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 center 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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