Video Transcripts: Psalms of Zion

We continue our look at the variety of different kinds of Psalms. The Psalter itself.  The 150 Psalms has a number of different types of Psalms, and various scholars  have suggested different categories to the Psalms. I'm suggesting that there are at  least eight that we ought to take a look at individual laments, communal laments,  hymns of praise, songs of confidence, Royal Psalms, Psalms of Zion, thank Psalms  and wisdom or priestly instruction. Today, we're going to take a look particularly at  the psalms of Zion. This is a fairly small collection among the 150 Psalms. I think  there are six psalms in particular that are psalms of Zion. And these are sort of like  national anthems that are more than just, hey, we've got a great country here. These  are national anthems that praise the earthly residents of YAHWAH. That place  called Zion. Zion is this code term that emerges in the Old Testament and it's never  fully explained. But it's the idea that when God steps out of heaven, God steps  down to earth, and the place where God comes, dwells, appears, is Zion. It's a  place of strength, it's a place of glory. And so the temple in Jerusalem certainly and  Jerusalem itself, and by extension, through Jerusalem, the whole of the people of  Israel, become the place of Zion. It's a it's a bit of a nebulous place. It's kind of like  in the King Arthur legends, the idea of Camelot. While Camelot in the King Arthur  legends, is touted to be a real place, it's more than that. It's an ideal, it's a it's a  concept of fullness and blessing. And so it is with Zion, this idea of a fullness and  blessing that comes when God is resident among God's people. So in praise of  Zion, we are actually singing of Yahweh as praises of God's own praises, and the  manner in which God deals with the nations of the earth. Now, a few examples of a  psalm 48 is probably one of the most focused expressions of all of this great is the  Lord and most worthy of praise in the city of our God, His holy mountain,  beautiful in His loftiness the joy of the whole earth, like the heights of Zion is  Mount Zion, the city of the great king. God is inner citadels, he has shown himself  to be her fortress. When the Kings joined forces when the advanced together, they  saw her and were astounded they fled in terror, trembling seized them there pain  like that of a woman in labor, you destroyed them, like the ships of Tarshish  shattered by an east wind, 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. Within your  temple, oh God and we meditate on your unfailing love like your name of God,  your praise reaches to the ends of the earth, your right hand is filled with  righteousness. Mount Zion rejoices the villages of Judah are glad because of your  judgments walk about Zion, go about her count her towers, consider Well, her  ramparts, view her citadels that you may tell of them to the next generation. For  this God is our God forever and ever, he will be our guide even to the end. Notice 

that God is first affirmed, as ruler of all nations, not merely the God of Israel, but  the God of all nations. And then Zion is affirmed as God's earthly home and  palace. Zion was the name of the fortress or the castle or the citadel that the  Jebusites had, which David conquered, and then made his own capital for the  unified nation of Israel, freed from all of its enemies. But David refused to be  considered the ultimate authority in Israel, clearly demonstrating that by bringing  in the ark of YAHWAH, the Ark of the Covenant, which was Yahweh as throne,  bringing it to Jerusalem, so that Yahweh could function as the visible and true king  of the nation, even though David built his own palaces. And remember that David  wanted to build a temple for Yahweh, the palace of the true King of Israel.  Eventually his son Solomon would do that. So Zion becomes the name for the  center of God's rule on earth, and Zion should be the object of the delight of those  who know and desire to live in harmony with the rule of God. If you believe God  exists, if God matters and if God is the Ruler of the nations, then Zion becomes the  expression of God come down to be among us. On earth, and to give righteousness  and direction to the nations that are otherwise wandering and chaotic and  destroying one another, so it's a very powerful thing. Another psalm, this one how  lovely is your dwelling place, oh Lord Almighty my soul yearns, even faints for  the courts of the Lord, my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God, even a  sparrow has found a hum and a swallow and nests for herself where she may ever  young, a place near your altar, oh, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed  are those who dwell in your house, they're ever praising you and you can see that  blessing and that praise, continuing to roll throughout the rest of the psalm. This  psalm clearly had its origins in the traveling songs for those who were on  pilgrimage to Jerusalem. If you note those early verses, they're planning to go up to  Jerusalem for one of the great festivals each year. Pilgrim festivals and those were  the Feast of Passover which announced the origins of the nation of Israel as it came  out of Egypt to the great exodus, the Feast of Weeks, which celebrated the harvest  come in when they got into the land and the Feast of booths or tents, which  reminded them of the care of God while they traveled through the wilderness. So  these three festivals, each year, all of the Israelite adults, especially the male's  came up to Jerusalem and on the way they sang songs. Now, there's a collection of  those Psalms, Psalms 120, through 134. But here seems to be another one that may  have been an earlier one or later one that was added to the collection. Zion is  perceived as the residence of Yahweh, the object of their worship, and the fate of  the world is understood as linked to the blessings of Yahweh. So celebrating Zion,  is to adore the master of Zion, the God of all the King of the universe, the creator 

