY FOR 10/4/2012 9:41:31 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
Psalm 122 PT-1
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Psalm 122:1-2
Message
of the verses: In Today’s Spiritual
Diary we will begin to look at the 122nd Psalm by looking at several
introductions to the psalm by different Bible commentators.
“This psalm seems to have been
penned by David for the use of the people of Israel, when they came up to
Jerusalem to worship at the three solemn feasts. It was in David’s time that
Jerusalem was first chosen to be the city where God would record his name. It
being a new thing, this, among other means, was used to bring the people to be
in love with Jerusalem, as the holy city, though it was but the other day in
the hands of the Jebusites.” (Matthew
Henry)
“This brief but spirited Psalm is
entitled "A Song of Degrees of David," and thus we are informed as go
its author, and the occasion for which it was designed: David wrote it for the
people to sing at the time of their goings up to the holy feasts at Jerusalem.
It comes third in the series, and appears to be suitable to be sung when the
people had entered the gates, and their feet stood within the city. It was most
natural that they should sing of Jerusalem itself, and invoke peace and
prosperity upon the Holy City, for it was the centre of their worship, and the
place where the Lord revealed himself above the mercy seat. Possibly the city
was not all built in David’s day, but he wrote under the spirit of prophecy, and
spoke of it as it would be in the age of Solomon; a poet has license to speak
of things, not only as they are, but as they will be when they come to their
perfection. Jerusalem, or the Habitation of Peace, is used as the key word of
this Psalm, wherein we have in the original many happy allusions to the salem,
or peace, which they implored upon Jerusalem.
When they stood within the triple walls, all things around the pilgrims
helped to explain the words which they sang within her ramparts of strength. One
voice led the Psalm with its personal "I," but ten thousand brethren
and companions united with the first musician and swelled the chorus of the
strain.(Charles H. Spurgeon)
“David expressed his great joy over
Jerusalem, which he had settled by defeating the Jebusites and bringing the
tabernacle and ark for permanent residency.
David’s desire/prayer was temporarily fulfilled in Solomon’s reign. It is ironic that Jerusalem, which means
‘city of peace’, has been fought over through history more than any other city
in the world. Prophetically, David’s
desire will not be experienced in its fullness until the Prince of Peace comes
to rule permanently as the promised Davidic King.” (John MacArthur Study Bible)
The following is from the
introductory commentary of Warren Wiersbe:
“Believers today need not make long pilgrimages to ‘holy places’ in
order to worship God, for the Lord does not dwell in man-made buildings (Acts
7:48-50). Nor do we need the kind of
‘religious entertainment’ that draws people to some meetings. The key thing is the heart. From David’s words in this psalm, we can
easily discern the kind of heart believers need if we are to please God in our
worship.”
A
Heart for God (vv. 1-2): “1 A Song of Ascents, of David: I was glad
when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD." 2 Our
feet are standing Within your gates, O Jerusalem,”
It was a fairly long time ago
when our family went to “Founder’s Week” at the Moody Bible Institute in
Chicago, Illinois that I became familiar with a CD that is entitled “Shalom
Jerusalem.” The CD was made in the city
of Jerusalem sometime in the 1990’s and many of the songs on it were right out
of Scripture that were put to music and the first verse of Psalm 122 was used
in this CD. I also have this
presentation in VHS and it is now on DVD.
I suppose that it could be said that this is one of my all time favorite
musical pieces and it is because it is from Jerusalem and also because it is
from the Scriptures.
There are some who think that
David did not write this psalm because the temple had not been built yet, but
the tent that David had set up could be what he is writing about here or David
could have been looking forward to the time when Solomon would build the
temple, which was actually in the heart of David to build, but God would not
allow him to do it. However David did
help in the plans of the temple along with supplying much of the gold and other
things that would be used in the building of the temple, so it does not seem
like a problem to believe that David wrote this psalm.
Dr. Wiersbe states that the
phrase “let us go to the house of the LORD” would be better translated as “we
will go to the house of the LORD.” He
says that the first sounds like an invitation to a tea while the second states
what people were going to do. The second
statement sounds more like the statement of expressed determination and
dedication.
I am not sure how this psalm was
put into the ascent psalms, but for that matter I don’t have any idea as to how
any of the psalms were put into the order that they are in except that the Holy
Spirit, who is the author of the Scriptures led the people to arrange them in
the way that He wanted them to be in.
With this said as we look at this psalm, and David as the author we know
that David did not have to travel to Jerusalem for all of the feasts, but lived
in Jerusalem and it was David who put up the tent and brought the Ark of the
Covenant to place it into the tent that was in Jerusalem. We also know that the Bible states that David
was a man after God’s own heart, and David had a great love for the Lord, as
can be seen in the many psalms that he wrote and also from the different books
of the Bible that David is seen in. We
know that David also loved the city of Jerusalem and that God foretold that one
day He would choose a city to have His name in, and that city was
Jerusalem. There is coming a day when
the Lord Jesus Christ will reign from the rebuilt city of Jerusalem for 1000
years and then there is also coming a day when the Lord Jesus Christ will rule
from the New Jerusalem which is described in the book of Revelations. As we
study these ascent psalms we can picture in our minds what it must have been
like for the pilgrims to ascend to Jerusalem to worship the Lord, but then we
can also be thankful that we, as NT believers can worship the Lord right where
we are because we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: When our son was born we named him David Paul
because David is my favorite character from the OT and Paul is my favorite
character from the NT. I believe that
the reason that David is my favorite character from the OT is that he was a man
after God’s own heart, and this is something that I desire to be. I truly enjoy reading the psalms that David
wrote and also reading about him because of his great love for the Lord is seen
in these writings and they inspire me.
He loved the city of Jerusalem and this psalm is about Jerusalem, and
one day all believers will be able to go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
Contentment is something that I am still being taught by the Lord, and
also how to remain in the Vine. Another
thing He is teaching me is humility and also to learn to have my mind
transformed by His Word as I put His Word in my heart that I may not sin
against Him.
Memory
verse for the week: 1Cor. 13:8
Love never fails; but if there are
gifts of prophecy they will be done away; if there are tongues; they will
cease; if there is knowledge it will be done away.
10/4/2012
10:37:51 AM
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