Great is the Lord! (v. 1-2)
Great
is the Lord, and most
worthy of praise,
in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
 |
| Jerusalem Walls Photo: Joshua Mitchell 2011 |
the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion,
the city of the Great King.
God is in her citadels;
he
has shown himself to be her fortress.
(NIV)
Great is the Lord!
Psalm 48 begins and ends with its focus on the Lord.
Every time we gather as the people of God, our focus...beginning, end, and
middle needs to be on the nature and character of Jesus Christ! Not only is he
great, but he also faithfully guides us and protects us in his steadfast love! And,
“He will guide us forever”(v.14).
What the Zaphon Are You Talking About?
.jpg)
The name "Zaphon" elsewhere may be translated straightforwardly as "north." But in this context, it is best to retain it as a proper name. Zaphon was to the Canaanites what Mount Olympus was to the Greeks. The Canaanites (Phoenicians) believed that the chief God of the pantheon, El, dwelt on Mount Zaphon. The psalmist is borrowing the imagery and not the theology. Zion is the holy mountain of God. (EBC, Vo;. 5, 363)
Here... Heaven and Earth Meet
 |
| Photo: Greg K.Dueker |
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are
going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through me. If you had known
me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him
and have seen him.”[2]
The desire of the entire world for that place where they
could meet with God was fulfilled at Mt. Zion, (a symbol of the true Church
today). What Jesus did on the cross was for all people. He is the fulfillment
of the deepest longing of their souls.
 |
| Photo: Greg K.Dueker |
In the Messiah, Jesus the Son of God, heaven came down to earth
and assumed all of our sins and sorrow so that we might come back to the Father—both
now and forever! In Christ, we are home in a way that is more real and relational than we could ever have imagined.
They Came, They Saw, and They Freaked (v.4-5)
"For behold, the kings assembled;
they came on together.
As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;
they were in panic; they took to flight."
When the kings of enemy nations came, what was the "it"
at which they were looking? It seems it was Jerusalem and the Temple of the Lord in its midst. The work of God in and
through his people is still a fearful sight to wicked rulers wherever/whenever
they dwell. Commentators such as Craigie note that while “the world’s kings (v.
4) came to Jerusalem and saw one astounding thing (v.5); the pilgrim worshipers
also came to Jerusalem and saw another thing (v. 8), though in a literal sense
it was the same sight that met their eyes.” (Craigie, Psalms, 353)
Pondering His Steadfast Love (v.9-10)
“We
have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. As
your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right
hand is filled with righteousness.”
Do we pause to consider the greatness of God’s love, his
steadfast love, available to us because of his sacrifice on our behalf? If not, let's start today! His redemptive plan reaches the ends of the earth. His praise should flow from us as we
consider all of who he is: loving, righteous, strong, eternal...
It is always good to think about his steadfast love and since
his righteous, loving character reaches the ends of the earth his praise
reaches there too. I have the feeling this passage is suggesting the future
salvation of the nations. For God's mysterious love is not just for one people (it's too
light a thing—Isaiah 49:6) but for all peoples of the world!
As we think about his steadfast love it should fill and
overflow from our hearts. How is the overflow of this praise/worship/love
visible to the people we encounter on the road, in stores, in the neighborhood,
and in our homes?
The Lord’s steadfast
love (Heb. hesed) is always a good thing to think about and we should
praise him from wherever we are…not just in the places considered holy!
In my spiritual formation classes, I ask my students to take
a micro-retreat of just an hour without technology and get outside and walk
around and look for ways that they can see God at work around them. This is
what the Sons of Korah were asking the people of God to do. They were not
merely to sing God’s praises and think about his steadfast love in the Temple (v.9-10)
but they were told to walk around the city and see the strength of the walls
and towers as a sign of God’s active work of protection for his people (v.
12-14).
How do we engage our whole being in worship and
contemplation of God? How might we allow the things that God has made or
provided to us to turn our eyes and hearts back to the Lord?
He will Guide Us Forever (v.11-14)
Let
Mount Zion be glad!
Let the daughters of Judah rejoice
because of your judgments!
Walk about Zion, go around her,
 |
| Photo by AbsolutVision on Unsplash |
number her towers,
consider well her ramparts,
go through her citadels,
that you may tell the next generation
that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
He will guide us forever.
What a wonderful reminder of God’s goodness toward his people. May we seek this promised guidance, together as the people of God, both now and always!
He is our true home and in him, we are home now!
Here are a few other Bible verses for further reading:
- Matthew 11:27-29
- Luke 14:23
- John 14:1-3
- Isaiah 19:23-25
- Hebrews 12:1-2
- 1 Peter 2:4-5
- Revelation 22:17
- Hebrews 2:14-18