of everything, as goes the fates of Zion, so goes the fate of the world. And if the  world wishes to be tied to the good designs of its creator, then the world ought to  praise God and the City of God. So Zion comes in, in that manner. A third  possibility of the psalms of Zion. Here's Psalm 87, he has founded his city on the  holy mountain, the Lord loves the gates of Zion, more than all of the other  dwellings of Jacob, glorious things are said of you city of God, I will record  Rahab, and Babel, and among those who acknowledged me Phylistia, too Tyre  along with Cush, and will say, this one was born in Zion, indeed, of Zion, it will be  said this one and that one were born in her, and the Most High will establish her,  the Lord will write in the register of the peoples, this one was born in Zion, and  they will make music as they make music, they will sing, all my fountains are and  you notice these things? Isn't that a marvelous, powerful, missional Psalm? Notice  that the extent establishment of Jerusalem as the throne city of YAHWAH, is  declared to be God's own initiative. It's not a matter of David choosing the city, it's  not a matter of the Israelites, finally, wanting a king, God had this intended all  along. And there's sort of two voices that dialogue back and forth in the song. The  first voice is that of the narrator who praises God and Gods city, Zion, announcing  that all of the nations actually belong to this kings kingdom. Now, that's a striking  thought. Because even in the world of the Old Testament nations were fiercely  nationalistic, we're the people of Babylon, or we're the people of Persia, or we're  the people of Syria, or we're the Philistines or we're the Egyptians. And what this  Psalm says, all of our petty national identities need to come undone as we gather  together into one larger kingdom. And that kingdom, the only kingdom that  matters is the kingdom of God, the Creator of all, and God rules out of Zion. The  second voice is actually YAHWAH himself calling for and declaring that people of  all known nations actually belong as citizens, to his own kingdom. Fascinating.  You're not an if you're not a Babylonian, you're not an Egyptian, you're not a  Syrian, you are a member of Zion, you carry a passport of the one true nation of  the earth. So it's a very missional song. It announces that the God of Israel is the  Lord of all nations, and that the best interests of all peoples are found in league  with YAHWAH. If you miss your connection with Israel, if you miss your  connection with the temple if you miss your connection with the throne of David,  then you miss life itself. These psalms of Zion praise the city where the living  Creator takes up residence on Earth, in order to be with the people of Earth who  all, all, not just Israel, but all belong to God. So the theological assumptions behind  these songs are very, very extravagant. Israel is not special among the nations, in  and of herself. But Israel is God's City, God's nation, who is by the creator's right, 

the Lord of all the nations. So Zion is the connecting point between heaven and  earth, allowing the creator of all to appear in the human arena, and then to take up  a rightful place as the king of all the nations. So all peoples whatever citizenships  they claim otherwise, should and will gladly and quickly announced the priority of  Zions claim on their lives, when they understand who Zions true ruler is. This is a  theme which reappears in the New Testament in large doses. Jesus says that he's  come to proclaim the kingdom of God, and that kingdom is for all nations. And the  Missionaries of the early church go out speaking about the rule of God through the  resurrected Christ. So all of these things about the psalms of Zion, echoes  throughout the entire Bible as one of the key themes one of the key theological  concepts. For more on this you might take a look at my books Here Me Oh God,  which is a collection of meditations one on every one of the Psalms, and also a  further background to these things in Covenant Documents Reading the Bible  Again For the First Time.