Praying for Peace & Glory…

‘Anticipation’, ‘Excitement’, ‘Longing’ – these are all words that we might use to describe our feelings before we set off on a journey that we’ve been planning for a long time. As we’ve been looking at the Psalms of Ascent over the summer, we have explored some of the emotions and experiences of the pilgrims and in this third sermon, the psalmist and Jerry focus our attention on the finish-line – Jerusalem!

“Off to the Capital”…

It’s certain that as the City of David, Jerusalem was on the list of ‘Top Ten Places to Visit’ in ancient Israel. Perched in the mountains, it stood as a reminder that God had kept His promises to King David. The thrill of a trip to Jerusalem would’ve been felt by all the pilgrims – young or old, rich or poor, man or woman. That is why the Psalmist starts in verse one by exclaiming ‘I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”’ (Ps 122:1-2). Do you remember surprise summer trips to a favourite relative or place? That same buzz floods over the Psalmist as he hears the plan… ‘We’re going to Jerusalem!’

I always remember childhood trips to the Welsh coast. The car journey, bible story cassettes, sing-alongs, eye-spy, sweets, shouting ‘I-can-see-the-sea!!’…and then finally standing with 10 toes dancing in the sand - Oh bliss!!
But the psalmist’s feelings aren’t just relief or nostalgia – Jerusalem is more significant than The Mumbles!!...

“…closely compacted together.”…

In Ps 122:3, we read that the city is “…closely compacted together.” The land that it was built on dictated the structure of ancient Jerusalem. Surrounded by valleys, it couldn’t become a great, spacious, sprawling metropolis…the inhabitants needed to build a secure city that made the best use of the space and, according to the psalm, the result clearly makes an impression.

It’s been noted that amid this physical compaction, a robust society is forged - united in worship and justice.
 

“This is the nation’s rallying-point, where scattered tribes are enclosed in the unity of one worship and one law…” ^*1

Now I’m not suggesting that physical proximity causes social cohesion – that would be to commit the ‘False Cause fallacy’, never mind the fact that it’s patently not true. Prison inmates are ‘closely compacted together’ but I doubt HMP Belmarsh is a civic utopia!

However, it does seem to be the case that when people share more than just a postcode, the resulting community requires a solid social foundation to be built upon.
 
“…praise the name of the Lord”…
 
We discover one of the foundations to Jerusalem in Ps 122:4. The temple was the central hub to life for the individual, the family, the city, and the nation – at least that was the plan. But this idea wasn’t proposed to the ‘Zion Planning Committee’ by a Social Planning Consultant.
 
When we are told that ‘…the tribes go up…to praise the name of the Lord’ (Ps 122:4) it is because the gathered act of worship is central to who they are and what Jerusalem is – it’s been ‘decreed’.  It’s been hard coded into creation that, for the creature to thrive, God as creator must be found in His rightful place - at the centre of all things. It was the schematic for Eden, it was in the design of the tabernacle and it’s at the heart of Jerusalem too – then blessings emanate from the centre, like ripples on a pond.
 

 
In his commencement speech at Keynon College, David Foster Wallace told the graduating students that ‘Everybody worships’. What does he mean? Simply that devotion is so woven into our being that all of us will devote our time, talent & treasure to something – and tracing those three lines leads us to the idea, person or thing that we worship.
 
“…the thrones for judgement stand”…
 
The author of the psalm also picks up on another important idea in vs. 5 – Justice.
In Israel at that time, the highest legal authority that a citizen could appeal to would be the King’s court. His judgement would be final & binding and he was to execute justice because God loves justice.
(Gen 18:19; Deu 16:20; 2 Sam 8:15; Isa 1:17; Mic 6:8; Amo 5:24)
 
So, with each step along the road, the Israelites were drawing closer to the heart of true worship and the source of justice – you won’t find that in a stick of rock from Tenby!

Jerusalem and the Church…
 
Looking to the patterns of creation,  the tabernacle, Jerusalem; and in light of Christ’s coming, we are able to see that Psalm 122 lays a blueprint, not just for Jerusalem but for the church. Jerry took us to Hebrews 12:22-23, explaining that in the new covenant community we come to ‘the heavenly Jerusalem…the church of the firstborn…and to God, the judge of all’.
 
Matthew Henry puts it brilliantly in his commentary on this passage;

“Jerusalem is called the beautiful city. It was a type [pattern] of the gospel church, which is compact together in holy love and Christian communion, so that it is all as one city. If all the disciples of Christ were of one mind, and kept the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, their enemies would be deprived of their chief advantages against them. But Satan’s maxim always has been, to divide that he may conquer; and few Christians are sufficiently aware of his designs.” ^*3

 
The psalm draws to a close with a command – ‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!’ (Ps. 122:6-9). Jerry ended the sermon by sharing his passion for local church congregations to pursue God’s glorious vision for the church and invited everyone to take a Lego brick home, as a symbol of our commitment to pray for the church and pursue unity, grace and cooperation.
 

 
‘Eyes on the Prize’…
Isaac Watts wrote a hymn based on Psalm 122, in many hymn books it is titled ‘Going to Church’. Verse 1 says;

How pleased and blest was I
To hear the people cry,
‘Come, let us seek our God today!’
Yes, with a cheerful zeal
We haste to Zion’s hill,
And there our vows and honours pay.*⁴

 
Jerusalem’s joy, strength, worship, and justice point us to God’s vision for his church — a Spirit-filled, united, glorious community that we are called to love, pray for, and build together.
 

Questions...

1. According to Psalm 122:1-2, how does the psalmist feel about going "to the house of the LORD"?
   What reasons does the rest of the psalm give for that joy?
    
2. Jerusalem is described as "closely compacted together" (v.3)
   Read Psalm 122:3-5 again - what is it that holds this community together?
    
3. In the quote from Matthew Henry, Jerusalem is seen as a “type” or “pattern” for the church, and that Satan's strategy is "to divide that he may conquer."
   Looking at Psalm 122:6-9, why do you think prayer for peace and unity is so important for God's people?
    
4. ‘Everybody worships – by devoting time, talent, and treasure to an idea, person or thing’.
   What does your own life show that you're truly devoted to, and is God at the centre of it?
    
5. What's one practical way you could pray for or build unity in your own church community this week?

Footnotes:
*1 – White, R.E.O. (1995) “Psalms,” in Evangelical Commentary on the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House (Baker reference library), p. 394..”
*2 – https://youtu.be/xoblutORPNA?t=1065
*3 – Henry, M. and Scott, T. (1997) Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, p. Ps 122:1.
*4 – https://hymnary.org/text/how_pleased_and_blest_was_i

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