Reading: Psalms of Zion (Video Slides)

#16 Understanding the Variety of Psalm Types and Their Unique Expressions:

Part 6 – Psalms of Zion

 

Understanding & Using the Psalms

• Individual Lament:

Cries of the individual in times of distress

5,6,10,13,22,26,35,38,39,40,42,43,51,54,55,56,57,59,64,69,70,86,88,102,109,120,130,142,143

• Communal Lament:

Cries of the community in times of distress

60,74,79,80,90,108,123,137

• Hymns of Praise:

Celebrations of Yahweh’s goodness & character

8,9,19,29,30,33,34,65,66,67,68,76,95,96,97,98,99, 100,103,104,111,113,116,117,134,135,138,144,145, 146,147,148,149,150

• Songs of Confidence:

Declarations of trust in Yahweh

3,4,7,11,12,16,17,18,20,23,27,28,31,36,41,46,50,58, 62,63,71,77,82,83,85,89,91,92,93,94,114,115,121,124,125,126,129,139,140,141

• Royal Psalms:

Song in praise of Yahweh as Israel’s true king and the monarch who rules on Yahweh’s behalf

2,21,24,45,47,61,72,110,132

• Psalms of Zion:

“National Anthems” that praise the earthly residence of Yahweh

14,48,53,84,87,122

• “Thank” Psalms:

Expressions of appreciation for Yahweh’s deliverance

75,118,136

• Wisdom or Priestly Instruction:

Poems which contain condensed teachings to be passed along by memorization

1,15,25,32,37,44,49,52,73,78,81,101,105,106,107,112,119,127

 

Psalms of Zion

• Character: “National Anthems” that praise the earthly residence of Yahweh
• Examples: Psalms 14, 48, 53, 84, 87, 122

 

Psalms of Zion: Example #1 – Psalm 48

¹ Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise,
    in the city of our God, his holy mountain.

² Beautiful in its loftiness,
    the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion,
    the city of the Great King.
³ God is in her citadels;
    he has shown himself to be her fortress.

⁴ When the kings joined forces,
    when they advanced together,
⁵ they saw her and were astounded;
    they fled in terror.
⁶ Trembling seized them there,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.
⁷ You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish
    shattered by an east wind.

⁸ As we have heard,
    so we have seen
in the city of the Lord Almighty,
    in the city of our God:
God makes her secure
    forever.

⁹ Within your temple, O God,
    we meditate on your unfailing love.
¹⁰ Like your name, O God,
    your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;
    your right hand is filled with righteousness.
¹¹ Mount Zion rejoices,
    the villages of Judah are glad
    because of your judgments.

¹² Walk about Zion, go around her,
    count her towers,
¹³ consider well her ramparts,
    view her citadels,
that you may tell of them
    to the next generation.

¹⁴ For this God is our God for ever and ever;
    he will be our guide even to the end.

 

Note these things:

• God is first affirmed as the ruler of all nations.
• Then Zion is affirmed as God’s earthly home and palace.
• Zion was the name of the fortress or castle or citadel of the Jebusites that David conquered and made his capital for the unified nation of Israel, freed from all its enemies.
• But David refused to be considered the ultimate authority in Israel, clearly demonstrating by bringing the Ark of the Covenant (Yahweh’s throne) into Jerusalem, that Yahweh is Israel’s true king.
• Thus Zion becomes the name for the center of God’s rule on earth.
• So Zion should be the object of delight who know and desire to live in harmony with the rule of God.

 

Psalms of Zion: Example #2 – Psalm 84

¹ How lovely is your dwelling place,
    Lord Almighty!
² My soul yearns, even faints,
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
    for the living God.
³ Even the sparrow has found a home,
    and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
    Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
⁴ Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
    they are ever praising you.

⁵ Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
⁶ As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
    they make it a place of springs;
    the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
⁷ They go from strength to strength,
    till each appears before God in Zion.

⁸ Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;
    listen to me, God of Jacob.
⁹ Look on our shield, O God;
    look with favor on your anointed one.

¹⁰ Better is one day in your courts
    than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
¹¹ For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
    from those whose walk is blameless.

¹² Lord Almighty,
    blessed is the one who trusts in you.

 

Note These Things

• This Psalm clearly had its origins as a traveling song for those who were on pilgrimage to Jerusalem (note verses 2-7) for one of the three great festivals each year (Passover, Weeks, Tents)
• Zion is perceived as the residence of Yahweh, the object of their worship.
• The fate of the world is understood as linked to the blessings of Yahweh.
• Celebrating Zion is adoring its Master, the God of the universe.

 

Psalms of Zion: Example #3 – Psalm 87

Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. A song.

¹ He has founded his city on the holy mountain.
² The Lord loves the gates of Zion
    more than all the other dwellings of Jacob.

³ Glorious things are said of you,
    city of God:
⁴ “I will record Rahab and Babylon
    among those who acknowledge me—
Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush—
    and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’”
⁵ Indeed, of Zion it will be said,
    “This one and that one were born in her,
    and the Most High himself will establish her.”
⁶ The Lord will write in the register of the peoples:
    “This one was born in Zion.”

⁷ As they make music they will sing,
    “All my fountains are in you.”

 

Note These Things

• Notice that the establishment of Jerusalem as the throne city of Yahweh is declared to be God’s own initiative.
• Notice that the Psalm is a kind of two-voice dialogue:
  -The first voice is that of the narrator, who praises God and God’s city Zion, announcing that all nations belong to this King’s kingdom
  -The second voice is that of Yahweh, calling for and declaring that people of all known nations belong as citizens to God’s kingdom.
• This is a very missional Psalm, announcing that the God of Israel is the Lord of all nations, and that their best interests is found in league with Yahweh.

 

Reflections on Psalms of Zion

• The Psalms of Zion praise the city where the living Creator takes up residence to be with the people of earth who belong to God.
• The theological assumptions behind these Psalms are extravagant:
  -Israel is not special among the nations of herself, but it is Israel’s God who is by Creator’s right, the Lord of all nations
  -Zion is the connecting point between Heaven and Earth, allowing the Creator to appear in the human arena, and take rightful place as the King of all nations
  -All peoples, whatever citizenships they claim, will gladly and quickly announce the priority of Zion’s claim on their lives when they understand who Zion’s true Ruler is.