SPIRITUAL
DIARY FOR 5/14/2012 9:05:02 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
“The Inhabitants and Blessings of those who Live in Jerusalem”
Bible
Reading & Meditation
Reference: Psalm 87:4-7
Message of the verses: In yesterday’s SD we began to look at Psalm
87 by looking at several introductions from different Bible Commentators, and
then we looked at “The City Is Built by God” from verses 1-3. Dr. Wiersbe writes these words at the end of
his introduction “The psalmist shares three wonderful truths about the city of
Jerusalem.”
The City Is Inhabited by His
Children (vv. 4-6):
“4 I shall mention Rahab and Babylon among those who know Me; Behold,
Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia: ’This one was born there.’" 5 But of
Zion it shall be said, "This one and that one were born in her"; And
the Most High Himself will establish her. 6 The LORD will count when He
registers the peoples, "This one was born there." Selah.”
“4
I will count Egypt and Babylon among those who know me-also Philistia and Tyre,
and even distant Ethiopia. They have all
become citizens of Jerusalem! 5 Regarding Jerusalem it will be said, “Everyone
enjoys the rights of citizenship there.’’ And the Most High will personally
bless this city. 6 When the LORD registers the nations, he will say, “They have
all become citizens of Jerusalem.’’
Interlude” (NLT)
This
section of Psalm 87 is speaking of nations who will be part of the future
glorious kingdom that will come after the seven years of tribulation when
Christ will come and set up His kingdom from Jerusalem. When we look at the list of these nations we
will see that not only are they enemies of Israel, but they are also Gentile
nations. In the NASB we see the word “Rahab”, but in the NLT the word is
translated “Egypt.” Dr. Wiersbe points
out that Rahab is Egypt, and the word means “arrogant, boisterous.” We know that Egypt enslaved Israel in the
past and were their enemy to the South, and that Babylon captured Judah in 586
and were their enemy to the North. As
far as the other nations Philistia and Tyre and also Ethiopia they too were
Israel’s enemies, but in the future will be a part of the future glorious
kingdom that according to Revelations will last for one thousand years. How will these people become citizens of this
kingdom, and live in Jerusalem? The same
way that all believers today are citizens of the kingdom of God, and that is to
be born again, through the new birth that Jesus talked about in John chapter
three.
They’re
many OT prophets who promised that believers from all the nations of the earth
would be included in Messiah’s reign writes Dr. Wiersbe. Here are some of the passages that are
included in his commentary: (Isa. 2:1-5;
Mic. 4:1-5; Zech. 8:23; 14:16-20), and so did the psalmists (22:27; 46:10;
47:9; 57:5, 11; 98:2-3; and 99:2-3) Hab.
2:14 reads as follows “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the
glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”
The City Enjoys His Abundant
Blessings (v.7):
“7 Then those who sing as well as those who play the flutes shall say,
"All my springs of joy are in you.’”
“7
The people will play flutes and sing, “The source of my life springs from
Jerusalem!’’ (NLT)
Most
ancient cities were built on a river like Babylon was built on the Euphrates River
and major cities in Egypt were built on the Nile River. However Jerusalem was not built on a river
and when sieges came it was difficult for the citizens of Jerusalem to get
water. King Hezekiah built a wonderful
underground water system for Jerusalem during his reign. This is found in 2 Kings 20 and also in 2 Chronicles
32:30. Every time I read about King
Hezekiah’s building of this water system for Jerusalem I remember a sermon that
I heard many years ago from the book of Proverbs chapter three and verses five
and six. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not upon your own
understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your
path.” The Pastor who gave the
message from this section stated that the word “direct” is the same word that
is used in describing how Hezekiah directed the underground water system for
Jerusalem. In that same way God will
direct our path.
In
verse seven of Psalm 87 we see from the NASB version “All my springs of joy are in you.”
Dr. Wiersbe points out that this is speaking of “living water” and not regular H2O, the kind that we drink. He goes on to write “A fountain or spring
symbolizes the source of something, as Jacob is the ‘fountain’ from which the
nation came (Deut. 33:28). All
blessings, especially spiritual blessings, will flow from the Lord who reigns
in the City of David, just as today we draw upon the wealth found only in our
exalted Lord. (See Romans 2:4; 9:23;
11:33; Ephesians 1:3; 2:4-10; 3:8; Philippians 4:19; and Col. 1:27) The image of a river of living water is
found also in Psalm 36:8-9; 46:4; 89:6; Ezekiel 47; John 7:37:39; and
Revelation 22:1-2.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: In the fifteenth chapter of John’s Gospel we
see that on the night when Jesus was going to go to the cross to die for my
sins that He stopped and began to teach His disciples about the vine and the
branches. He said that He was the vine
and they were the branches and in order for them to produce fruit they had to abide
or remain in the vine. By abiding or
remaining in the vine they would be drawing power from the Vine so that they
could produce the fruit that He desired for them to produce. If you tie these verses in with Ephesians
2:10 and also to Proverbs 3:5-6 you will see that if in your life you abide or
remain in the Vine then the Lord will direct your path to produce the fruit
that He has called you to produce in eternity past that is written about in
Ephesians 2:10.
My
Steps of Faith for Today: To abide or remain in the Vine so that I can
be directed by the Lord to produce the fruit that He has planned for me to
produce in eternity past.
5/14/2012 9:54:15 AM
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